North Carolina Senate

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The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The President of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, but the Lt. Governor has very limited powers and only votes to break a tie. Before the office of Lt. Governor was created in 1868, the Senate was presided over by a "Speaker." After the 1988 election of James Carson Gardner, the first Republican Lt. Governor since Reconstruction, Democrats in control of the Senate shifted most of the power held by the Lt. Governor to the senator who is elected President Pro Tempore (or Pro-Tem). The President Pro Tempore appoints members to standing committees of the Senate, and holds great sway over bills. Marc Basnight (D-Manteo) is the current President Pro Tempore and has held the office longer than anyone in history.

According to the state constitution, the Senate is also the "Court for the Trial of Impeachments". The House of Representatives has the power to impeach state officials, after which the Senate holds a trial, as in the federal system. If the Governor or Lt. Governor is the official who has been impeached, the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court presides.

Contents 1 Qualifications 2 Composition 2.1 2009-2010 Senate Leadership 2.2 Members of the North Carolina Senate 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Qualifications

The qualifications to be a senator are found in the state Constitution: "Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election."

[edit] Composition

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
End of previous legislature	31	19	50	0
Begin	30	20	50	0
Latest voting share	60%	40%

[edit] 2009-2010 Senate Leadership

Position	Name	Party
President/Lieutenant Governor	Walter H. Dalton	Democratic
President Pro Tempore	Marc Basnight	Democratic
Deputy President Pro Tempore	Charlie Smith Dannelly	Democratic
Majority Leader	Tony Rand	Democratic
Majority Whip	Katie G. Dorsett	Democratic
Minority Leader	Phil Berger	Republican
Deputy Minority Leaders	Harry Brown	Republican
	Peter Brunstetter	Republican
	Neal Hunt	Republican
Minority Whip	Jerry W. Tillman	Republican

North Carolina Senate Leadership

[edit] Members of the North Carolina Senate

District	Representative	Party	Residence	Counties Represented
1	Marc Basnight	Democratic	Raleigh	Beaufort, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Pasquotank, Tyrrell, Washington
2	Jean Preston	Republican	Emerald Isle	Carteret, Craven, Pamlico
3	Clark Jenkins	Democratic	Tarboro	Edgecombe, Martin, Pitt
4	Ed Jones	Democratic	Enfield	Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton, Perquimans
5	Don Davis	Democratic	Snow Hill	Greene, Pitt, Wayne
6	Harry Brown	Republican	Jacksonville	Jones, Onslow
7	Doug Berger	Democratic	Youngsville	Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren
8	R.C. Soles, Jr.	Democratic	Tabor City	Brunswick, Columbus, Pender
9	Julia Boseman	Democratic	Wilmington	New Hanover
10	Charles Albertson	Democratic	Beulaville	Duplin, Lenoir, Samson
11	A.B. Swindell	Democratic	Nashville	Nash, Wilson
12	David Rouzer	Republican	Raleigh	Johnston, Wayne
13	David Weinstein	Democratic	Lumberton	Hoke, Robeson
14	Vernon Malone	Democratic	Raleigh	Wake
15	Neal Hunt	Republican	Raleigh	Wake
16	Josh Stein	Democratic	Raleigh	Wake
17	Richard Stevens	Republican	Cary	Wake
18	Bob Atwater	Democratic	Chapel Hill	Chatham, Durham, Lee
19	Tony Rand	Democratic	Fayetteville	Bladen, Cumberland
20	Floyd McKissick, Jr.	Democratic	Durham	Durham
21	Larry Shaw	Democratic	Fayetteville	Cumberland
22	Harris Blake	Republican	Pinehurst	Harnett, Moore
23	Eleanor Kinnaird	Democratic	Carrboro	Orange, Person
24	Tony Foriest	Democratic	Graham	Alamance, Caswell
25	William Purcell	Democratic	Graham	Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly
26	Phil Berger	Republican	Eden	Guilford, Rockingham
27	Don Vaughan	Democratic	Greensboro	Guilford
28	Katie G. Dorsett	Democratic	Greensboro	Guilford
29	Jerry W. Tillman	Republican	Archdale	Montgomery, Randolph
30	Don East	Republican	Pilot Mountain	Alleghany, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin
31	Peter Brunstetter	Republican	Lewisville	Forsyth
32	Linda Garrou	Democratic	Winston-Salem	Forsyth
33	Dan Blue	Republican	Denton	Davidson, Guilford
34	Andrew Brock	Republican	Mocksville	Davie, Rowan
35	Eddie Goodall	Republican	Matthews	Mecklenburg, Union
36	Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr.	Republican	Concord	Cabarrus, Iredell
37	Daniel Clodfelter	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg
38	Charlie Smith Dannelly	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg
39	Bob Rucho	Republican	Matthews	Mecklenburg
40	Malcolm Graham	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg
41	James Forrester	Republican	Stanley	Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln
42	Austin Allran	Republican	Hickory	Catawba, Iredell
43	David Hoyle	Democratic	Dallas	Gaston
44	Jim Jacumin	Republican	Connelly Springs	Burke, Caldwell
45	Steve Goss	Democratic	Boone	Alexander, Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes
46	Debbie Clary	Republican	Shelby	Cleveland, Rutherford
47	Joe Sam Queen	Democratic	Waynesville	Avery, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey
48	Tom Apodaca	Republican	Hendersonville	Buncombe, Henderson, Polk
49	Martin Nesbitt, Jr.	Democratic	Asheville	Buncombe
50	John Snow	Democratic	Murphy	Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania

[edit] See also

• North Carolina House of Representatives

[edit] External links

• Official site of the North Carolina Senate
• Project Vote Smart - State Senate of North Carolina

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