IDADI YA WATU WALIOSOMA HABARI HII: THE THOMCOM ITAKULETEA MFUMO WA UONGOZI WA MAREKANI KUANZIA BARAZA LA SENATE HADI LOWER HOUSE, NA VYOMBO VYOTE VYA KUTUNGA SHERIA. FUATANA NA THE THOMCOM KATIKA KUJUA NINI MAANA YA SENATE, HOUSE OF REPRESANTATION NA GOVERNERS.

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the Constitution (which does not use the terms "upper" and "lower"). Each U.S state is represented by two senators, regardless of population. This ensures equal representation of each state in the Senate. U.S. Senators serve staggered six-year terms. The chamber of the United States Senate is located in the north wing of the Capitol building, in Washington, D.C., the national capital. The House of Representatives convenes in the south wing of the same building.

The Senate has several exclusive powers not granted to the House, including consenting to treaties as a precondition to their ratification and consenting or confirmation of appointments of Cabinet secretaries, federal judges, other federal executive officials, military officers and other federal uniformed officers. The Senate is a more deliberative body than the House of Representatives because the Senate is smaller and its members serve longer terms, allowing for a more collegial and less partisan atmosphere that is somewhat more insulated from public opinion than the House. The Senate is considered a more prestigious body than the House of Representatives, due to its longer terms, smaller membership and larger constituencies.

History

The Framers of the Constitution created a bicameral Congress out of a desire to have two houses to be accountable to each other. One house was intended to be a "people's house" that would be sensitive to public opinion. The other house was intended to represent the states. It was to be a more deliberate forum of 'elite wisdom' where six-year terms insulated the senators from public opinion. The Constitution provides that the approval of both chambers is necessary for the passage of legislation.

The Senate of the United States was formed on the example of the ancient Roman Senate. The name derives from the senatus, Latin for council of elders (from senex meaning old man in Latin).

The Constitution stipulates that no constitutional amendment may be created to deprive a state of its equal suffrage in the Senate without that state's consent. The District of Columbia and territories are not entitled to any representation. With 50 states in the Union since 1959, the Senate has currently 100 seats. (At the start of the first session of the 111th Congress, however, only 98 members were seated, due to the Rod Blagojevich scandal in Illinois and the disputed election in Minnesota.)

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