Kentucky Senate

The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Terms and qualifications

According to Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution, a state senator must:

*be at least 30 years old;
*be a citizen of Kentucky;
*have resided in the state at least six years and the district at least one year prior to election. Per section 30 of the Kentucky Constitution, senators are elected to four year staggered terms, with half the Senate elected every two years.

Leadership

Prior to a 1992 constitutional amendment, the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky presided over the Senate; the 1992 amendment created a new office of President of the Senate to be held by one of the 38 senators.

President (elected by full body): David L. Williams (R-16)

President Pro-Tempore (elected by full body): Katie Kratz Stine (R-24)

Additionally, each political party elects a floor leader, whip, and caucus chair.

Current party leadership of the Kentucky Senate:
* Republican Party
**Leader: Dan Kelly (R-14)
**Whip: Dan Seum (R-38)
**Caucus chair: Richie Sanders, Jr. (R-9)
* Democratic Party
**Leader: Ed Worley (D-34)
**Whip: Joey Pendelton (D-3)
**Caucus chair: Johnny Ray Turner (D-29)

The open seat was vacated by Democratic Senator Daniel Mongiardo, who resigned on December 11, 2007 to take the office of Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. A special election on February 5 was called, won by Republican Brandon Smith.

External links

* [http://www.lrc.ky.gov/senate/senmembers.htm Kentucky Legislature Senate Members] official government website
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/official_state_legislator.php?type=office&state_id=KY&criteria=upper Project Vote Smart - State Senate of Kentucky]