- North Carolina Senate
-
North Carolina State Senate North Carolina General Assembly Type Type Upper house Term limits None New session started January 26, 2011 Leadership President of the Senate Walter H. Dalton, (D)
since January 10, 2009President Pro Tem of the Senate Phil Berger, (R)
since January 26, 2011Majority Leader Harry Brown, (R)
since January 26, 2011Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt, Jr., (D)
since January 26, 2011Structure Members 50 Political groups Republican Party (30)
Democratic Party (19)
Vacant (1)Length of term 2 years Authority Article II, North Carolina Constitution Salary $13,951/year + per diem Elections Last election November 2, 2010
(50 seats)Next election November 6, 2012
(50 seats)Redistricting Legislative Control Meeting place State Senate Chamber
North Carolina State Legislative Building
Raleigh, North CarolinaWebsite North Carolina State Senate 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.
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
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."
Composition
See also: Category:North Carolina General Assembly by sessionAffiliation Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)Total Democratic Republican Vacant End of previous legislature 30 20 50 0 Begin 19 31 50 0 October 31, 2011[1] 30 49 1 Latest voting share 38.8% 61.2% 2011-2012 Senate Leadership
North Carolina Senate Officers Position Name Party Lieutenant Governor / President of the Senate Walter H. Dalton Democratic President Pro Tem Phil Berger Republican Deputy President Pro Tempore Vacant [2] Republican Majority Leader Harry Brown Republican Majority Whip Jerry W. Tillman Republican Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt, Jr. Democratic Deputy Minority Leaders Linda Garrou Democratic Floyd McKissick, Jr. Democratic Don Vaughan Democratic Minority Whip Josh Stein Democratic North Carolina Senate Leadership
Members of the North Carolina Senate
District Representative Party Residence Counties Represented Number of Terms (+ Denotes Partial Term) 1 Stan White[3] Democratic Nags Head Beaufort, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Pasquotank, Tyrrell, Washington 1 2 Jean Preston Republican Emerald Isle Carteret, Craven, Pamlico 3 3 Clark Jenkins Democratic Tarboro Edgecombe, Martin, Pitt 5 4 Ed Jones Democratic Enfield Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton, Perquimans +3 5 Louis Pate Republican Mount Olive Greene, Pitt, Wayne 1 6 Harry Brown Republican Jacksonville Jones, Onslow 4 7 Doug Berger Democratic Youngsville Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren 4 8 Bill Rabon Republican Southport Brunswick, Columbus, Pender 1 9 Thom Goolsby Republican Wilmington New Hanover 1 10 Brent Jackson Republican Autryville Duplin, Lenoir, Samson 1 11 Buck Newton Republican Wilson Nash, Wilson 1 12 David Rouzer Republican Benson Johnston, Wayne 2 13 Michael P. Walters Democratic Fairmont Hoke, Robeson +1 14 Dan Blue Democratic Raleigh Wake +1 15 Neal Hunt Republican Raleigh Wake 3 16 Josh Stein Democratic Raleigh Wake 2 17 Richard Y. Stevens Republican Cary Wake 5 18 Bob Atwater Democratic Chapel Hill Chatham, Durham, Lee 4 19 Wesley Meredith Republican Fayetteville Bladen, Cumberland +1 20 Floyd McKissick, Jr. Democratic Durham Durham +2 21 Eric L. Mansfield Democratic Fayetteville Cumberland 1 22 Harris Blake Republican Pinehurst Harnett, Moore 5 23 Eleanor Kinnaird Democratic Carrboro Orange, Person 8 24 Rick Gunn Republican Burlington Alamance, Caswell 1 25 William R. Purcell Democratic Laurinburg Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly +7 26 Phil Berger Republican Eden Guilford, Rockingham 6 27 Don Vaughan Democratic Greensboro Guilford 2 28 Gladys A. Robinson Democratic Greensboro Guilford 1 29 Jerry W. Tillman Republican Archdale Montgomery, Randolph 5 30 Don East Republican Pilot Mountain Alleghany, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin 7 31 Peter Brunstetter Republican Lewisville Forsyth +3 32 Linda Garrou Democratic Winston-Salem Forsyth 7 33 Stan Bingham Republican Denton Davidson, Guilford 6 34 Andrew Brock Republican Mocksville Davie, Rowan 5 35 Tommy Tucker Republican Waxhaw Mecklenburg, Union 1 36 Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. Republican Concord Cabarrus, Iredell 11 37 Daniel Clodfelter Democratic Charlotte Mecklenburg 7 38 Charlie Smith Dannelly Democratic Charlotte Mecklenburg +9 39 Bob Rucho Republican Matthews Mecklenburg +5 40 Malcolm Graham Democratic Charlotte Mecklenburg 4 41 Vacant Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln 42 Austin Allran Republican Hickory Catawba, Iredell 13 43 Kathy Harrington Republican Gastonia Gaston 1 44 Warren Daniel Republican Morganton Burke, Caldwell 1 45 Dan Soucek Republican Boone Alexander, Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes 1 46 Debbie Clary Republican Shelby Cleveland, Rutherford 2 47 Ralph Hise Republican Spruce Pine Avery, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey 1 48 Tom Apodaca Republican Hendersonville Buncombe, Henderson, Polk 5 49 Martin Nesbitt, Jr. Democratic Asheville Buncombe +4 50 Jim Davis Republican Franklin Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania 1 See also
References
- ^ Republican James Forrester (District 41) died
- ^ Sen. Forrester held the office at the time of his death on Oct. 31, 2011.
- ^ White was appointed to fill the seat to which Marc Basnight had been elected in the 2010 general election. Basnight resigned just before the 2011 legislative session was set to begin.
External links
- Stan White (D)
- Jean R. Preston (R)
- Clark Jenkins (D)
- Edward Jones (D)
- Louis M. Pate, Jr. (R)
- Harry Brown (R)
- Doug Berger (D)
- Bill Rabon (R)
- Thom Goolsby (R)
- Brent Jackson (R)
- Buck Newton (R)
- David Rouzer (R)
- Michael P. Walters (D)
- Daniel T. Blue, Jr. (D)
- Neal Hunt (R)
- Josh Stein (D)
- Richard Y. Stevens (R)
- Bob Atwater (D)
- Wesley Meredith (R)
- Floyd McKissick, Jr. (D)
- Eric L. Mansfield (D)
- Harris Blake (R)
- Eleanor Kinnaird (D)
- Rick Gunn (R)
- William R. Purcell (D)
- Phil Berger (R)
- Don Vaughan (D)
- Gladys A. Robinson (D)
- Jerry W. Tillman (R)
- Don East (R)
- Peter Brunstetter (R)
- Linda Garrou (D)
- Stan Bingham (R)
- Andrew C. Brock (R)
- Tommy Tucker (R)
- Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. (R)
- Daniel G. Clodfelter (D)
- Charlie Smith Dannelly (D)
- Bob Rucho (R)
- Malcolm Graham (D)
- vacant
- Austin M. Allran (R)
- Kathy Harrington (R)
- Warren Daniel (R)
- Dan Soucek (R)
- Debbie A. Clary (R)
- Ralph Hise (R)
- Tom Apodaca (R)
- Martin Nesbitt (D)
- Jim Davis (R)
Republican (31) • Democratic (19) • North Carolina General Assembly • North Carolina House of Representatives • North Carolina State SenateCategories:- North Carolina Senate
- State upper houses in the United States
- Organizations based in Raleigh, North Carolina
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.