North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for each senator is only two years.[1]
North Carolina Senate | |
|---|---|
| North Carolina General Assembly | |
 Seal of the North Carolina Senate | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 1, 2023 |
| Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 50 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 2 years |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 (50 seats) |
Next election | November 5, 2024 (50 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg.webp) | |
| Senate chamber North Carolina Legislative Building Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Constitution | |
| North Carolina Constitution | |
The Senate's 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 an impeachment 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.
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."
2023–24 composition
| Affiliation | Party (shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| End of (2019–20) legislature | 29 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
| Beginning of previous (2021–22) legislature | 28 | 22 | 50 | 0 |
| End of previous (2021–22) legislature | 28 | 22 | 50 | 0 |
| Beginning of current (2023–24) legislature | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 60% | 40% | ||
Leadership
| North Carolina Senate[2] officers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Name | Party |
| President Pro Tempore | Phil Berger | Republican |
| Deputy President Pro Tempore | Ralph Hise | Republican |
| Majority Leader | Paul Newton | Republican |
| Majority Whip | Jim Perry | Republican |
| Tom McInnis | Republican | |
| Joint Majority Caucus Leader | Carl Ford | Republican |
| Minority Whip | Jay Chaudhuri | Democratic |
| Minority Caucus Secretary | Julie Mayfield | Democratic |
Membership
- ↑: Member was originally appointed to fill the remainder of an unexpired term.
Past composition of the Senate
Coat of arms
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References
- "North Carolina State Senate". ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- "Leadership - North Carolina General Assembly". www.ncleg.gov. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- "SENATE OF NORTH CAROLINA". College of Arms Newsletter. College of Arms. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
External links
 North Carolina General Assemblies by year convened and order | |
|---|---|
| List of North Carolina state legislatures Senate President pro tempore of the Senate House of Commons House of Representatives Speakers of the House of Representatives (see Note) |
|
| Other | Executive Branch: Governor of North Carolina (List), Lieutenant Governor (since 1868), Cabinets, Council of State, Attorney General |
| Conventions | |
| Provincial Congresses and Constitution | North Carolina Provincial Congress (1774–1776: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th), Constitution of North Carolina (1776, 1835 Convention, 1861 Convention, 1868 redraft, 1875 Convention, Constitution of 1971) |
Notes: Prior to the Constitution of 1868: the lower house of the North Carolina Legislature was known as the House of Commons and the leader of the Senate was called the Speaker of the Senate. | |