About the Minnesota Senate

The responsibilities of each branch of government differ, and no branch of government is given power over another. This system of "checks and balances" insures that no single group can dominate the workings of government and that no one part of government can dominate another part of government.

The three principal branches of government are the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

The legislative branch is responsible for the enactment and revision of laws. The United States Congress forms the laws at the national level, and the Minnesota Legislature is the lawmaking body at the state level. Both Congress and the Minnesota Legislature consist of two bodies: a Senate and a House of Representatives. This two-body system is referred to as a bicameral system. The Legislatures' size and structure vary among the different states. Nebraska's Legislature is unicameral (one body) and all the rest are bicameral. In some states the larger body is called the Assembly, rather than the House of Representatives.

Minnesota is divided into 67 Senate districts, each having a population of about 60,000 people. Each Senate district is divided into an "A" and "B" portion to designate the House of Representatives district. The people of Minnesota elect one person from each of the Senate and House districts to serve in the Legislature. Therefore, 67 Senators and 134 Representative compose the Minnesota Legislature. Senators usually serve four year terms and Representatives serve two year terms. However, Senators elected in 2000 serve for two years. This is because all members of the Legislature must stand for election after redistricting. Redistricting occurs after every federal census, conducted in years that end in 0, and means that new district boundaries must be drawn to reflect changes in population.

In the Senate, the leader of the majority caucus directs the business of the Senate and is considered the leader of the Senate. (A caucus is a group with a common belief or interest such as a party affiliation.) The Majority Leader guides each daily floor session through the formal agenda of the Senate. The leader's chief assistant is called the Assistant Majority Leader. In the House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House is also the leader of the majority caucus and, therefore, leader of the House. The chief assistant in the House is called the majority leader. The members of the minority caucus in each body also select leaders and assistant leaders to be their spokespersons.

The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House are members of, and preside over, their respective bodies. They are elected by the members on the opening day of each biennial session. In addition to presiding over floor sessions, the President of the Senate also makes the initial decision about referring bills to the appropriate committee for hearing.