Georgia State Senate
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The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral legislature of the state. Combined, the Senate and the House maintain authority under Article III. of the 1983 Constitution of Georgia to enact laws "necessary and proper for the welfare of the state", although state law is subordinate to the state constitution, the United States Constitution, and federal law.
Like most upper houses in the United States, the Senate has the exclusive power to confirm various appointments made by the governor of Georgia, and to try cases of impeachment brought by the House. The Senate is often considered a springboard for those ultimately seeking higher office; all of the state's most recent governors have served in the State Senate.
Legal provisions
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia House of Representatives. Both bodies are constitutionally required to convene annually at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.<ref name="Book of the States">Template:Cite book</ref> The General Assembly begins each yearly session on the second Monday in January.<ref name="Book of the States" /> From that date of convention, sessions last for 40 legislative days.<ref name="Book of the States" />
The General Assembly may call for special sessions by a three-fifths vote of the members in each chamber.<ref name="Book of the States" /> Special sessions in Georgia may span a maximum of 40 days.<ref name="Book of the States" />
Membership requirements
The Georgia State Senate consists of 56 members, each representing a single-member legislative district of equal size with the others. State senators serve a term length of two years, with elections being held in even-numbered years. Senators officially assume their positions on the second Monday in January following their election.
To serve in the Senate, an individual must have attained the age of 25.<ref name="Book of the States" /> The person must also be a qualified voter who has resided in the state of Georgia for at least two years.<ref name="Book of the States" /> Unlike most states, senators are not required to have lived in their districts for a specific period of time before running.
Leadership
The formal President of the State Senate is the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, who is elected statewide every four years. Other important figures in the Senate include the President pro tempore (who is elected by all members of the Senate), as well as the Majority Leader, Majority Whip, and Majority Caucus Chair (each of whom are elected by the majority of what is currently the Republican caucus).<ref name="Book of the States" />
The minority party is headed by the Minority Leader, who is elected by the minority party caucus.<ref name="Book of the States" />
Compensation
The current salary for state senators is $17,342.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Majority Leader and Minority Leader earn an additional $400 per month.
Officers
The presiding officer of the Senate is the president of the Senate. A president pro tempore, usually a high-ranking member of the majority party, acts as president in case of the temporary disability of the president. In case of the death, resignation, or permanent disability of the President or in the event of the succession of the president to the executive power, the President pro tempore becomes President. The Senate also has as an officer, the secretary of the Senate.
Template:Asof, the majority and minority leadership is as follows:
List of committees
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- Administrative Affairs
- Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Template:Small
- Appropriations Template:Small
- Assignments
- Banking and Financial Institutions Template:Small
- Children and Families Template:Small
- Economic Development and Tourism Template:Small
- Education and Youth Template:Small
- Ethics Template:Small
- Finance
- Government Oversight
- Health and Human Services
- Higher Education Template:Small
- Insurance and Labor Template:Small
- Interstate Cooperation Template:Small
- Judiciary
- MARTOC
- Natural Resources and the Environment Template:Small
- Public Safety
- Reapportionment and Redistricting Template:Small
- Regulated Industries and Utilities
- Retirement Template:Small
- Rules Template:Small
- Science and Technology Template:Small
- Special Judiciary
- State and Local Governmental Operations Template:Small
- State Institutions and Property
- Transportation Template:Small
- Urban Affairs Template:Small
- Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Template:Small
Composition
According to the state constitution of 1983, this body is to be composed of no more than 56 members elected for two-year terms. Current state law provides for 56 members. Elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years.
Senators must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Georgia for two years and their senatorial district for one year (preceding the election). The highest position in the Senate is the President of the Senate, a position currently held by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones. The second-highest position is president pro tempore, currently held by Senator Butch Miller.
| Template:Down-arrow | |||||
| 1 | 32 | 1 | 22 | 1 | |
| V | Republican | R | Democratic | V | |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| colspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | ||||
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | |||
| End of 155th Assembly | colspan=2 Template:Party shading/Republican| 35 | 21 | 56 | 0 | |
| End of 156th Assembly | colspan=2 Template:Party shading/Republican| 34 | 22 | 56 | 0 | |
| Beginning of 157th Assembly | colspan=2 Template:Party shading/Republican| 33 | 23 | 56 | 0 | |
| End of 157thTemplate:Efn | Template:Party shading/Republican| 32 | 1 | 56 | 0 | |
| Beginning of 158th Assembly | Template:Party shading/Republican| 32 | 1 | 23 | 56 | 0 |
| May 4, 2025Template:Efn | Template:Party shading/Republican rowspan=2| 31 | 55 | 1 | ||
| September 10, 2025Template:Efn | 22 | 54 | 2 | ||
| October 14, 2025Template:Efn | Template:Party shading/Republican| 32 | 55 | 1 | ||
| Latest voting share | Template:Party shading/Republican|Template:Percentage | Template:Percentage | Template:Percentage | ||
Past composition of the Senate
List of current senators
Template:Asof, the Georgia State Senate is composed of 56 members:<ref name="gss-members-list">Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
Template:Georgia General Assemblies
- Georgia General Assembly
- Georgia House of Representatives
- List of former members of the Georgia State Senate
- Recent terms of the General Assembly:
- 157th Georgia General Assembly (2023–2024)
- 156th Georgia General Assembly (2021–2023)
- 155th Georgia General Assembly (2019–2021)
- 154th Georgia General Assembly (2017–2018)
- 153rd Georgia General Assembly (2015–2016)
- List of Georgia state legislatures
Notes
<references group="lower-alpha" />
References
External links
Template:Georgia State Senate Template:United States legislatures