Type Upper house New session started January 9, 2017 | Term limits None | |
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President of the Senate Jack Whitver (R)
Since January 9, 2017 President pro Tempore Jerry Behn (R)
Since January 9, 2017 Majority Leader Bill Dix (R)
Since January 9, 2017 | ||
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, as of the 2010 United States Census. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts. The Senate meets at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.
Contents
Map of Iowa, USA
Unlike the lower house, the Iowa House of Representatives, Senators serve four-year terms, with half of the Senate staggered for re-election every two years. There are no term limits for the Senate.
Leadership
The President of the Senate presides over the body, whose powers include referring bills to committee, recognizing members during debate, and making procedural rulings. Unlike the more powerful Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, the Senate President cannot appoint committee chairmanships or shuffle committee memberships. The Lieutenant Governor of Iowa was the presiding officer of the Senate until 1988, when an amendment to the Iowa Constitution was passed in a referendum (effective from 1991). The other partisan Senate leadership positions, such as the Majority and Minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses to head their parties in the chamber.
The President of the Senate is Republican Jack Whitver of the 19th District. The Majority Leader is Republican Bill Dix of the 25th District. The Minority Leader is Democratic Rob Hogg of the 33rd District.