What do senators do

How many people do congressmen and senators represent? Members of the U. House of Representatives each represent a portion of their state known as a Congressional District, which averages , people. Senators however, represent the entire state. How do the House and Senate chambers differ? In the House of Representatives, the majority party holds significant power to draft chamber rules and schedule bills to reach the floor for debate and voting.

In most cases, House rules will limit debate so that important legislation can be passed during one legislative business day. In the Senate however, the majority has the power to schedule when various bills come to the floor for voting but a single Senator can slow legislation from coming to the floor for a vote.

Since debate in the Senate is not concluded until 60 senators vote for a cloture motion to approve a bill for consideration, the majority must also coordinate with the minority part to set the rules for debate on legislation.

Under this system, legislation can be debated for one or two weeks on the Senate floor alone. Why does Congress use the committee system? Congress deals with a broad variety of different policy issues and it is more efficient to have work done at the committee level than on the House or Senate floor. In addition, this system allows members to gain expertise in specific issue areas they are interested in.

Throughout history, committees have been created to address particular issues before Congress. The House has 23 committees while the Senate has a total of 20 committees. This fact sheet explores their role in the Parliament and in their states and territories, as well as their working hours, period of service and history.

There are 76 senators elected to the Senate. Each senator represents a whole state or territory. The duties of a senator are conducted both within the Australian Parliament and their state or territory. During sitting weeks—about 18 to 20 weeks a year—senators are engaged in parliamentary duties, including:. When Parliament is not sitting, senators are engaged in duties in their states or territories, including:.

Senators work long hours, both in Parliament and in their states or territories. Parliament meets for an average of 11 hours a day. However, senators may begin their day in Parliament House at about 7am and end their day at 10pm or later. Senators also spend many hours travelling, both between their state or territory and Parliament House and throughout their state or territory.

State senators are elected for a period of 6 years using a system of rotation that ensures that only half the state senators retire every 3 years. Half-Senate elections are usually held at the same time as elections for the House of Representatives.

Territory senators are elected for a period of 3 years at the same time as the members of the House of Representatives and half the Senate. Along with members of the House of Representatives , senators may also be referred to as members of parliament. Some senators who are or have been ministers or Presiding Officers may also use the title of 'the Honourable', abbreviated to 'the Hon'.

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