Indiana Senate

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Indiana State Senate
Indiana General Assembly
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
 None
History
New session started
 January 5, 2011
Leadership
Lieutenant Governor
Sue Ellspermann (R)
Since January 14, 2013
President Pro Tem of the Senate
David C. Long (R)
Since January 12, 2007
Majority Leader
Brandt Hershman (R)
Since March 16, 2012
Minority Leader
Timothy Lanane (D)
Since November 5, 2008
Structure
Seats 50
Senate diagram 2014 State of Indiana.svg
Political groups
 Governing party

Opposition party
Length of term
 4 years
Authority Article 4, Indiana Constitution
Salary $22,616.46/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
 November 4, 2014
(25 seats)
Next election
 November 8, 2016
(25 seats)
Redistricting Legislative Control
Meeting place
Indiana State Senate Chamber, Indiana Statehouse, Indianapolis, Indiana.jpg
State Senate Chamber
Indiana Statehouse
Indianapolis, Indiana
Website
Indiana General Assembly

The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms without term limits. According to the 2010 census, the average State Senator represents 129,676 people.

The Senate convenes at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Operating rules

The Indiana State Senate is operated according to a set of internal regulations developed and maintained largely by tradition. These rules are similar to the rules that govern the upper house most of the state senates in the United States.[1] The Senate convenes its annual session the first Tuesday following the first Monday of January every year. In odd numbered years the senate must meet for 61 days (not necessarily consecutive days), and must adjourn no later than April 30. This is typically called a long session. In even numbered years, when elections are held, the Senate must meet for 30 days (not necessarily consecutive days) and adjourn no later than March 15. This is typically called the short session. The only time the senate may convene outside of these dates is if the Governor calls a special assembly.[2]

The senate must convene by 1:30 pm each day a session is scheduled. Two thirds of the senators must be present for the session to begin. Senators must be present at each session unless they are explicitly excused by the president-pro-tempore. Members who are not present can be forced to attend the session or be censured and expelled from the body.[2]

The Lieutenant Governor of Indiana serves as the President of the Senate and is responsible for ensuring that the senate rules are followed by its members. The President of the Senate takes no part in the debates of the senate and may only vote to break ties. The senate also elects a president-pro-tempore, a majority leader, and a minority leader. The president-pro-tempore is typically a senior member of majority party. The president-pro-tempore presides over the senate whenever the President of the Senate is not present. The president-pro-tempore is largely responsible for setting the agenda of the senate.[2]

When debate occurs in the senate, each senator is granted permission to speak on each issue once. A senator may not speak on an issue more than once without a permission from the rest of the senate, which is attained with a senate vote. A senator can speak for no longer than a half hour at any one time and may be silenced by a majority vote at any time during his or her speech.[2]

Terms

Article 4 of the Constitution of Indiana places several limitation on the size and composition of the senate.[3]

  • The senate can contain no more than 50 members.
  • The term of a senator lasts four years with 25 senators being elected every two years.
  • There is no limit to how many terms a senator may be elected.

Qualifications

Article 4 of the Constitution of Indiana states the qualifications to become a senator.[3]

  • The candidate must have been a United States Citizen for a minimum of two years prior to his or her candidacy.
  • The candidate must have been resident of the district which he or she seeks to represent for one year.
  • The candidate must be at least 25 years of age when he or she is sworn into office.
  • The candidate cannot hold any other public office in the state or federal government during a senate term.

Composition of the Senate

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
End 2010 session 33 17 50 0
2011-2012 37 13 50 0
2013-2014 37 13 50 0
Begin 2015 40 10 50 0
Latest voting share 80% 20%

2015-2016 Officers

Position Name Party District
President of the Senate/Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann Republican
President Pro Tem David C. Long Republican 16
Majority Leader Brandt Hershman Republican 7
Minority Leader Timothy Lanane Democratic 25

Members of the Indiana Senate

District Senator Party Residence First elected Seat up
1 Frank Mrvan Dem Hammond 1998 (1978-1994) 2018
2 Lonnie Randolph Dem East Chicago 2008 (1996-2000) 2016
3 Earline S. Rogers Dem Gary 1990 2016
4 Karen Tallian Dem Portage 2005† 2018
5 Ed Charbonneau Rep Valparaiso 2007† 2016
6 Rick Niemeyer Rep Lowell 2014 2018
7 Brandt Hershman Rep Wheatfield 2000 2016
8 Jim Arnold Dem LaPorte 2007† 2016
9 Ryan Mishler Rep Bremen 2004 2016
10 John Broden Dem South Bend 2000 2016
11 Joe Zakas Rep Granger 1982 2018
12 Carlin Yoder Rep Goshen 2008 2016
13 Sue Glick Rep LaGrange 2010 2016
14 Dennis Kruse Rep Auburn 2004 2018
15 Liz Brown Rep Fort Wayne 2014 2018
16 David C. Long Rep Fort Wayne 1996 2016
17 Amanda Banks Rep Columbia City 2014† 2018
18 Randall Head Rep Logansport 2008 2016
19 Travis Holdman Rep Markle 2008 2018
20 Luke Kenley Rep Noblesville 1992 2016
21 James R. Buck Rep Kokomo 2008 2018
22 Ronnie Alting Rep Lafayette 1998 2018
23 Phil Boots Rep Crawfordsville 2006 2018
24 Pete Miller Rep Danville 2012† 2016
25 Timothy Lanane Dem Anderson 1997† 2018
26 Doug Eckerty Rep Muncie 2010 2018
27 Jeff Raatz Rep Centerville 2014 2018
28 Michael Crider Rep Greenfield 2012 2016
29 Mike Delph Rep Carmel 2005† 2018
30 Scott Schneider Rep Indianapolis 2009† 2016
31 James W. Merritt Rep Indianapolis 1990 2018
32 Patricia Miller Rep Indianapolis 1983† 2016
33 Greg Taylor Dem Indianapolis 2008 2016
34 Jean Breaux Dem Indianapolis 2006 2016
35 R. Michael Young Rep Indianapolis 2000 2016
36 Brent Waltz Rep Greenwood 2004 2016
37 Rodric Bray Rep Martinsville 2012 2016
38 Jon Ford Rep Terre Haute 2014 2018
39 Eric Bassler Rep Washington 2014 2018
40 Mark Stoops Dem Bloomington 2012 2016
41 Greg Walker Rep Columbus 2006 2018
42 Jean Leising Rep Oldenburg 2008 (1988-1996) 2016
43 Chip Perfect Rep Lawrenceburg 2014 2018
44 Brent Steele Rep Bedford 2004 2016
45 Jim Smith Rep Charlestown 2010 2018
46 Ron Grooms Rep Jeffersonville 2010 2018
47 Erin Houchin Rep Salem 2014 2018
48 Mark Messmer Rep Jasper 2014 2018
49 Jim Tomes Rep Evansville 2010 2018
50 Vaneta Becker Rep Evansville 2005† 2016

†Member was originally appointed or won the seat in a special election.

Committees

The Senate has various committees that are charged with overseeing different areas of the state government and drafting legislation. These committees are bipartisan and contain between three and eleven members split between the parties according to their ratio of members in the Senate. Each committee chairman is a member of the majority party.[4] The current committees include:

  • Agriculture and Small Business
  • Appointments and Claims
  • Appropriations
  • Civil Matters Subcommittee
  • Commerce, Public Policy & Interstate Cooperation
  • Corrections and Criminal Subcommittee
  • Corrections, Criminal, and Civil Matters
  • Courts and Juvenile Justice Subcommittee
  • Economic Development Subcommittee
  • Economic Development and Technology
  • Education and Career Development
  • Elections & Redistricting Subcommittee
  • Energy and Environmental Affairs
  • Ethics
  • Financial Institutions Subcommittee
  • Health and Provider Services
  • Homeland Security, Transportation & Veterans Affairs
  • Insurance Subcommittee
  • Insurance and Financial Institutions
  • Joint Rules
  • Judiciary
  • Local Government Subcommittee
  • Local Government and Elections
  • Natural Resources
  • Pensions and Labor
  • Probate Code and Trusts Subcommittee
  • Provider Services Subcommittee
  • Public Health Subcommittee
  • Public Safety Subcommittee
  • Rules and Legislative Procedure
  • Tax and Fiscal Policy
  • Technology Subcommittee
  • Transportation Subcommittee
  • Utilities & Regulatory Affairs

See also

Notes

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  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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