North Carolina Senate
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|---|---|
| North Carolina General Assembly | |
Seal of the North Carolina Senate
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| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 1, 2023 |
| Leadership | |
Mark Robinson (R) | |
Phil Berger (R) | |
Majority Leader |
Paul Newton (R) |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 50 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
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Length of term | 2 years |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 (50 seats) |
Next election | November 5, 2024 (50 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Senate chamber North Carolina Legislative Building Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Constitution | |
| North Carolina Constitution | |
The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislatureofNorth Carolina. The term of office for each senator is only two years.[1]
The Senate's prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The president of the Senate is the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, but the lieutenant governor has very limited powers and only votes to break a tie. Before the office of lieutenant governor was created in 1868, the Senate was presided over by a "speaker." After the 1988 election of James Carson Gardner, the first Republican lieutenant governor since Reconstruction, Democrats in control of the Senate shifted most of the power held by the lieutenant governor to the senator who is elected president pro tempore (or pro-tem). The president pro tempore appoints members to standing committees of the Senate, and holds great sway over bills.
According to the state constitution, the Senate is also the "Court for the Trial of Impeachments". The House of Representatives has the power to impeach state officials, after which the Senate holds an impeachment trial, as in the federal system. If the governor or lieutenant governor is the official who has been impeached, the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court presides.
The qualifications to be a senator are found in the state Constitution: "Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election."
| Affiliation | Party (shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| End of (2019–20) legislature | 29 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
| Beginning of previous (2021–22) legislature | 28 | 22 | 50 | 0 |
| End of previous (2021–22) legislature | 28 | 22 | 50 | 0 |
| Beginning of current (2023–24) legislature | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 60% | 40% | ||
| North Carolina Senate[2] officers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Name | Party |
| President Pro Tempore | Phil Berger | Republican |
| Deputy President Pro Tempore | Ralph Hise | Republican |
| Majority Leader | Paul Newton | Republican |
| Majority Whip | Jim Perry | Republican |
| Tom McInnis | Republican | |
| Joint Majority Caucus Leader | Carl Ford | Republican |
| Minority Whip | Jay Chaudhuri | Democratic |
| Minority Caucus Secretary | Julie Mayfield | Democratic |
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| International |
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35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W / 35.7832028°N 78.6389556°W / 35.7832028; -78.6389556
