President of the Kentucky Senate
Encyclopedia
President of the Kentucky Senate is an office created by a 1992 amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky. The President of the Senate is the highest ranking officer of that body and presides over the Senate.
was the Senate's presiding officer. In reality, the Lieutenant Governor was rarely present to preside over the chamber. The President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate
- often called the President Pro Tem for short - acted as the de facto presiding officer. The President Pro Tem usually presided over the body and was the most influential member of that body.
After the 1992 amendment passed and altered Section 83 of the constitution, the Lieutenant Governor
was stripped of all duties relating to the Senate. A new office, President of the Kentucky Senate, was created (Sections 84, 85, 86 and 87 of the constitution) and given power to preside over the Senate.
The President Pro Tem was almost always chosen by the majority party from among their members, then elected on a party line vote. The President of the Senate is usually chosen in the same manner. In the mid-1990s a small dissident group of Democrats joined with Republicans to elect the body's officers. John "Eck" Rose, who had served a total of ten years as President of the Senate and as President Pro Tem when that office was still the highest in the chamber, was then deposed as President of the Senate and replaced by Larry Saunders, a Democrat who aligned with the Republican minority and a handful of dissident Democrats. As a result of this arrangement, Republicans were installed as committee chairs. This arrangement ended when Republicans won a majority in the Senate.
. The President of the Senate has a position on the most influential Senate committees and exerts considerable influence in determining the membership of Senate committees and the assignment to senators of office space in the Capitol Annex building.
History of the office
Prior to a 1992 amendment to Section 83 of the Constitution of Kentucky the Lieutenant Governor of KentuckyLieutenant Governor of Kentucky
The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
was the Senate's presiding officer. In reality, the Lieutenant Governor was rarely present to preside over the chamber. The President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate
President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate
President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate was the title of highest ranking member of the Kentucky Senate prior to enactment of a 1992 amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky....
- often called the President Pro Tem for short - acted as the de facto presiding officer. The President Pro Tem usually presided over the body and was the most influential member of that body.
After the 1992 amendment passed and altered Section 83 of the constitution, the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
was stripped of all duties relating to the Senate. A new office, President of the Kentucky Senate, was created (Sections 84, 85, 86 and 87 of the constitution) and given power to preside over the Senate.
The President Pro Tem was almost always chosen by the majority party from among their members, then elected on a party line vote. The President of the Senate is usually chosen in the same manner. In the mid-1990s a small dissident group of Democrats joined with Republicans to elect the body's officers. John "Eck" Rose, who had served a total of ten years as President of the Senate and as President Pro Tem when that office was still the highest in the chamber, was then deposed as President of the Senate and replaced by Larry Saunders, a Democrat who aligned with the Republican minority and a handful of dissident Democrats. As a result of this arrangement, Republicans were installed as committee chairs. This arrangement ended when Republicans won a majority in the Senate.
Duties of the office
The President of the Senate acts as presiding officer of the Senate. The President of the Senate is also a member of the Legislative Research CommissionLegislative Research Commission
The Legislative Research Commission is an agency of Kentucky state government that supports the state legislature, the Kentucky General Assembly.The LRC was originally created in 1948 with the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky as its head....
. The President of the Senate has a position on the most influential Senate committees and exerts considerable influence in determining the membership of Senate committees and the assignment to senators of office space in the Capitol Annex building.
Presidents of the Kentucky Senate
Presidents of the Kentucky Senate:- John "Eck" Rose - January 1993 - January 1997
- Larry Saunders - January 1997 - January 2000
- David L. WilliamsDavid L. WilliamsDavid Lewis Williams is a lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. A Republican, he has represented Kentucky's 16th district in the Kentucky Senate since 1987. When Republicans gained control of the state senate in 2000, Williams was chosen as President of the Senate, and he has held...
- January 2000 - present
See also
- Kentucky General AssemblyKentucky General AssemblyThe Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
- Kentucky SenateKentucky SenateThe Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators...
- President pro tempore of the Kentucky SenatePresident Pro Tempore of the Kentucky SenatePresident Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate was the title of highest ranking member of the Kentucky Senate prior to enactment of a 1992 amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky....
- Lieutenant Governor of KentuckyLieutenant Governor of KentuckyThe office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
- President of the SenatePresident of the SenateThe President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...