Senate of Barbados
Encyclopedia
The Senate is the name given to the Upper House
of the bicameral legislature
the Parliament
of Barbados
. The Senate is accorded legitimacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados
. It is the smaller of both chambers and also includes HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados (represented by the Governor-General). The Senate was established in 1964 to replace a prior body known as the Legislative Council. Besides creating and reviewing Barbadian legislation, the Senate generally reviews approved legislation originating from the House of Assembly (Lower House
). One main constraint on the Senate is that it cannot author monetary or budget-related bills. Most of the non-political appointees to the Senate have been selected by the Governor-General from civil society organisations, labour collectives and public associations in Barbados.
The Senate contains Senators who are not elected by the population at large, but are nominated by the Governor-General of Barbados (on behalf of the Sovereign.). According to the Constitution of Barbados, they are partly chosen in the Governor-General's sole discretion, and in some instances on the advice of the Prime Minister, and HM's Loyal Opposition. Similar to the House of Assembly chamber the term of the Senate is five years.
and 2 on the advice of the leader of the Opposition. The remaining seven Senators are nominated by the Governor-General at his discretion.
Potential Senators must meet certain criteria before they can be nominated to the upper chamber. In order to be eligible for appointment, a person must be a Barbadian citizen of at least 21 years of age who has resided in the country for the past twelve months. A person is ineligible for appointment if they are in bankruptcy, have a mental illness, hold an alligiance to a foreign state, have a capital punishment
sentence, have been in prison for a time exceeding six months, or have been convicted of a crime involving electoral fraud, treason, or other dishonourable acts. Furthermore, a Senator cannot also serve as a civil servant, a member of the armed forces or police, a judge, a public prosecutor, or a controller.
Senators serve five year terms. The Senate is dissolved along with the House of Assembly before each election.
Parliaments, the lower house is dominant. All legislation can be introduced and amended in either house with the exception of money bills; money bills always originate in the House of Assembly, and the Senate is limited in the amendments it can make to them. If the budget is approved by the House of Assembly, but it is not approved un-amended by the Senate within one month, it can be directly submitted to the Governor-General. If regular legislation is approved by the House of Assembly twice in two consecutive sessions, but is not approved of by the Senate either time, it can also be submitted directly to the Governor-General.
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of the bicameral legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
the Parliament
Parliament of Barbados
The Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. The Parliament is bicameral in composition and is formally made up of: HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados The Parliament of Barbados is the...
of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. The Senate is accorded legitimacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados
Constitution of Barbados
The Constitution of Barbados is the supreme law under which Barbados is governed. The Constitution provides a legal establishment of the structure and various roles of administration of the Sovereign , the Vice-Royal , the Government of Barbados, as well as legal rights and responsibilities of the...
. It is the smaller of both chambers and also includes HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados (represented by the Governor-General). The Senate was established in 1964 to replace a prior body known as the Legislative Council. Besides creating and reviewing Barbadian legislation, the Senate generally reviews approved legislation originating from the House of Assembly (Lower House
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
). One main constraint on the Senate is that it cannot author monetary or budget-related bills. Most of the non-political appointees to the Senate have been selected by the Governor-General from civil society organisations, labour collectives and public associations in Barbados.
The Senate contains Senators who are not elected by the population at large, but are nominated by the Governor-General of Barbados (on behalf of the Sovereign.). According to the Constitution of Barbados, they are partly chosen in the Governor-General's sole discretion, and in some instances on the advice of the Prime Minister, and HM's Loyal Opposition. Similar to the House of Assembly chamber the term of the Senate is five years.
Composition
All 21 Barbadian Senators are technically nominated by the Queen, but this duty is (along with all of the Queen's other Barbadian duties) carried out by the Governor-General. The Governor-General appoints 12 Senators on the advice of the prime ministerPrime Minister of Barbados
The Prime Minister of Barbados is a very influential position as head of government of Barbados. According to Barbados Constitution, the Prime Minister must always be a member of Parliament, and is appointed by the Governor-General who is responsible for conducting parliamentary elections, and for...
and 2 on the advice of the leader of the Opposition. The remaining seven Senators are nominated by the Governor-General at his discretion.
Potential Senators must meet certain criteria before they can be nominated to the upper chamber. In order to be eligible for appointment, a person must be a Barbadian citizen of at least 21 years of age who has resided in the country for the past twelve months. A person is ineligible for appointment if they are in bankruptcy, have a mental illness, hold an alligiance to a foreign state, have a capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
sentence, have been in prison for a time exceeding six months, or have been convicted of a crime involving electoral fraud, treason, or other dishonourable acts. Furthermore, a Senator cannot also serve as a civil servant, a member of the armed forces or police, a judge, a public prosecutor, or a controller.
Senators serve five year terms. The Senate is dissolved along with the House of Assembly before each election.
Powers
Both the Senate and the House of Assembly constitutionally share most of the same powers, however, much as in other Westminster SystemWestminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
Parliaments, the lower house is dominant. All legislation can be introduced and amended in either house with the exception of money bills; money bills always originate in the House of Assembly, and the Senate is limited in the amendments it can make to them. If the budget is approved by the House of Assembly, but it is not approved un-amended by the Senate within one month, it can be directly submitted to the Governor-General. If regular legislation is approved by the House of Assembly twice in two consecutive sessions, but is not approved of by the Senate either time, it can also be submitted directly to the Governor-General.
Officers
When a session begins, the Senate elects a President and a Vice President. These officers may not be ministers or a parliamentary secretaries. The President usually does not vote unless there is a tie.See also
- BarristerBarristerA barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
(Queen's CounselQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
) - Politics of BarbadosPolitics of BarbadosThe politics of Barbados function within a framework of constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions; constitutional safeguards for nationals of Barbados include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.Executive power is vested in...
- Cabinet of BarbadosCabinet of BarbadosThe Cabinet of Barbados is the executive committee that looks after the management of the country. It is chaired by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and is composed of 18 Ministers....
- List of Presidents of the Legislative Council of Barbados (1813–1963)
- List of Presidents of the Senate of Barbados (1964–present)
- List of Barbadian senators