STATE LEGISLATURES
TABLE 3.6 Senate Leadership Positions: Methods of Selection
State or other President Majority Assistant Majority Assistant majority Majority Majority jurisdiction President pro tem leader majority leader floor leader floor leader whip caucus chair Alabama (b) (a) ES (b) … … … … … Alaska ES … EC … … … EC EC Arizona ES AP EC … … … EC … Arkansas (a) ES EC … … … EC … California (a) ES EC … … … EC EC Colorado ES ES EC EC … … EC EC Connecticut (a) ES (oo) EC (pp) AT (qq) … … … … Delaware (a) ES EC … … … EC … Florida (mm) EC/ES ES AP AL … … … … Georgia (a) ES EC … … … EC EC Hawaii ES ES (e) EC … EC … EC EC (f) Idaho (a) ES EC EC … … … EC Illinois ES AP AP AP … … AP AP Indiana (a) ES … … AT AT AT EC Iowa ES ES EC EC … … EC … Kansas ES ES (e) EC EC … … EC EC Kentucky (i) ES ES … … EC … EC EC Louisiana ES ES … … … … … … Maine (ll) ES ES EC EC (j) (j) (k) … Maryland ES ES AP (n) AP (n) (n) (n) AP … Massachusetts EC … AP AP … … … (p) Michigan (q) (a) ES EC EC EC EC EC EC Minnesota ES ES EC EC … … AL … Mississippi (a) ES … … … … … … Missouri (d) (a) ES … … EC EC EC EC Montana ES ES EC … EC (j) … EC … Nebraska (U)(g) (a) ES (r) … … … … … … Nevada (s) (a) ES … … EC EC EC (s) … New Hampshire ES AP AP … … … … … New Jersey ES ES MA MA MA MA MA MA New Mexico (a) ES EC (t) … EC (t) … EC EC New York (u) (a) ES (v) AT (v) AT (v) … AT AT (v) North Carolina (a) ES EC … … … EC EC North Dakota (a) ES EC EC … … … EC Ohio (w)(x) ES (x) ES … … ES … ES … Oklahoma (a) ES EC EC EC EC EC EC Oregon ES ES EC EC … … EC … Pennsylvania ES ES EC EC EC EC EC EC Rhode Island (y) ES ES EC AL … … AL … South Carolina (a) ES EC … … … … … South Dakota (a) ES EC EC … … EC … Tennessee ES AP EC … EC EC … EC Texas (a) ES … … … … … … Utah ES AL (z) EC … … EC (z) EC … Vermont (a) ES EC EC EC (aa) EC (aa) EC (aa) EC (aa) Virginia (a) ES EC (bb) … EC (bb) … … EC Washington (cc) (a) ES EC EC EC EC EC EC West Virginia ES AP AP … … … AP … Wisconsin ES (dd) ES EC EC … … … EC Wyoming ES ES (e) … … EC … … … Dist. of Columbia (U) (ee) (ff) … … … … … … American Samoa ES ES … … … … … … Guam (U)(gg) ES (r) ES (e) EC EC EC EC EC … CNMI* ES (hh) … (hh) … ES (ii) … … … Puerto Rico ES (p) EC EC … EC (jj) … … (kk) U.S. Virgin Islands (U) ES … ES … … … … ES
See footnotes at end of table
The Council of State Governments 39 STATE LEGISLATURES
TABLE 3.6 Senate Leadership Positions: Methods of Selection (continued)
State or other Minority Assistant Minority Assistant minority Minority Minority jurisdiction leader minority leader floor leader floor leader whip caucus chair Alabama (b) (b) … … … … … Alaska EC … … … EC EC Arizona EC EC … … EC … Arkansas EC … … … EC … California EC … … … EC EC Colorado EC EC … … EC EC Connecticut EC (rr) AL (ss) … … AL (c) … Delaware EC … … … EC EC Florida (mm) EC EC … … AL AL Georgia EC … … … EC EC Hawaii EC … EC … … … Idaho EC EC … … … EC Illinois EC AL … … AL AL Indiana EC … EC (h) (h) EC Iowa EC EC … … EC … Kansas EC EC … … EC EC Kentucky (i) … … EC … EC … Louisiana … … … … … … Maine (ll) EC EC (l) (l) (m) … Maryland EC (o) … (o) … EC … Massachusetts EC … … … … (p) Michigan (q) EC EC EC EC EC EC Minnesota EC EC … … EC … Mississippi … … … … … … Missouri (d) … … EC EC EC EC Montana EC … EC (l) … EC … Nebraska (U)(g) … … … … … … Nevada (s) … … EC EC EC (nn) New Hampshire EC … … … AL … New Jersey MI MI MI MI MI MI New Mexico EC (t) … EC (t) … EC EC New York (u) EC (v) AL (v) AL (v) AL (v) AL (v) AL (v) North Carolina EC … … … EC EC North Dakota EC EC … … … EC Ohio (w)(x) ES (x) ES … … ES … Oklahoma EC EC EC EC EC EC Oregon EC EC … … EC … Pennsylvania EC EC EC EC EC EC Rhode Island (y) EC AL … … AL … South Carolina EC … … … … … South Dakota EC EC … … EC … Tennessee EC … EC … … EC Texas … … … … … … Utah EC … … EC (z) EC EC (z) Vermont EC EC EC (aa) EC (aa) EC (aa) EC (aa) Virginia EC … EC … … EC Washington (cc) EC EC EC EC EC EC West Virginia EC … … … AL … Wisconsin EC EC … … … EC Wyoming … … EC … EC EC Dist. of Columbia (U) … … … … … … American Samoa … … … … … … Guam (U)(gg) EC EC EC EC EC … CNMI* EC … … … … … Puerto Rico EC (p) … EC (jj) … … (p) U.S. Virgin Islands (U) ES … … … … ES
See footnotes at end of table
40 The Book of the States 2019 STATE LEGISLATURES
TABLE 3.6 Senate Leadership Positions: Methods of Selection (continued)
Sources: The Council of State Governments’ survey, January 2019 (r) Official title is speaker. In Guam the Speaker is elected on the and state websites 2019. Floor by majority and minority members on Inauguration Day. *Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (s) Co-whips elected for 2017 session. Note: In some states, the leadership positions in the Senate are not (t) Majority leader also serves as majority floor leader. Minority empowered by the law or by the rules of the chamber, but rather leader also serves as minority floor leader. by the party members themselves. (u) Majority, appointed by president pro tem: Assistant majority Key: leader on conference operations, Deputy majority whip, Assistant ES—Elected or confirmed by all members of the Senate. Senate majority whip, Deputy majority leader for policy, et al. EC—Elected by party caucus. Minority, appointed by minority leader: Assistant democratic con- AP—Appointed by president. ference leader for conference operations, Vice chair of democratic AT—Appointed by president pro tempore. conference, Deputy democratic conference whip, Assistant demo- AL—Appointed by party leader. cratic conference whip, et al. MA—Elected by majority party. (v) President pro tem is also majority leader. Assistant majority MI—Elected by minority party. leader is called deputy majority leader for legislative operations. (U)—Unicameral legislative body. Majority floor leader is called assistant majority leader for house …—Position does not exist or is not selected on a regular basis. operations. Majority caucus chair called Senate majority caucus (a) Lieutenant governor is president of the Senate by virtue of the chair. Minority leader is called democratic conference leader, and office. Idaho—(Idaho Const. art.IV, § 13, Senate Rule 1.) independent democratic conference leader (i.e. two minority con- (b) Majority leader elected by the members of the majority party. ferences); voting usually falls along conference lines. Assistant Minority leader elected by members of the minority party. Addi- minority leader is called deputy democratic conference leader and tional leadership positions: deputy president pro tempore— deputy independent democratic conference leader. Minority floor appointed by Committee on Assignments and Dean of Senate— leader is called assistant democratic leader for floor operations. appointed by Committee on Assignments. Assistant minority floor leader is called deputy democratic conference (c) Evenly split—Senate Republican caucus has 3 Senate Republican floor leader. Minority whip is called democratic conference whip, Majority Whips. and independent democratic conference whip. Minority caucus (d) Additional positions of minority caucus secretary (EC) and majority chair is called chair of democratic conference. caucus secretary (EC). (w) While the entire membership actually votes on the election of (e) Official title is vice president. In Guam, vice speaker. leaders, selections generally have been made by the members of (f) Official title is majority caucus leader. each party prior to the date of this formal election. (g) Additional positions appointed by the majority leader: Senate (x) In Ohio president acts as majority leader and caucus chair; Finance Committee chair, vice president pro tem, Majority Program minority leader also acts as minority caucus chair; the fourth rank- Development Committee Chair, Majority Steering Committee chair, ing minority leadership position is assistant minority whip (ES). two assistant majority leaders, various deputies and assistants. Addi- (y) Additional positions include deputy president pro tempore. tional positions appoint by the minority leader: Senate Finance Com- (z) President pro tem appointed by party leader via Legislative Rules, mittee ranking member, Minority Policy Committee chair, Minority SR1-3-103. Official title for majority floor leader is known as the Program Development chair, three additional minority leaders, assistant majority whip; the assistant minority floor leader is known various deputies and assistants. as the assistant minority whip and the minority caucus chair is (h) Appointed by minority leader. known as minority caucus manager. (i) In each chamber, the membership elects chief clerk; assistant (aa) Majority leader serves as majority floor leader and majority caucus clerk; enrolling clerk; sergeant-at-arms; doorkeeper; janitor; chair. Assistant majority leader serves as assistant majority floor cloakroom keeper; and pages. leader and majority whip. Minority leader serves as minority floor (j) Same position as majority leader. leader and minority caucus chair. Assistant minority leader serves (k) Same position as assistant majority leader. as assistant minority floor leader and minority whip. (l) Same position as minority leader. (bb) Majority party and Minority party in Senate elects caucus officers. (m) Same position as assistant minority leader. (cc) Washington Senate also has the leadership position of vice- (n) Majority leader also serves as majority floor leader; deputy majority president pro tem. leader is official title and serves as assistant majority floor leader. (dd) Caucus nominee elected by whole membership. There is also an assistant deputy majority leader, a majority whip, (ee) Chair of the Council, which is an elected position. deputy majority whip, and two assistant majority whips. (ff) Appointed by the chair; official title is chair pro tem. (o) Minority leader also serves as the minority floor leader. (gg) Additional positions include: Parliamentarian, elected by majority (p) President and minority floor leader are also caucus chairs. In caucus and Senior Senator, elected by majority caucus. Puerto Rico, president and minority leader. In Oregon, majority (hh) Speaker also serves as majority leader. leader and minority leader. (ii) Official title is floor leader. (q) Senate Rule 1.104 provides that the president pro tempore (ES), (jj) Official title is alternate floor leader. assistant president pro tempore (ES), and the associate president (kk) Official title is caucus chair. pro tempore (ES) are elected by a majority of the Senate.
The Council of State Governments 41 STATE LEGISLATURES
TABLE 3.6 Senate Leadership Positions: Methods of Selection (continued)
(ll) Secretary of the Senate and Assistant Secretary of the Senate, both President Pro Tempore, 8 Deputy Presidents Pro Tempore and 7 elected by the Senate membership. Deputy Majority Leaders. (mm) All positions other than president, president pro tempore and (rr) Evenly split—Senate Republican caucus elects Senate Republican majority leader are party caucus designations. President Pro Tempore. (nn) Co-Minority Caucus Coordinators elected by party caucus. (ss) Evenly split—Senate Republican caucus has 1 Deputy Senate (oo) Evenly split—Senate held by Democratic senator. Republican President Pro Tempore, 3 Chief Deputy Senate Repub- (pp) Evenly split—Senate Democratic caucus elects Majority Leader. lican Majority Leaders, 3 Deputy Senate Republican Majority Leaders (qq) Evenly split—Senate Democratic caucus has 1 Chief Deputy and 7 Assistant Senate Republican Majority Leaders.
42 The Book of the States 2019