The  Senate is considered the "upper"  chamber of the United States Congress for a number of reasons. The qualification  membership in the Senate is more stringent that the qualification for membership in the United States House of Representatives. In addition, Senators are  elected to  longer terms than House members.

The workings of the  Senate are described in United States Constitution.

The following quotations from the U.S. Constitution set forth representation and qualification guidelines for Senate member elections, and provides for certain administrative officers, institutional responsibilities, and powers of the Senate:

• "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State." (Article I, section 3, clause 1)
• "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years." (Article I, section 3, clause 1)
• "Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes." (Article I, section 3, clause 2)
• "No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen." (Article I, section 3, clause 3)
• "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote unless they be equally divided." (Article I, section 3, clause 4)
• "The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States." (Article 1, section 3, clause 5)
• "The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments...And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present." (Article I, section 3, clause 6)
• "[The President of the United States of America] shall have Powers, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur...." (Article II, section 2, clause 2)
• "[The President of the United States of America] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States...." (Article II, section 2, clause 2)

United States Government
United States Congress

Official Homepage