100 US Senators

Core Responsibilities of the U.S. Senate

The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the U.S. Congress (the other is the House of Representatives) and plays a vital role in the federal government’s legislative process.

The Constitution assigned to Congress responsibility for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws necessary for executing these powers. The president is permitted to veto specific legislative acts, but Congress has the authority to override presidential vetoes by two-thirds majorities of both houses. The Constitution also provides that the Senate advise and consent on key executive and judicial appointments and on the approval for ratification of treaties.

For over two centuries the Constitution has remained in force because its framers successfully separated and balanced governmental powers to safeguard the interests of majority rule and minority rights, of liberty and equality, and of the federal and state governments; a statement of national principles than a detailed plan of governmental operation.

The Constitution has evolved to meet the changing needs of a modern society profoundly different from the eighteenth-century world in which its creators lived.

Making Laws: Senators draft, debate, and vote on proposed laws (called bills). For a bill to become law, it must be approved by both the Senate and the House, and then signed by the President.
Approving Appointments: The Senate confirms or rejects presidential appointments, including federal judges, Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members, and ambassadors.
Ratifying Treaties: Any treaty negotiated by the President with foreign nations must be approved by a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
Holding Trials for Impeachments: While the House of Representatives can impeach a federal official, the Senate conducts the trial. A two-thirds vote is required to convict and remove someone from office.
Oversight and Investigations: The Senate monitors federal agencies and government actions through hearings, investigations, and subpoena powers to ensure accountability.
Budget and Spending: Although budget bills originate in the House, the Senate must also approve them. The Senate has significant influence over federal spending and taxation policies.

The Senate is a powerful legislative body that shapes national policy, confirms leaders, and checks executive power.

There are 100 Senators—two from each state—regardless of population size, so representation of the populous as a whole is important. Each Senator serves a six-year term, with elections staggered into Classes, so about one-third of the Senate is up for election every two years, so they have a ton of influence. (See info on Senate Class below*)

Unethical Senators who are violating their Oath, and the Constitution should be held to account. We should not allow them to continue unchecked!!

File an Ethics Complaint

To file an ethics complaint against a US Senator, you should contact the Senate Select Committee on Ethics (.gov). This committee is responsible for investigating alleged violations of Senate rules and standards of conduct. The complaint should be made in writing, preferably sworn, and should include the name, address, and telephone number of the complainant, the name of the Senator, the nature of the alleged violation, and any supporting documents. Here's a more detailed breakdown:

1. Identifying the Complaint:

Write it down: The complaint should be in writing, ideally a sworn statement. That means notarized!!
Provide details: Include the name of the Senator, the specific nature of the alleged misconduct, and any relevant supporting documents.
Contact Information: Provide your name, address, and phone number.

2. Submitting the Complaint:

Contact the Committee:.Opens in new tabSubmit the complaint to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics (.gov). They have a dedicated section on their website for contacting them.
Confidentiality:.Opens in new tabAll requests for advice and the Committee's responses are confidential unless made public by the requestor.

3. Important Considerations:

Multiple Sources of Information:The committee can also receive information from various sources, including anonymous or informal complaints, information developed during committee inquiries, news media reports, or information from executive branch agencies.
No Specific Format:While a sworn complaint is preferred, a complaint need not be sworn or in any particular form to be considered.

Contact Info

Committee staff is available by telephone at (202) 224-2981, or in person at 220 Hart Senate Office Building.

Written inquiries should be addressed to:

Chairman James Lankford and Vice Chairman Christopher A. Coons
Senate Select Committee on Ethics
220 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Fax: (202) 224-7416

Email: mailbox_office@ethics.senate.gov

Phone List: https://www.senate.gov/general/resources/pdf/senators_phone_list.pdf

Rules of Procedure of the Select Committee on Ethics

The Rules of Procedure of the Select Committee on Ethics provide the framework for the Committee’s investigation of allegations of misconduct by Members, officers, or employees of the Senate.

Rule 2 of the Supplementary Procedural Rules (Part II of the Rules of Procedure of the Select Committee on Ethics) provides that “[a]ny member or staff member of the Committee shall report to the Committee, and any other person may report to the Committee, a sworn complaint or other allegation or information, alleging that any Senator, or officer, or employee of the Senate has violated a law, the Senate Code of Official Conduct, or any rule or regulation of the Senate relating to the conduct of any individual in the performance of his or her duty as a Member, officer, or employee of the Senate, or has engaged in improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate. Such complaints or allegations or information may be reported to the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, a Committee member, or a Committee staff member.

Complaints, allegations, and information to be reported to the Committee may be obtained from a variety of sources, including but not limited to the following: (1) sworn complaints, defined as a written statement of facts, submitted under penalty of perjury, within the personal knowledge of the complainant alleging a violation of law, the Senate Code of Official Conduct, or any other rule or regulation of the Senate relating to the conduct of individuals in the performance of their duties as members, officers, or employees of the Senate; (2) anonymous or informal complaints; (3) information developed during a study or inquiry by the Committee or other committees or subcommittees of the Senate, including information obtained in connection with legislative or general oversight hearings; (4) information reported by the news media; or (5) information obtained from any individual, agency or department of the executive branch of the Federal Government.

A complaint need not be sworn nor must it be in any particular form to receive Committee consideration [emphasis added], but the preferred complaint will: (1) state, whenever possible, the name, address, and telephone number of the party filing the complaint; (2) provide the name of each member, officer or employee of the Senate who is specifically alleged to have engaged in improper conduct or committed a violation; (3) state the nature of the alleged improper conduct or violation; (4) supply all documents in the possession of the party filing the complaint relevant to or in support of his or her allegations as an attachment to the complaint.”

Please note that the Committee does not provide advisory guidance on past conduct.

RULES OF PROCEDURE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS

ADOPTED FEBRUARY 23, 1978 Revised November 1999 Reprinted October 2021

https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/01f06ea2-b5e1-4887-9250-dc84bdf88cb5/2021---blue-book---rules-of-procedure.pdf

Contacting the Committee for Advice

An important part of the Committee’s work is providing advice to Senate Members and staff concerning the application of Senate Rules, federal law, and related standards of conduct within the Committee’s jurisdiction to a specific factual situation pertinent to the individual seeking advice. Contact with the Committee about proposed conduct is welcomed and encouraged. The Committee’s aim is to prevent violations by being freely accessible to provide prospective advice.

The Committee is unique in the Senate as it is the only committee with equal membership of both parties. The entire Committee staff is non-partisan.

The Committee also provides guidance to outside organizations and individuals on certain matters, including events and travel offered to Senate Members, officers, and employees. However, the Committee must always give priority to inquiries from Senate Members, officers, and employees. Prior to contacting the Committee with any question, individuals outside the Senate should carefully review the applicable materials provided here on the Committee’s website.

U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics

https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contacting-the-committee

*Senate Class Info

Each state in the United States of American has 2 Senators no matter the size. There are a total of 100 Senators. Each seat has a class, which is determined based on when the state entered the Union adding their members.

The three classes of United States Senators are made up of 33 or 34 Senate seats each. The purpose of the classes is to determine which Senate seats will be up for election in a given year.

Senators are elected to six-year terms, and every two years the members of one class, or approximately one-third of the senators, face election, or re-election.

Terms for senators in Class I expire in 2031, Class II in 2027, and Class III in 2029.
Article I, section 3 of the Constitution requires the Senate to be divided into three classes for purposes of elections.

Article I, Section 3:The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year.

List of United States Congress Members:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm