By Mya Blanchard, Nashua Ink Link
The purpose of the Senate, both state and federal, is to represent citizens. There are 100 U.S. senators, two from each state. There are 24 New Hampshire state senators, each elected from a specific district within the state.
Three branches of government
All state governments are modeled after the federal government, with three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The federal executive branch is headed by the president; state executive branches are headed by the governor.
The legislative branch consists of the House and Senate, which work together to pass laws. This is true for both the U.S. legislative branch (also called Congress) and the state legislative branch, as each have similar roles and follow similar processes.
U.S. Senate
There are 100 U.S. senators, two from each state. Population does not enter the equation, unlike House members, whose numbers are based on population. New Hampshire’s current U.S. senators are Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both Democrats. U.S. senators serve six-year terms; those terms are staggered so that about one-third of the Senate is up for reelection every two years.
U.S. House of Representatives
The House has 435 members; the number representing each state is determined by population. New Hampshire has two members of the U.S. House, Christopher Pappas and Ann McLane Kuster, both Democrats. U.S. House members serve two-year terms.
What Congress does
The U.S. Senate and the U.S. House each consider major legislation, and approval by both chambers is required for passage. The Senate also has the power to try impeachment cases for federal officials referred to it by the House, consent to ratification of treaties, as well as other responsibilities. Senate confirmation is required for many senior leadership positions in the federal government, including federal judges.
All federal revenue bills originate in the House, which also has the authority to impeach federal officials, and elect the president in the case of an Electoral College tie.
State senators
New Hampshire has 24 senators, roughly one senator for every 55,000 citizens. State senators serve two-year terms, and are elected by the voters of their district. There are no term limits. They are paid a salary of $200 for the whole two-year term, plus a reimbursement for mileage for traveling to and from sessions and committee meetings in Concord.
Click here to find your U.S. senator and state senator.
State House members
The House has 400 members across 204 voting districts — one state representative for roughly every 3,300 people in the Granite State. The New Hampshire Legislature is the second-largest governing body in the United States. Only Congress is bigger.
Representatives serve two-year terms, and are elected by the voters of their district. There are no term limits. They are paid a salary of $200 for the whole two-year term, plus a reimbursement for mileage for traveling to and from sessions and committee meetings in Concord.
How a bill becomes law
Passing laws is one of the main responsibilities of the legislative branch, and the process is similar at the federal and state level in New Hampshire.
After a House member or senator introduces a bill, it is referred to a committee for review (different committees oversee specialized policy areas). The bill is then sent to a subcommittee where it can be accepted, amended or rejected. The bill is then referred to the full committee, where the process is repeated, before going to the floor of the House of Representatives and Senate.
If the House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill, a conference committee — consisting of members of both chambers — works to bring the House and Senate bills into one concise proposal.
In New Hampshire, for a bill to be presented to the Legislature, it must have a sponsor — an elected member of either the House or Senate. The sponsor files a Legislative Service Request to work on the correct wording, and the bill is then given to the clerk of the Senate or the House, depending on which body sponsors the bill. However, all bills to raise money originate in the House, in both state and federal governments.
Then the bill goes to a committee where there will be a public hearing, followed by committee deliberation and a recommendation on whether it ought to pass. The bill then goes to the floor of the body in which it originated. If it passes, it is then sent to the other body for consideration.
If there are dueling versions of the bill from the House and Senate, a conference committee may be formed to iron out differences, and the compromise bill is sent back to both House and Senate, seeking approval. Approved bills are signed by either the U.S. president or the New Hampshire governor, unless they’re vetoed — rejected. Legislators may challenge the veto, and seek new votes in both chambers, with a supermajority required to override the veto.
The Know Your Vote, youth voter guide project was designed, reported and produced by student and young professional journalists from The Clock,The Concord Monitor, The Equinox, Granite State News Collaborative, Keene State College, The Laconia Daily Sun, The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Nashua Ink Link and The Presidency and the Press program at Franklin Pierce University. See the full guide at www.collaborativenh.org/know-your-vote.