Senate of Sarenium
| Senate of Sarenium | |
|---|---|
| 159th Parliament of Sarenium | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Upper house of the Parliament of Sarenium |
| Term limits | None |
| Leadership | |
| President of the Senate |
Delores Vaughn, Independent Since 17 September 2022 |
| Principal of The Senate |
William Spades, Independent Since 10 February 2022 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 494 |
 | |
| Political groups |
|
| Length of term7 | Various |
| Elections | |
| Voting system | Preferential System |
| Last election | 17 August 2024 |
| Next election | Next |
| Redistricting | SEC |
The Saren Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Sarenium, the lower house being the House of Commons. There are a total of 494 senators: 26 from each of the states. 12 of those are appointed by the President, on advice of the Prime Minister and the remaining 14 are elected by their respective constituents. The elected Senators are elected every six years (with half of them being elected every three years) and the appointed Senators serve either a single-non-renewable twelve-year term or resign at an earlier stage.
Contents
Powers
Any legislative items to be passed by Parliament are often brought up in the House unless a constitutional or protocol related item in which case the Senate is the only house able to be presented before. For a bill to become law or be appropriated, it requires an absolute majority in both houses of Parliament and the President's assent. If the Senate does not pass with an absolute majority (thus failing the bill) then the bill is brought back up within the last scheduled term of Parliament or in the fourteen day legislative cool-off if an early election is called at which time the House either passes the bill with Presidential Assent or the President refuses to provide 'House Prerogative'.
In other cases, where the House of Commons is expectant of a resilient Senate it has passed legislation with a larger majority (3/5) and thus weakened the Senate's resolve as the bill can be brought back up after the conclusion of that Parliamentary Term (between 2-8 months later) at which time either the House passes the bill on its own with Presidential Assent or once more the President refuses to provide 'house Prerogative'.
In cases where the Senate's expected to be greatly more hostile, and the House acquires a 2/3, the bill is passed through the House and brought up in the Senate but fails to garner over 1/3, it is delayed to the conclusion of that Parliamentary term at which time either the House passes the bill on its own with Presidential Assent or once more the President refuses to provide 'house Prerogative'. If the Senate does pass with over 1/3 then the bill is passed and proceeds to the President for Assent which (unless providing House Prerogative) can only be withheld.
Blocking Supply
The Senate's application in the past for blocking supply was notable in the 1876 Constitutional Crisis where a 'money bill' was refused passage by the Senate and resulted in the eventual sacking of then Prime Minister Gough Reagan in favor of a double dissolution. Only supply bills can be used for triggering a double dissolution. Conventionally, the Senate does not block supply.
Limitations
Double Dissolution
The dissolution of the Senate and House at once, such elections can only occur when the trigger is satisfied;
- The legislation must have originated in the House.
- The legislation must have been delayed by the Senate.
- The legislation must be a supply bill 'money bill' (thus exempt from being used for a House-Only bill).
- A second attempt has also failed to pass the legislation.
After satisfaction, the Prime Minister must request that the President dismiss the entirety of Parliament, exempt appointed Senators unless the President chooses to individually withdraw any of the Senators commission to the Senate, with consent of the House.
Empowerment
Empowerment is a term referred to in the constitution to deem the number of votes required from the House of Commons to ensure passage of a bill. There are 4 stages of empowerment for legislative passage; 1/2 in House and 1/2 in Senate = pass. 1/2 in House and under 1/2 in Senate = fail, until Session conclusion (customarily 2-3 years and only applicable for non-appropriation bills). 3/5 in House and under 1/2 in Senate = fail, but delayed by 2 terms of Parliament (usually 1 year and only applicable for non-appropriation bills). 2/3 in House and under 1/3 in Senate = fail, but delayed by 2 terms of Parliament (usually 1 year and only applicable for non-appropriation bills).
Appropriation Bills are not constitutionally relevant unless deemed so by the High Court. Should legislation be failed, then it must return for debate and a re-vote in the Senate after the time according to the empowerment quota. Should the quota be met the second time, legislation passes. However, if the quota fails a second time and legislation is failed then the President is unbound from convention and can either refuse to allow the House a unicameral authority on the bill or provide consent through allowing the House to pass legislation without the Senate. Appropriation Bills are instead brought to the floor again automatically after a period of the remainder of the term.
A famous crisis was the 1807 Estates Tax which garnered 3/5 of the House but just under 1/2 of the Senate, it came back up for a vote six months later. It was refuted once again in a slightly narrower margin, the High Court then ruled that it was not an appropriating document and that no constitutional article referred to taxes on estates being unconstitutional in its 108 page report. This discouraged the President from vetoing the legislation and two weeks later the House passed the legislation on its own with a firm margin of 244 of the 390 House of Commons seats resulting in a passing majority implementing the legislation.
Membership
Under the provisions of Chapter 1 Article II of the Constitution, a Senator who is elected must;
- Not possess allegiance to a foreign power.
- Not hold assets out of Saren soil.
- Not be seen as a breach of the Crimes Against the State Act of 1965.
- Not be held responsible for any acts set forth in the Parliamentary Maintenance Act of 1889.
- Have lived in the state they wish to represent for the past five years.
Benefits and Salaries
Senators receive $205,000 annually, the President of the Senate receives $245,000 and the Vice President of the Senate receives $210,000. The Principal of the Senate and Deputy Principal receive equal to the President and VP respectively. The NIA decides the amount of security bolstering required, highly controversial or popular Senators receive greater security allocations whilst newly elected or uncommonly heard of Senators receive somewhat less.
