[00:03.92]The Senate is one of the two lawmaking bodies of the United States Congress.
[00:09.72]The other is the House of Representatives.
[00:12.83]Both have about the same amount of power.
[00:16.48]Both the Senate and the House of Representatives must approve a bill before it can become law.
[00:23.98]The Senate can propose all kinds of legislation except tax laws.
[00:30.59]Only the Senate can approve treaties and the President's nominations to some government offices.
[00:37.51]The Constitutional Convention established the nation's form of government in 1787.
[00:45.79]But the delegates could not agree about congressional representation.
[00:51.12]Delegates from states with fewer people wanted equal representation for each state.
[00:59.30]Delegates from states with many People called for representation based on the number of people in the state.
[01:08.18]A compromise provided for equal representation in the Senate,two senators from each state.
[01:16.88]Representation in the House of Representatives was to be based on population.
[01:23.59]The first Senate had twenty-two members when it met in 1789.
[01:30.67]The Senate now has 100 members.
[01:34.88]The United States Constitution says a senator must be at least thirty years old
[01:42.22]and have been an American citizen for at least nine years.
[01:47.57]It also says senators must legally live in the state they represent when they are elected.
[01:55.46]Senators serve in Congress for six years.
[02:01.70]About one-third of all senators are elected in the same year.
[02:06.54]There is no limit on the number of times a senator can be re-elected.
[02:10.77]Today, voters elect all members Of the House of Representatives and Senate.
[02:17.61]However, the Constitution provided that the people elect only the members of the House of Representatives.
[02:25.68]It said that members of state legislatures were to choose the senators.
[02:31.35]But state legislators had too many other duties |