Parliamentarian Of The United States Senate - Wikipedia

Official advisor on parliamentary procedure

Parliamentarian of theUnited States Senate
Seal of the United States Senate
IncumbentElizabeth MacDonoughsince 2012
United States Senate
Type	Parliamentarian
Member of	Senate Dais
Appointer	Senate Majority Leader
Term length	Serves at the pleasure of the Majority Leader
Constituting instrument	Standing Rules of the United States Senate
Formation	1935
First holder	Charles L. Watkins
Salary	$203,700[1]

This article is part of a series on the
United States Senate
History of the United States Senate
Members
Current members (by seniority by class) Former members Hill committees (DSCC NRSC) Women in the Senate President of the Senate (list) President pro tempore (list) Presiding officer Party leaders Party leadership ofthe United States Senate Democratic Caucus Republican Conference
Politics and procedure
Advice and consent Blue slip Closed session (list) Cloture Committees (list) Executive session Morning business Filibuster Journal Nuclear option Recess appointment Quorum Quorum call Salaries Saxbe fix Seal Holds Senatorial courtesy Standing Rules Traditions Unanimous consent Vice presidential tie-breaking votes
Places
United States Capitol Senate chamber Old Senate Chamber Senate Reception Room Senate office buildings (Dirksen Hart Russell)
v t e

The Parliamentarian of the United States Senate is the official advisor to the United States Senate on the interpretation of Standing Rules of the United States Senate and parliamentary procedure. Incumbent parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has held the office since 2012, appointed by then-Senate majority leader Harry Reid.[2]

As the Presiding officer of the Senate may not be, and usually is not, aware of the parliamentary situation currently facing the Senate, a parliamentary staff sits second from the left on the Senate dais to advise the presiding officer on how to respond to inquiries and motions from senators (including "the Sergeant at Arms will restore order in the gallery"). The role of the parliamentary staff is advisory, and the presiding officer or Senate may overrule the advice of the Parliamentarian. In practice, this is rare; the most recent example of a Vice President (as President of the Senate) overruling the parliamentarian was Nelson Rockefeller in 1975.[3] That ruling was extremely controversial,[4] to such an extent that the leaders of both parties immediately met and agreed that they did not want this precedent to stand, so the next week the Senate altered the rule under consideration via standard procedure.[5] The Senate majority leader may also fire the parliamentarian, as occurred in 2001 during a dispute between parliamentarian Robert Dove and Majority Leader Trent Lott.[6]

Overview

[edit]

An important role of the parliamentarian is to decide what can and cannot be done under the Senate's budget reconciliation process under the provisions of the Byrd Rule.[2] These rulings are important because they allow certain bills to be approved by a simple majority, instead of the sixty votes needed to end debate and overcome a filibuster.

The office also refers bills to appropriate committees on behalf of the Senate's presiding officer, and referees efforts by the ruling party to change the Senate rules by rulings from the chair. The parliamentarian is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Senate majority leader. Traditionally, the parliamentarian is chosen from senior staff in the parliamentarian office, which helps ensure consistency in the application of the Senate's complex rules. The last two parliamentarians have served under both Republican and Democratic Senate leaders.

The parliamentarian's salary is $203,700 per year, as of 2022.[7]

List of parliamentarians

[edit]

The following individuals have served as Senate parliamentarian:[8]

No.	Years	Parliamentarian
1	1935–1964[9]	Charles L. Watkins[10]
2	1964–1974	Floyd M. Riddick
3	1974–1981	Murray Zweben[11]
4	1981–1987	Robert Dove
5	1987–1995	Alan Frumin
6	1995–2001	Robert Dove
7	2001–2012	Alan Frumin
8	2012–present	Elizabeth MacDonough[12]

There have only been six Senate parliamentarians since the role was founded, with Dove and Frumin each serving two non-consecutive terms.

See also

[edit]

• Parliamentarian of the United States House of Representatives

Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Brudnick, Ida A. (April 11, 2018). "Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
2. ^ a b Bolton, Alexander (January 31, 2012). "After nearly 20 years, Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin to retire". The Hill. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
3. ^ Young, Jeffrey (February 16, 2010). "Healthcare reform and reconciliation a bad mix, ex-parliamentarian says". The Hill. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
4. ^ Walter J. Oleszek (February 23, 2016). Amending Senate Rules at the Start of a New Congress, 1953-1975: An Analysis with an Afterword to 2015 (Report). Congressional Research Service. p. 56. Retrieved July 17, 2021. His decisions, especially the furor aroused by Rockefeller's recognition practices, triggered such vehement criticism that it created a hostile mood in the chamber.
5. ^ "Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, 41st Vice President (1974-1977)". United States Senate. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
6. ^ Dewar, Helen (May 8, 2001). "Key Senate Official Loses Job in Dispute With GOP". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
7. ^ "Report of the Secretary of the Senate: April 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022" (PDF). GovInfo - U.S. Government Publishing Office. April 11, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
8. ^ Gold, Martin (2008). Senate procedure and practice. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7425-6305-6.
9. ^ Heitshusen, Valerie. "Parliamentarian_of_the_United_States_Senate" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
10. ^ "First Official Parliamentarian". United States Senate.
11. ^ "Murray Zweben". Washington Post. September 24, 2000.
12. ^ Rogers, David (February 6, 2012). "Elizabeth MacDonough is Senate's first female parliamentarian". Politico. Retrieved April 12, 2014.

References

[edit]

• Glossary Term | Parliamentarian Senate.gov
• The Office of the Parliamentarian in the House and Senate Congressional Research Service

v t e United States Congress
House of Representatives Senate Joint session (117th ← 118th → 119th) Lists of United States Congress
Members and leaders Membership Members By length of service By shortness of service Youngest members Non-voting members Unseated members Senate Members seniority Dean Former Expelled or censured Classes Born outside the U.S. Resigned Appointed Switched parties House Members seniority Dean Former Expelled, censured, and reprimanded Served a single term Lost re-election in a primary Switched parties Elected but did not serve New members 90th (1967) 91st (1969) 92nd (1971) 93rd (1973) 94th (1975) 95th (1977) 96th (1979) 97th (1981) 98th (1983) 99th (1985) 100th (1987) 101st (1989) 102nd (1991) 103rd (1993) 104th (1995) 105th (1997) 106th (1999) 107th (2001) 108th (2003) 109th (2005) 110th (2007) 111th (2009) 112th (2011) 113th (2013) 114th (2015) 115th (2017) 116th (2019) 117th (2021) 118th (2023) Leaders Senate President list President pro tempore list Leaders Democratic Caucus Chair Secretary Policy Committee Chair Republican Conference Chair Vice-Chair Policy Committee Chair House Speaker list Leaders Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group Democratic Caucus Republican Conference Districts List Apportionment Gerrymandering Groups Congressional caucus Caucuses of the United States Congress Ethnic and racial African-American members Senate House Black Caucus Arab and Middle Eastern members Asian Pacific American members Asian Pacific American Caucus Hispanic and Latino members list Hispanic Caucus Hispanic Conference Jewish members Congressional Jewish Caucus Native American members Gender and sexual identity LGBT members Equality Caucus Women Senate House Issues Caucus current House Occupation Physicians Religion Buddhist members Hindu members Jewish members Mormon (LDS) members Muslim members Quaker members Sikh members Related By length of service historically Current members by wealth From multiple states Died in office 1790–1899 1900–1949 1950–1999 2000–present Killed or wounded in office Party switchers Slave owners
Powers, privileges, procedure, committees, history, media Powers Article I Copyright Commerce (Dormant) Contempt of Congress Declaration of war Impeachment Inquiries Trial Naturalization "Necessary and Proper" Power of enforcement Taxing/spending Privileges Salaries Franking Immunity Procedure Act of Congress list Appropriation bill Bill Budget process Censure Closed sessions House Senate Cloture Concurrent resolution Continuing resolution Dear Colleague letter Discharge petition Enrolled bill Expulsion Joint resolution Joint session list Lame-duck session Magic minute Majority of the majority (Hastert Rule) Multiple referral House procedures Quorum call Reconciliation Rider Saxbe fix Sponsorship Suspension of the rules Unanimous consent Veto Line-item veto Pocket veto Senate-specific Advice and consent Blue slip (U.S. Senate) Classes Executive communication Executive session Filibuster Jefferson's Manual Senate Journal Morning business Nuclear option Presiding Officer Recess appointment Reconciliation Riddick's Senate Procedure Senate hold Senatorial courtesy Seniority Standing Rules Tie-breaking votes Traditions Treaty Clause Committees Chairman and ranking member Of the Whole Conference Discharge petition Hearings Markup Oversight List (Joint) List (House) List (Senate) Select and special Standing Subcommittees Items Gavels Mace of the House Seal of the Senate History House history memoirs speaker elections Senate history election disputes memoirs Continental Congress Federal Hall (1789–1790) Congress Hall (1790–1800) Old Brick Capitol (1815–1819) Biographical Directory Divided government Party divisions Media C-SPAN Congressional Quarterly The Hill Politico Roll Call
Capitol Complex (Capitol Hill) Legislativeoffices Congressional staff Gov. Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General Architect of the Capitol Cap. Police Board Cap. Guide Service Congr. Budget Office (CBO) Congr. Workplace Rights (OCWR) Library of Congress Gov. Publishing Office (GPO) Technology Assessment Offices Senate Curator Historical Library House Congr. Ethics Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations Interparliamentary Affairs Law Revision Counsel Legislative Counsel Library Employees Senate Secretary Chaplain Curator Historian Librarian Pages Parliamentarian Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper House Chaplain Chief Administrative Officer Clerk Doorkeeper Floor Operations Floor Services Chief Historian Pages Board Parliamentarian Postmaster Reading Clerk Sergeant at Arms Library ofCongress Congressional Research Service reports Copyright Office Register of Copyrights Law Library Poet Laureate THOMAS Adams Building Jefferson Building Madison Building Gov.Publishing Office Public Printer Congressional Pictorial Directory Congressional Record Official Congressional Directory U.S. Gov. Manual Serial Set Statutes at Large United States Code Capitol Building List of artwork at the United States Capitol complex List of portraits in the United States House of Representatives collection (A-J) Brumidi Corridors Congressional Prayer Room Crypt Dome Statue of Freedom Rotunda Hall of Columns Statuary Hall Visitor Center The Apotheosis of Washington Statue of Freedom Declaration of Independence painting Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States Apotheosis of Democracy Progress of Civilization Pediment First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln Surrender of General Burgoyne Surrender of Lord Cornwallis George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door Revolutionary War Door Columbus Doors Washington at Princeton Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way VP's Room VP Bust Collection Officebuildings Senate Dirksen Hart Mountains and Clouds Russell House Building Commission office lottery Cannon Ford Longworth O'Neill Rayburn Otherfacilities Botanic Garden Health and Fitness Facility House Recording Studio Senate chamber Old Senate Chamber Old Supreme Court Chamber Power Plant Webster Page Residence Subway Related Capitol Hill United States Capitol cornerstone laying

This United States Congress–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e