What is the difference between representative and senator

Congress and as many as representatives. There is also a difference in the length of service of both senators and representatives. While a senator will represent his state for a period of six years, the representatives only have a two-year term.

Another difference that can be seen between a senator and a representative is in the citizenship and age. A person can only become a senator if he is at least 30 years old and has lived in the country for about 9 years. A person can become a representative if he is at least 25 years old and has lived in the country for about 7 years.

Now considering their powers and rights, the senator has the voting right either to confirm or refute the judicial nominees of the President. On the other hand, representatives do not have this voting right.

In the case of bills, both the senators and representatives are allowed to introduce certain bills. However, a senator is not allowed to introduce bills of revenue like tax bills.

The representatives have the privilege to choose the President if the Electoral College is not able to find one. The representatives can also vote for or against beginning an impeachment process. The duties of the Senate majority leader include handling all procedural matters that arise on the Senate floor and informing members of the majority party about the content, implications, and status of all pending legislation.

In collaboration with Senate committee chairs, the majority leader addresses any conflicts that may prevent proposed bills from being passed. Most Senate actions require greater than a simple majority to pass. Therefore, the majority party must work more closely with the Senate minority party than is typical in the House, which needs only a simple majority to approve measures.

Similarly, members of the Senate majority party are chosen to chair all committees. The Senate website explains that the majority party controls most committee staff and resources , but the minority party retains a level of control based on its share of Senate seats.

The procedure that Congress must follow to enact legislation is described in Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution. However, most bills originate in the offices of one or more of their legislative sponsors. Once the bill is released by the committee, representatives or senators debate it and propose amendments or other changes prior to putting the bill to a vote.

After both chambers accept the bill, joint committees work out the differences between the two versions. Both houses then vote on the exact same bill.

The president has 10 days to sign or veto bills that Congress sends to the White House for approval. A presidential veto prevents the legislation from taking effect. Congress has the power to override a presidential veto by a two-thirds majority vote of both the House and Senate. If the veto is overridden, the bill becomes law. The framers of the Constitution worked carefully to ensure that the powers wielded by the three branches of government — legislative, executive, and judicial — were carefully balanced so that the duties of each branch were clear and no one branch would overpower the other two.

While few constitutional experts and political scholars would argue that the bicameral legislative system works perfectly, most would agree that the formulation has stood the test of time. Skip to main content. Apply Program Guide. Article I of the U. Constitution: Difference Between House and Senate The framers of the Constitution knew that it was important to protect the smaller states of the newly formed Union from being overshadowed by their more populous counterparts.

Article I, Section 2: Composition and Function of the House of Representatives Article I of the Constitution specifies the powers, duties, and responsibilities of each of the two houses of Congress. Age, citizenship, term duration, and residency requirements Representatives: Must be at least 25 years old.

Must be citizens for at least seven years. Are elected to a two-year term. Must be residents of the states they represent. Allotment of representatives based on population Originally, the number of representatives was set at 1 per 30, inhabitants, but the representative count has since increased , as the U. Power to devise its own rules of operation The Constitution allows each house of Congress to set its own rules.

The Library of Congress summarizes the operating rules of the House of Representatives: Only a numerical majority is required to pass legislation in the House, which allows bills to be processed quickly. By contrast, Senate votes typically require a three-fifths majority, or 60 votes in favor. Majority party leaders in the House control the priority of various policies and determine which bills make their way to the House floor for debate.

In the Senate, minority party leaders have more influence over such procedures, so the majority leaders must work more closely with them. Age, citizenship, term duration, and residency requirements The Constitution requires that senators be at least 30 years old, U. Allotment of Senators: Two per State As the Senate website indicates, the reason the framers decided to allow each state to be represented by two senators was to prevent the large states from overpowering their smaller counterparts.

Power to devise its own rules of operation The Senate has the constitutional authority to set its own rules, just as the House does. This is intended to encourage deliberation, or the careful discussion and consideration, of issues.

Majority party leaders in the Senate propose the priority of items to be debated, but they must work with minority party leaders — and often all senators — to determine the floor agenda: the order in which items are brought before the Senate. Vice president as president of the Senate The Constitution makes the vice president the president of the Senate, but the vice president is allowed to vote only to break a tie.

The S. Capitol Visitor Center features a study guide that explains the difference between the House and Senate. It poses six questions about the constitutional basis for the two houses of Congress and provides sample answers. Back To Top U. The Legal Information Institute gives as an example the power to acquire territory, which results from the enumerated powers to make war and treaties.

Inherent powers are also called implied powers, as the Constitution Annotated notes. An example would be the power to tax internet service providers. Only congress may declare war, levy taxes, and regulate commerce The power to declare war, levy taxes, and regulate commerce are among the congressional powers enumerated in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

Building on the differences explored in the previous section, we can identify few other features that differentiate senators and congressmen. Congressmen and senators are part of the United States Congress — the main legislative body of the government. The first are members of the House of Representatives — the larger of the two chambers with members — whereas the latter are members of the Senate. The roles of congressmen and senators have some similarities as they are both involved in the legislative process and both are part of committees, but there are significant differences between the two concepts.

In fact, senators play an important role in assisting the U. President in foreign policy-related matters i. Furthermore, senators — who have to be over 30 years of age and nine-year U. Conversely, congressmen and congresswomen — who have to be over 25 years of age and seven-year U. The roles of congressmen and senators are intertwined and complementary: in fact, both chambers are necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of the democratic legislative process and to ensure that popular demands are met.

Difference Between Senator and Congressman. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. MLA 8 Squadrin, Giulia. Name required. Email required. Please note: comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Written by : Giulia Squadrin.

Yale University Press, User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. You agree that we have no liability for any damages. John Campbell — U.