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Maryland State Senate

Maryland State Senate
Maryland General Assembly
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 11, 2017
Leadership
President of the Senate
Thomas V. Miller, Jr. (D)
Since January 11, 1987
President pro Tempore
Nathaniel J. McFadden (D)
Since January 10, 2007
Majority Leader
Douglas J. J. Peters (D)
Since December 9, 2017
Minority Leader
J. B. Jennings (R)
Since 2014
Structure
Seats 47
Senate diagram 2014 State of Maryland.svg
Political groups

Governing party

Opposition party

Length of term
4 years
Authority Article III, Section 2, Maryland Constitution
Salary $43,500/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 4, 2014
(47)
Next election
November 1, 2018
(47)
Redistricting Legislative Control
Meeting place
MDSenate.jpg
State Senate Chamber
Maryland State House
Annapolis, MD
Website
Maryland State Senate

Governing party

Opposition party

The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single-member districts, the Senate is responsible, along with the Maryland House of Delegates, for passage of laws in Maryland, and for confirming executive appointments made by the Governor of Maryland.

It evolved from the upper house of the colonial assembly created in 1650 when Maryland was a proprietary colony controlled by Cecilius Calvert. It consisted of the Governor and members of the Governor's appointed council. With slight variation, the body to meet in that form until 1776, when Maryland, now a state independent of British rule, passed a new constitution that created an electoral college to appoint members of the Senate. This electoral college was abolished in 1838 and members began to be directly elected from each county and Baltimore City. In 1972, because of a Supreme Court decision, the number of districts was increased to 47, and the districts were balanced by population rather than being geographically determined.

To serve in the Maryland Senate, a person must be a citizen of Maryland 25 years of age or older. Elections for the 47 Senate seats are held every four years coincident with the federal election in which the President of the United States is not elected. Vacancies are filled through appointment by the Governor. The Senate meets for three months every year; the rest of the year the work of the Senate is light and most members hold another job during this time. It has been controlled by Democrats for a number of years. In the 2006 election, more than two-thirds of the Senate seats were won by Democrats.


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