Arizona Senate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arizona Senate
55th Arizona Legislature
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	4 terms (8 years)
History
New session started	January 14, 2019
Leadership
President	Karen Fann (R) Since January 14, 2019
President pro tempore	Vince Leach (R) Since November 4, 2020
Majority Leader	Rick Gray (R) Since January 14, 2019
Minority Leader	Rebecca Rios (D) Since January 11, 2021
Structure
Seats	30 senators
Political groups	Majority      Republican (16) Minority      Democratic (14)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article 4, Arizona Constitution
Salary	$24,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 3, 2020 (30 seats)
Next election	November 8, 2022 (30 seats)
Redistricting	Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber Arizona State Capitol 1700 W. Washington St. Phoenix, Arizona • 85007
Website
Arizona State Senate

The Arizona State Senate is an important part of the government in the state of Arizona. It's like one half of Arizona's main law-making group, called the Arizona Legislature. The Senate has 30 members, called senators. Each senator represents about 219,859 people.

Senators serve for two years at a time. They can serve a maximum of four terms, which means they can be a senator for up to eight years. Currently, the Republican Party has more members in the Senate than other parties. For the first time ever, more than half of the senators are women!

Senators are elected from special areas called legislative districts. Each district elects one senator. These same districts also elect two members to the Arizona House of Representatives. This way of electing people is similar to how it's done in states like Idaho and Washington.

Just like the U.S. Senate, the Arizona Senate has a special job. It can approve or reject people that the Governor of Arizona wants to appoint to important state jobs, like cabinet members or people on special boards.

The Senate meets in its own special rooms at the Arizona State Capitol building in Phoenix.

Who Leads the Senate?

Arizona is one of a few states that doesn't have a Lieutenant Governor. In many states, the Lieutenant Governor leads the Senate meetings. But in Arizona, the senators choose their own leader. This leader is called the President of the Senate.

The President of the Senate is in charge of the meetings. They also pick which senators will be on different committees. Committees are small groups that work on specific topics. The President can also create new committees if needed.

The Senate President also chooses a President pro tempore. This person takes over leading meetings if the President is away.

The current President of the Senate is Republican Karen Fann. The Senate Majority Leader is Rick Gray. The Minority Leader is Rebecca Rios.

Senate Leaders

Here are some of the main leaders in the Arizona Senate:

How Many Members from Each Party?

The "composition" of the Senate means how many members belong to each political party. This shows which party has the most power.

Here's how the Arizona Senate is currently made up:

Here's a look at the party numbers over time:

Current Senators (2021–2023)

Arizona state legislative districts by party of state senator (red is Republican, blue is Democrat)

Here is a list of the current senators serving in the Arizona Senate:

District	Image	Senator	Party	Residence	Assumed office on	Elected
1		Karen Fann	Rep	Prescott	2017	2016
2		Rosanna Gabaldón	Dem	Sahuarita	2021	2020
3		Sally Ann Gonzales	Dem	Tucson	2019	2018
4		Lisa Otondo	Dem	Yuma	2017	2016
5		Sonny Borrelli	Rep	Lake Havasu City	2017	2016
6		Wendy Rogers	Rep	Tempe	2021	2020
7		Theresa Hatathlie	Dem	Coal Mine Mesa	2022†	2017
8		T. J. Shope	Rep	Coolidge	2021	2020
9		Victoria Steele	Dem	Tucson	2019	2018
10		Stephanie Stahl Hamilton	Dem	Tucson	2021	2021†
11		Vince Leach	Rep	Saddlebrooke	2019	2018
12		Warren Petersen	Rep	Gilbert	2021	2020
13		Sine Kerr	Rep	Buckeye	2018	2018†
14		David Gowan	Rep	Sierra Vista	2019	2018
15		Nancy Barto	Rep	Cave Creek	2021	2020
16		Kelly Townsend	Rep	Mesa	2021	2020
17		J. D. Mesnard	Rep	Chandler	2019	2018
18		Sean Bowie	Dem	Ahwatukee	2017	2016
19		Lupe Contreras	Dem	Cashion	2015	2014
20		Paul Boyer	Rep	Phoenix	2018	2019
21		Rick Gray	Rep	Sun City	2018	2018†
22		David Livingston	Rep	Peoria	2019	2018
23		Michelle Ugenti-Rita	Rep	Scottsdale	2019	2018
24		Lela Alston	Dem	Phoenix	2019	2018
25		Tyler Pace	Rep	Mesa	2019	2018
26		Juan Mendez	Dem	Tempe	2017	2016
27		Rebecca Rios	Dem	Apache Junction	2019	2018
28		Christine Marsh	Dem	Phoenix	2021	2020
29		Martín Quezada	Dem	Phoenix	2015	2014
30		Raquel Terán	Dem	Phoenix	2021	2021†

† This means the member was first appointed to their position, not elected.

What are Committees?

Committees are small groups of senators who focus on specific topics. They study proposed laws (bills) related to their topic before the full Senate votes on them. This helps the Senate work more efficiently.

Here are some of the current committees in the Arizona Senate:

See also

In Spanish: Senado de Arizona para niños