West Virginia Senate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids West Virginia Senate
86th West Virginia Legislature
Type
Type	Upper house of the West Virginia Legislature
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 10, 2024
Leadership
President	Craig Blair (R) Since January 13, 2021
President pro tempore	Donna Boley (R) Since January 14, 2015
Majority leader	Tom Takubo (R) Since January 9, 2019
Minority leader	Mike Woelfel (D) Since January 11, 2023
Structure
Seats	34
Political groups	Majority      Republican (31) Minority      Democratic (3)
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article VI, West Virginia Constitution
Salary	$20,000/year + per diem
Elections
Voting system	Plurality voting in staggered elections
Last election	November 8, 2022 (17 seats)
Next election	November 5, 2024 (17 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
Senate Chamber West Virginia State Capitol Charleston, West Virginia
Website
West Virginia Legislature

The West Virginia Senate is an important part of the state's government. It is the "upper house" of the West Virginia Legislature, which is like the state's law-making body.

There are 34 senators in total. They are chosen from 17 different areas, called senatorial districts. Each district elects two senators. These senators serve for four years, but their terms are "staggered." This means not all senators are up for election at the same time. While the Democratic Party used to have more members, the Republicans now have most of the seats.

How the Senate Works

Getting Organized

Senators are elected for four-year terms. Because their terms are staggered, only about half of the 34 Senate seats are voted on in each election. This helps keep some experienced lawmakers in office.

The state legislature, including the Senate, meets every year. They start their regular session on the second Wednesday of January. This session usually lasts for 60 days.

Making Laws

The West Virginia Senate has a special power: it can introduce bills about money, called "revenue bills." Many other state senates cannot do this.

Here's how a bill becomes a law:

• Idea to Bill: First, an idea for a new law is written down as a bill. This is often done by special staff.
• Review: The senator who wants the bill to become a law reviews it.
• Introduction: The bill is then officially introduced in the Senate.
• Committees: Bills are sent to special groups called committees. These committees study the bill and suggest if it should pass or change.
• Readings: A bill must be read three times in the Senate.
• Approval: If the Senate approves the bill, it then goes to the West Virginia House of Delegates (the other part of the legislature) for their approval.
• Governor's Desk: If both the Senate and the House of Delegates approve the bill, it goes to the Governor. The Governor can sign it into law or veto it (reject it).
• Overriding a Veto: If the Governor vetoes a bill, the legislature can still make it a law. They can "override" the veto with enough votes, as long as they are still in session.

Senate Districts

West Virginia is divided into 17 districts for the Senate. Each district elects two senators every two years. This means each district has about 1/17th of the state's population. That's about 105,000 people per district.

Unique District Rules

West Virginia has a unique rule about its Senate districts. Both senators from the same district cannot live in the same county. For example, in the 5th District, one senator must live in Cabell County, and the other must live in the part of Wayne County that is in the 5th District. This is true even if one county has more people. However, all people in the district vote for both senators, no matter which county the senators live in.

Changing Districts (Redistricting)

Every ten years, after the United States Census counts the population, the Senate redraws its district maps. This is called redistricting. It makes sure each district has about the same number of people.

• After 2010: For the first time, Kanawha County was split into two districts. This meant fewer senators came from Kanawha County.
• After 2020: The Senate drew new maps again. This reflected how the population had moved, especially to areas like Morgantown and the Eastern Panhandle. Ten counties were split between two districts, and Kanawha County was split among three.

Because senators serve four-year terms, these new district maps don't fully take effect right away. For example, after the 2020 Census, some senators elected in 2020 under the old map continued to serve until 2024, while new senators elected in 2022 were chosen under the new map.

Senate President

The Senate members choose one of their own to be the Senate President. The current president of the West Virginia Senate is Craig Blair.

The West Virginia Constitution doesn't directly create the title of "lieutenant governor." However, West Virginia law says that the Senate President also acts as the lieutenant governor. This means the Senate President is next in line to become Governor if something happens to the current Governor (like if they resign or can no longer serve).

The constitution says that if the Governor's office becomes empty, the Senate President will act as Governor. But if the Governor's term hasn't passed three years yet, a new election for Governor will be held to fill the spot.

Current Members of the Senate

Map showing which political parties hold seats in the state senate after the 2022 elections.      2 Democrats      2 Republicans      1 Democrat and 1 Republican

86th Legislature (2023–2024)

The table below shows how many members each political party has in the Senate over time. Currently, the Republican Party holds a large majority of seats.

Leaders of the 86th West Virginia Senate

These are the main leaders in the West Virginia Senate for the current session:

Committee Leaders

Committees are small groups of senators who focus on specific topics like education or finance. They help review bills before the full Senate votes on them. Each committee has a Chair and a Vice Chair who lead the discussions.

Members of the 86th West Virginia Senate

This table lists all the current senators, their districts, and which party they belong to. It also shows when their next election is.

See also

In Spanish: Senado de Virginia Occidental para niños