Do House and Senate have to agree on impeachment?

In impeachment proceedings, the House of Representatives charges an official of the federal government by approving, by simple majority vote, articles of impeachment. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict, and the penalty for an impeached official upon conviction is removal from office.

What is the difference between the Senate and the House?

Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by a state’s population. Today, Congress consists of 100 senators (two from each state) and 435 voting members of the House of Representatives.

Why is the Senate more powerful than the House?

The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an electoral college tie. The Senate has the sole power to confirm those of the President’s appointments that require consent, and to ratify treaties.

How does impeachment affect the president?

Once impeached, the president’s powers are suspended, and the Constitutional Court decides whether or not the President should be removed from office.

What is the law on impeachment?

Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

What happens if the House and Senate versions of a bill are different?

If the House and Senate pass the same bill then it is sent to the President. If the House and Senate pass different bills they are sent to Conference Committee. Most major legislation goes to a Conference Committee.

What can the Senate do that the House Cannot?

The Senate has the sole power to confirm those of the President’s appointments that require consent, and to provide advice and consent to ratify treaties. There are, however, two exceptions to this rule: the House must also approve appointments to the Vice Presidency and any treaty that involves foreign trade.

Why do we only have 435 seats in the House?

Because the House wanted a manageable number of members, Congress twice set the size of the House at 435 voting members. The first law to do so was passed on August 8, 1911. Finally, in 1929 the Permanent Apportionment Act became law. It permanently set the maximum number of representatives at 435.

What powers does the Senate have over the House?

The Senate shares full legislative power with the House of Representatives. In addition, the Senate has exclusive authority to approve–or reject–presidential nominations to executive and judicial offices, and to provide–or withhold–its “advice and consent” to treaties negotiated by the executive.

Who shall officiate when a President is tried for impeachment?

When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Can a senator be impeached?

This is distinct from the power over impeachment trials and convictions that the Senate has over executive and judicial federal officials: the Senate ruled in 1798 that senators could not be impeached, but only expelled, while debating a possible impeachment trial for William Blount, who had already been expelled.

What happens if a president is impeached in the Senate?

An impeachment conviction requires a two-thirds majority vote of the full Senate. If the impeachment trial leads to a conviction, the punishment is removal from office and disqualification from “any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States,” according to Article I, Section 3.

What is rule I of the impeachment process?

Rule I notes that once the House passes the articles and appoints the managers, “the Secretary of the Senate shall immediately inform the House of Representatives that the Senate is ready to receive the managers for the purpose of exhibiting such articles of impeachment.”

Who is the presiding officer of the impeachment trial?

Because this is the impeachment trial of the president of the United States, the chief justice of the Supreme Court becomes the presiding officer of the Senate, a position usually held by the vice president.

What’s the difference between a Senate trial and an impeachment trial?

Evidence is presented, there is a prosecution and a defense, witnesses may be called, and there is a presiding officer. Despite the conceptual similarities, a Senate trial, formally referred to as a Court of Impeachment, is fundamentally different from a standard trial.