U.S. Senate procedures

U.S. Senate procedures refers to the parliamentary procedure used in the United States Senate. These procedures have a number of distinctive characteristics, some of which arise from the fact that it is a relatively small legislative body.

Within the Senate, debate is not strictly limited as it is in the House of Representatives. This allows a senator to talk about a bill indefinitely by means of a fillibuster unless 60 senators agree to invoke the cloture rule.

The President of the Senate is the Vice-President of the United States; in practice, his authority is delegated to the President pro tempore, usually the senior member of the assembly. By strong convention and in contrast to the procedure in the House of Representatives, the Vice-President does not use his powers in a partisan manner and does not lobby for legislation within the Senate.

Senators are also by convention allowed to place a hold on a bill, and appointments to local federal office are usually made with consultation with a senator if the senator is in the President's party.