Senate Floor facts
While investigating facts about Senate Floor Live and Senate Floor Schedule, I found out little known, but curios details like:
In 2016, John Cox proposed an initiative that would require legislators to wear the logos of their top 10 donors when advocating for policies on the Senate or Assembly floor in California.
how does the senate bring bills to the floor?
Women were not allowed to wear pants on the U.S. Senate floor until 1993 after Senators Barbara Mikulski and Carol Moseley Braun defiantly staged a protest by wearing pantsuits.
What bills are on the senate floor?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what is the senate floor. Here are 34 of the best facts about Senate Floor Proceedings and Senate Floor Votes I managed to collect.
what is the practice that allows for unlimited debate on the senate floor?
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Women couldn't wear pants on the Senate floor until 1993
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Senator Strom Thurmond holds the record for the longest Filibuster by a lone senator. He stayed on the Senate floor speaking for 24 hours and 18 minutes nonstop in opposition of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
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Women were not allowed to wear trousers on the US Senate floor until 1993 when two senators defied the ban. Later that year the rule was amended to allow women to wear trousers.
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There is a desk full of candy on the floor of the US Senate
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In 1856, American politician, Preston Brooks (D), beat Senator Charles Sumner (R) with a cane on the floor of the United States Senate in retaliation for an anti-slavery speech. He resigned his seat later in the year, only to be reelected to the same position left vacant by his resignation.
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Women weren't allowed to wear pants on the United States Senate floor until 1993.
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Congresswomen in the US were not allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor until 1993
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Women were not allowed to wear trousers on the floor of the US Senate until a rule change in 1993.
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Two US Senators representing the same state and the same party had a fist fight on the Senate floor
Senate Floor data charts
For your convenience take a look at Senate Floor figures with stats and charts presented as graphic.
Why is milk allowed on the senate floor?
You can easily fact check why are the rules for floor votes difference in the house and senate by examining the linked well-known sources.
Until 1993 it was an unwritten rule that female Senators were not allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor. Until Carol Moseley Braun in an act of solidarity joined other female senators in wearings pants until it was the norm
The only non-government person allowed on the floor of the US Senate is the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution - source
The job position of Official Reporter of Debate for the US senate must transcribe verbatim speeches made in the Senate floor, including 20 plus hour long filibusters. - source
Senator Strom Thurmond peed in a bucket to remain on the Senate floor to filibuster for more than 24-hours
Sen. Charles Sumner (MA) was nearly beaten to death with a cane on the floor of the United States Senate by Rep. Preston Brooks (SC). Brooks was incensed by an abolitionist, speech Sumner had delivered 3 days earlier which attacked pro-slavery politicians. He took nearly 3 years to recover. - source
When may the president of the senate vote on floor matters?
There’s a desk full of candy on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
How to bring a bill to the senate floor?
Two members of the United States Congress, after one verbally attacked another uninvolved member, got into a fight on the Senate floor and one of them beat the other with a cane until he fell unconscious on the floor
Bernie Sanders stood up on the Senate floor in 1995 in order to defend gay soldiers in the United States Military
Ted Cruz once read the book Green Eggs and Ham to filibuster on the Senate floor.
Senator Bernie Sanders took the floor for 8.5 hours to filibuster the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts, which unfairly benefited the high incomes and disastrously affected working and middle class in America.
Senator Ted Cruz read Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and ham on the senate floor, due to being stuck at work over Obamacare funding, thus not being able to read his daughters a bedtime story.