Leadership at the state legislative level refers to a range of different positions, including senate presidents and presidents pro tempore, house and assembly speakers, and minority and majority leaders.
Voters typically have little direct say in who holds these positions. Instead, the members of the legislatures themselves usually select their leadership. A notable exception to this rule are the 26 state senates in which the lieutenant governor serves as the senate president. Voters generally elect lieutenant governors directly (except in Tennessee and West Virginia where the title of lieutenant governor is given to the Senate leader, whom the members of the chamber have the responsibility of selecting).
While the power and authority—and even the names—of leadership positions vary from chamber-to-chamber and state-to-state, leaders in state legislatures generally play influential roles in the four, often interconnected, areas listed below.
The Legislative Process[edit]
All levels of leadership in state legislatures play a role in determining a bill’s chances of becoming a law, but top leadership positions can exert decisive control over these processes. Presiding officers such as speakers and senate presidents (or presidents pro tem), for example, can use parliamentary procedures to shape debates to their liking. Legislative leaders also control the processes through which legislation is referred to committees, and they often dictate the ebb and flow of the legislative calendar. This latter power helps leaders to set agendas for their party and the chamber as a whole and to develop strategies for executing those agendas. On top of all of this, leaders are usually the chief deal makers, negotiating both with members of the other party and factions within their own.
Elections[edit]
Leaders often play a significant role in both the public and behind-the-scenes processes of state legislative elections. For example, they might appear at a legislator’s or candidate's campaign event or hold a fundraiser for them. Similarly, they might work with state party officials to develop strategies for holding on to their majority, for flipping their chamber or a specific seat, or for filling potential vacancies.
Management[edit]
Institutional management covers an array of tasks, including making committee assignments, naming committee chairs, appointing legislators to task forces, enforcing disciplinary measures, managing office spaces, and overseeing the chamber’s facility staff.
Career Advancement[edit]
Because legislative leaders make committee assignments and hold the keys to the committee chair positions, they have the power to advance and stall the career of individual legislators. A leader, for example, could advance the career of an up-and-coming legislator by naming him or her as the chair of a powerful committee that comes with a high public profile and the ability to influence important legislation. Alternatively, a leader could also appoint that legislator as a rank-and-file member of a lesser known and less influential committee, thereby diminishing that legislator’s influence and their public profile.
State legislative leadership positions[edit]
State senates[edit]
State houses[edit]
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