What Are the Duties of the President in the Senate?
President of the Senate’s duties capitol image by Andrew Breeden from Fotolia.com The Constitution of the United States of America designates the role of the Senate chamber’s presiding officer to the vice president of the United States. The vice president is allowed to vote in the Senate only when there is a tie vote that needs to be broken. The vice president does not usually sit in on the Senate unless support for a bill is closely divided and a tie vote seems likely. Casting Vote Making a casting vote is the primary duty of the president of the Senate. This happens when there is a tie deadlocking the voting on a bill. This is the only time that the president of the Senate has the ability to vote on a bill. Ceremony The president of the Senate presides over the swearing in of a new senator. This is a formal and ceremonial affair. If the vice president is unavailable, the Senate chooses a president por tempore to act on behalf of the vice president. This is usually the eldest member o
