Secretary of the Senate

The Senate elected its first Secretary on April 8, 1789, two days after it reached a quorum, to keep its minutes and records. The Secretary is elected by the Senate, usually on the nomination of the majority party, and, like the Sergeant at Arms, is one of the chamber's principal officers. Over two centuries the office has grown from a few clerks into a staff that oversees the legislative clerks, the Parliamentarian's appointment, the Senate Library, the Senate Historical Office, and the chamber's financial operations.

The Secretary's office keeps the Senate Journal, receives and processes bills and messages from the House and the President, records votes, enrolls and attests to legislation passed by the Senate, and maintains the official text of treaties and nominations sent to the chamber. Its Office of Public Records receives lobbying registrations and reports, campaign finance filings for Senate candidates, and financial disclosure statements from senators and staff, and the disbursing office pays senators and staff. The Secretary also administers the oath to Senate officers and handles official ceremonies with the Sergeant at Arms.

The office is mostly invisible to the public, but its records underpin the Senate's work on legislation, nominations, and treaties, and its disclosure filings are a main source for tracking lobbying and the finances of senators. In 1963 a former Secretary's aide resigned amid an influence-peddling scandal that led to the Senate's first ethics committee. Supporters of the office's structure say electing officers keeps them accountable to the chamber, while critics say partisan selection can blur the line between institutional service and the majority's interests.