Coordinates

33°55′31″N18°25′26″N

{{infobox parliament | background color

#9C1718 | text_color white | name Senate of the Republic | native_name Senato della Repubblica | transcription_name | coa_pic Seal Italian Senate.png | coa-pic | session_room Aula senato.jpg | house_type Upper house | leader1_type President of the Senate | leader1 Renato Schifani | party1 PdL | election1 April 29, 2008 | members 315 6 lifetime senators | structure1 Italian Senate composition.svg | structure1_res 200px | political_groups1 PdL 130 PD 106 LN 25 UDC-Aut. 14 IdV 12 TP 12 NC 11 Mixed gr. 11 | last_election1 April 13–14, 2008 | meeting_place Palazzo Madama, Rome | website http://www.senato.it }}

The Senate of the Republic () is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as ''Senato del Regno'' (Senate of the Kingdom), itself a continuation of the ''Senato Subalpino'' (Subalpine Senate) of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848. It sits in Palazzo Madama in Rome.

Composition

The Senate consists of 315 elected members, and six senators for life. The elected senators must be over 40 years of age, are elected by an electorate composed of Italian citizens aged 25 or over and save for six senators who represent Italians living outside Italy, are elected on a regional basis. The senators for life are composed of former Presidents of the Italian Republic, who hold office ''ex officio'' and those who are appointed by the president for "for outstanding merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field". The six current life senators are: Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (former President), Giulio Andreotti (former Prime Minister), Rita Levi Montalcini (Nobel Prize winner for Medicine 1986), Emilio Colombo (former Prime Minister), Sergio Pininfarina (Designer), Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (former President). The current Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, was a life senator before his election in 2006; his membership of the Senate is suspended whilst in Presidential office.

The Italian Senate is unusual among European upper houses in that it has almost the same power as its lower counterpart: other than the budget, any law can be initiated in either house, and must be approved in the same form by both houses; additionally the Government must have the consent of both to remain in office (a position which is known as "perfect bicameralism").

The Senate may be dissolved before the expiration of its normal term by the President of the Republic, when no government can obtain a majority.

Membership

The current membership of the Italian Senate, following the latest political elections of 13 April and 14 April 2008:

Latest elections results

Parliamentary groups

Parliamentary groups in the Italian Senate, at the inauguration and after the latest changes. Parliamentary groups after 2008 election and current (July 2011) |- bgcolor="#e9e9e9" style="text-align: center" !colspan="2"|Parties !Inauguration !Current |- |style="background-color:#4682B4"|   |style="text-align: center"| The People of Freedom |146 seats |130 seats |- |style="background-color:orange"|   |style="text-align: center"| Democratic Party |119 seats |106 seats |- |style="background-color:green"|   |style="text-align: center"| Northern League | 26 seats | 25 seats |- |style="background-color:brown"|   |style="text-align: center"| Italy of Values | 14 seats | 12 seats |- |style="background-color:red"|   |style="text-align: center"| Union of the Centre | 11 seats with SVP | 14 seats with SVP and UV |- |style="background-color:violet"|   |style="text-align: center"| National Cohesion | 0 seats | 11 seats |- |style="background-color:aqua"|   |style="text-align: center"| To the Third Pole | 0 seats | 12 seats |- |style="background-color:yellow"|   |style="text-align: center"| Mixed group (Independents and Senators for life) | 6 seats | 11 seats |- bgcolor="#e9e9e9" |colspan="2" style="text-align: center"| Parties || 322 seats || 321 seats |- |}

Presidents

Under the current Constitution, the Senate must hold its first sitting no later than 20 days after a general election. That session, presided by the oldest senator, proceeds to elect the President of the Senate for the following parliamentary period. On the first two attempts at voting, an absolute majority of all senators is needed; if a third round is needed, a candidate can be elected by an absolute majority of the senators present and voting. If this third round fails to produce a winner, a final ballot is held between the two senators with the highest votes in the previous ballot. In the case of a tie, the elder senator is deemed the winner.

In addition to overseeing the business of the chamber, chairing and regulating debates, deciding whether motions and bills are admissible, representing the Senate, etc., the President of the Senate stands in for the President of the Republic when the president is unable to perform the duties of the office. The current President of the Senate (since 29 April 2008) is Renato Schifani.

Presidency Office

{| |valign=top|

President

Renato Schifani

|width=40| |valign=top|

Vice Presidents

Emma Bonino

Vannino Chiti

Rosi Mauro

Domenico Nania

|width=40| |valign=top|

Quaestors

Benedetto Adragna

Romano Comincioli

Paolo Franco

|width=40| |valign=top|

Secretaries

Silvana Amati

Emanuela Baio

Cinzia Bonfrisco

Alessio Butti

Lucio Malan

Colomba Mongiello

Piergiorgio Stiffoni

Marco Stradiotto

|}

Past Presidents (recent years)

:''See List of Presidents of the Italian Senate for the full list.''

{| class=wikitable |- bgcolor="#cccccc" ! President !! From !! To !! Notes |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" |9th Legislature |||||| |- | Francesco Cossiga || 12 July 1983 || 24 June 1985 ||elected President of the Italian Republic |- | Amintore Fanfani || 9 July 1985 || 17 April 1987 || resigned once elected Prime Minister |- | Giovanni Francesco Malagodi || 22 April 1987 || 1 July 1987 || |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" | 10th Legislature |||||| |- | Giovanni Spadolini || 2 July 1987 || 22 April 1992 || |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" | 11th Legislature |||||| |- | Giovanni Spadolini || 24 April 1992 || 14 April 1994 || |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" | 12th Legislature |||||| |- | Carlo Scognamiglio Pasini || 16 April 1994 || 8 May 1996 || |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" | 13th Legislature |||||| |- | Nicola Mancino || 9 May 1996 || 29 May 2001 || |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" | 14th Legislature |||||| |- | Marcello Pera || 30 May 2001 || 27 April 2006 || |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" | 15th Legislature |||||| |- | Franco Marini || 29 April 2006 || 28 April 2008 || |- bgcolor="#dcdcdc" | 16th Legislature |||||| |- | Renato Schifani || 29 April 2008 |||| |- |}

Palazzo Madama

Since 1871, the Senate has met in Palazzo Madama in Rome, an old patrician palace completed in 1505 for the Medici family. The palace takes its name from ''Madama'' Margherita of Austria, daughter of Charles V and wife of Alessandro de' Medici.

After the extinction of the Medici, the palace was handed over to the House of Lorraine and, later, it was sold to Papal Government.thumb|right|''Cicero Denounces Catiline'' In 1849, Pius IX moved the Ministries of Finances and of the Public Debt here, as well as the Papal Post Offices. After the conquest of Rome by the newly formed Kingdom of Italy, the palace was chosen to became the seat of the ''Senato del Regno'', or Senate of the Kingdom.

The current façade was built in the mid 1650s by both Cigoli and Paolo Maruccelli. The latter added the ornate cornice and whimsical decorative urns on the roof. Among the rooms one of the most significant (and perhaps the most impressive from the political point of view) is the "Sala Maccari," which takes its name from Cesare Maccari, the artist who decorated it in 1880 and created the frescoes , among which stands out as one that depicts Cicero makes his indictment of Catiline, who listens, isolated from their seats.

The chamber where the Senate met for the first time on 27 November 1871 was designed by Luigi Gabet. A plaque on the wall behind the speaker's chair commemorates the king's address to Parliament when first convened in the new seat of government:

Above this has been placed a plaque bearing the inscription:

To the viewers left stand the flags of the Italian Republic (with a ribbon embroidered with the words SENATO DELLA REPUBBLICA) and the European Union.

See also

Parliament of Italy

Italian Chamber of Deputies

Senate

Roman Senate

Senato Italiano (TV channel)

References

External links

Official website Official website

Category:1848 establishments Senate Category:National upper houses

ar:مجلس الشيوخ الإيطالي ca:Senat d'Itàlia cs:Senát Parlamentu Itálie de:Senato della Repubblica el:Ιταλική Γερουσία es:Senado de la República Italiana fr:Sénat de la République id:Senat Italia it:Senato della Repubblica ka:იტალიის სენატი nl:Senato della Repubblica ja:元老院 (イタリア) no:Italias senat pl:Senat (Włochy) ru:Сенат Италии scn:Sinatu sl:Senat Italije fi:Italian senaatti sv:Italienska senaten uk:Сенат Італії vec:Senado deła Republica Itałiana

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
honorific-prefix	Senatore
name	Renato Schifani
order	President of the Italian Senate
term start	29 April 2008
predecessor	Franco Marini
successor	''incumbent''
order2	Member of the Italian Senate
term start2	21 April 1996
constituency2	Sicily
birth date	May 11, 1950
birth place	Palermo, Italy
profession	AttorneyPolitician
religion	Roman Catholic
party	The People of Freedom (since 2009)
otherparty	Forza Italia (1996–2008) }}

Renato Maria Giuseppe Schifani (born 11 May 1950) is an Italian politician and a prominent member of the centre-right People of Freedom. Since 29 April 2008 he has been President of the Italian Senate. Schifani was born in Palermo.

Biography

Berlusconi's chief whip

Schifani used to be a lawyer specialised in trials at the Supreme Court of Cassation (), the major court of last resort. He specialized in real estate regulations and became active in the debt collecting business. Filippo Mancuso, the former minister of Justice born in Palermo, termed Schifani “the prince of debt collectors” (“il principe del recupero crediti”). Prior to joining Forza Italia in 1995, he was an active member of Christian Democracy. Elected in 1996 in the Altofonte-Corleone district in Sicily, Schifani served as Silvio Berlusconi's chief whip in the Italian Senate.

In 2002, Schifani was a protagonist in the attempt to secure the embedding of the provisional Article 41-bis prison regime – used against people imprisoned for particular crimes such as Mafia involvement – as a definitive measure in Italian law.

2004 Immunity Law (''lodo Schifani'')

Schifani and Antonio Maccanico, senator of the centre left L’Ulivo (Olive Tree) political coalition, gave their name to a bill aimed at granting immunity to the top five representatives of the State, including Silvio Berlusconi (although the other four were not facing trial). After extensive revisions of the text of the law by the Senate, Maccanico withdraw his name from the project. The ''lodo Schifani'' decree was then approved in June 2003 by the Italian parliament guaranteeing immunity to Silvio Berlusconi. The law was subsequently declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court on January 13, 2004.

Similar provisions were included in the ''lodo Alfano'' Act (2008), granting immunity to the top four representatives of the State, including Berlusconi and the same Schifani as Speaker of the Senate. After being granted immunity Schifani has sued his critics Travaglio and Tabucchi for slander, allegedly claiming 1,3 million from Tabucchi as the author declared in the transmission Annozero, feb 5th 2009. The ''lodo Alfano'' was declared anti-constitutional in October 2009 as well.

President of the Senate

Schifani was elected as President of the Senate on April 29, 2008, following the general election held earlier in the month. He received 178 out of 319 votes.

Alleged Mafia connections

In 1979, Renato Schifani founded and became managing director of the firm Siculabrokers. Enrico La Loggia (who would later become minister of Regional Affairs), Benny D'Agostino, Giuseppe Lombardo and Nino Mandalà were among its shareholders.

Benny D’Agostino is an entrepreneur convicted for Mafia association, Mandalà was convicted for Mafia association and was indicated by the Court as the Mafia boss of Villabate, Lombardo was chairman and member of the board of Satris, a credit recovery agency whose shareholders were Nino and Ignazio Salvo, well known businessmen and Mafiosi of the Salemi “family,” arrested by prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1984.

According to the pentito (Mafia turncoat) Francesco Campanella, Antonio Mandalà and La Loggia in the 1990s agreed on the master plan for the shopping centre they wanted to develop in the town of Villabate, which aroused the interests of politicians and the Mafia. Schifani, La Loggia and the civil engineer Guzzaro -– the consultant who advised the town -– would share the consulting fees for drawing up the master plan. The master plan of the town of Villabate was designed under specific instruction of Antonino and Nicola Mandalà (Antonino’s son who was responsible for the logistics to keep the fugitive Mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano at large). They conspired with the local Mafia families and politicians to skim from the public contracts.

In 1992, Schifani along with Antonio Mangano and Antonino Garofalo founded GMS, another credit recovery agency. Schifani's partner Garofalo was charged with usury and extortion in 1997. However, Schifani was not mentioned in the police investigation. In both cases Schifani has never been investigated for any Mafia-related offence, much less tried.

Media row with Travaglio

On May 10, 2008, the journalist Marco Travaglio interviewed on the RAI current affairs talk show television programme ''Che tempo che fa'', talked about the Italian media. He mentioned past relationships between Schifani and men who have subsequently been condemned for Mafia association as an example of a relevant fact ignored by almost all Italian newspapers which published a biography of Schifani as the new president of Senate.

The statement of Travaglio resulted in fierce and almost universally negative reactions including from the centre left, except for Antonio Di Pietro who said that Travaglio was ‘merely doing his job’. Some called for chief executives at RAI to be dismissed. The popular political commentator Beppe Grillo supported Travaglio, while Schifani announced he would go to Court and blame Travaglio for slander. Schifani said Travaglio's accusation was based on "inconsistent or manipulated facts, not even worthy of generating suspicions," adding that "someone wants to undermine the dialogue between the government and the opposition."

References

Gomez, Peter & Lirio Abbate (2007). ''I complici. Tutti gli uomini di Bernardo Provenzano da Corleone al Parlamento'', Fazi Editore, ISBN 9788881127863 Gomez, Peter & Marco Travaglio (2008). ''Se li conosci li eviti. Raccomandati, riciclati, condannati, imputati, ignoranti, voltagabbana, fannulloni del nuovo Parlamento'', Milan: Chiarelettere

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:People from Palermo (city) Category:Italian politicians Category:Politicians of Sicily

de:Renato Schifani fr:Renato Schifani it:Renato Schifani la:Renatus Schifani pl:Renato Schifani pt:Renato Schifani

Vince Megna (born August 24, 1944, Iron Mountain, Michigan) is a Wisconsin attorney "known as the leading lemon law attorney in the United States." Lemon Law is the body of law that offers protection to owners of motor vehicles with recurring mechanical or other problems that are not resolved within a reasonable time by the dealer or manufacturer.

Legal career

Referred to by ''The Washington Post'' as the "King of Lemon Laws" and "Arguably America's foremost lemon law lawyer", Megna is a graduate of Marquette University Law School, 1973. He has successfully represented consumers in more than 1,500 Lemon Law cases, won some of the biggest jury verdicts and lemon law settlements in the nation and has argued before both the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. In 2003, ''Lawyers Weekly USA'' selected Megna one of the ten "Lawyers of the Year" for his work in consumer advocacy. In 2006, Megna prevailed in one of the largest Lemon Law verdicts in the nation, a $385,000 judgment against DaimlerChrysler Corporation over a defective Dodge Viper. In 2010, in a case that received world wide media coverage, Megna obtained a $482,000 judgment against Mercedes-Benz for a $56,000 E class that wouldn't start. Vince Megna has sued General Motors some 650 times without a loss.

In 2003, Megna released ''Bring on Goliath: Lemon Law Justice in America'' (Ken Press, Tucson, AZ). Ed Henry, retired Automotive Editor for ''Kiplinger’s Personal Finance'', critiqued the work as, exposing "a greedy grab for profits at the expense of consumers like none I have read in more than 20 years of automotive reporting". Warren Brown of The Washington Post called ''Bring on Goliath,'' "simply the best book I have ever read on consumer justice in the matter of gaining compensation for cars that just don't work." Academy Award winner and author Michael Moore gave ''Bring on Goliath'' a "thumbs up." The book inspired efforts in Hawaii to change its lemon law (HI HB 1753) into a more consumer friendly law identical to that of Wisconsin. The bill was strenuously opposed by the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association.

In 2006, the satirical and irreverent rant on society, religion, truth and the legal profession was published in Vince Megna's second book ''Lap Dancers Don’t Take Checks: The Truth about Law, Lawyers and other Trivialities'' (Ken Press). Johnny Dark, the Oldest CBS Page from the David Letterman Show, wrote the Forward.

Music career

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Megna sustained a modest musical career playing guitar with well known performers including Teddy Randazzo ("Goin' Out Of My Head" and “Hurt So Bad”), Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and jazz guitar great Herb Ellis. He also performed in bands with Moby Grape founding member Peter Lewis, American icon blues bassist Larry Taylor and John Walker of the The Walker Brothers. His work in music continued after joining the bar, including recordings with his own band, Vince and the Attorneys. In 2000, Megna released ''Truth is Irrelevant'', a 10 song satirical, alternative rock CD produced by Genesis and Phil Collins’ guitarist, Daryl Stuermer.

Books by Vince Megna

''Bring on Goliath: Lemon Law Justice in America'' (Ken Press, 2003, ISBN 978-1928771166)

''Lap Dancers Don't Take Checks: The Truth about Law, Lawyers and other Trivialities (Ken Press, 2006, ISBN 978-1928771449)

Discography

1962 Meet The Bonnevilles – The Bonnevilles (Drum Boy Records)

1965 "Poinciana" b/w "Red Vent" – Herb Ellis and Vince Megna (EMP Records)

1979 "The Loneliest Night" b/w "Sometimes Love" – Bobby Hart (Warner/Curb Records)

1980 ''The First Bobby Hart Solo Album'' – Bobby Hart (WEA Records)

1980 "Lovers for the Night" b/w "You Get Smoke in Your Eyes" – Bobby Hart (Ariola Records)

1982 "IRSBS" b/w "Truth is Irrelevant in a Criminal Case" – The Attorneys (Verdict Records)

1984 ''Moby Grape ’84'' (co-writer, "Silver Wheels") – Moby Grape (San Francisco Sound Records)

1990 ''Vince & The Attorneys'' – Vince & The Attorneys (Verdict Records)

1995 ''Hung Jury'' – Vince & The Attorneys (Verdict Records)

2000 ''Truth is Irrelevant'' – Vince & The Attorneys (Urban Island Music)

References

External links

Vince Megna's Website

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:People from Iron Mountain, Michigan Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American lawyers

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
honorific-prefix	Senator
name	Emma Bonino
order	Italian Minister of European Affairs and International Trade
term start	17 May 2006
term end	7 May 2008
primeminister	Romano Prodi
predecessor	Giorgio La Malfa
order2	European Commissioner for Health & Consumer Protection
term start2	1995
term end2	1999
predecessor2	''None''
successor2	David Byrne
birth date	March 09, 1948
birth place	Bra, Italy
nationality	Italian
party	Radical Party }}

Emma Bonino (born 9 March 1948 in Bra) is an Italian politician, former Member of the European Parliament and current Member of the Italian Senate. She is a leading member of the Italian Radicals, a political party that supports economic and social libertarianism, and human rights. She graduated in modern languages and literature from Bocconi University in Milan in 1972.

A veteran legislator in Italian politics and an activist for various reform policies, she was elected as one of four Vice Presidents of the Senate on 6 May 2008.

National political career

Bonino was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1976 and re-elected in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1994 and 2006. In 1975, she founded the Information Centre on Sterilisation and Abortion and promoted the referendum which led to the legalisation of abortion in Italy. In 1986, she was among the promoters of a referendum against nuclear energy that led to the rejection of a civil nuclear energy programme in Italy.

On 17 May 2006, Emma Bonino was appointed as Minister for International Trade in the cabinet of Romano Prodi. She resigned from that office on 7 May 2008, as she had been elected Vice President of the Senate the previous day. In 2008, at the elections of April 13–14, she was elected to a seat in the Senate, the second parliamentary chamber, on the list of the Democratic Party for the Piedmont constituency.

International political career

Bonino was elected to the European Parliament in 1979 and re-elected in 1984 and 1999. She served as the Secretary of the Transnational Radical Party in 1993–94 and the party's president in 1991–1993. In October 1994, she was appointed Head of the Italian Government delegation to the UN General Assembly for the "Moratorium on death penalty" initiative. From 1994 to 1999, she was European Commissioner responsible for Consumer Policy, Fisheries and the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). In 1997, her field of competence was widened to include consumer health protection and food safety.

On 15 March 1999, together with all the Santer Commission, she resigned due to the accusations of fraud and mismanagement against commissioner Edith Cresson. The final report however leveled charges against most commissioners, including Bonino herself. In November 2002, she was appointed Head of the Italian Government delegation at the Inter-governmental Conference of the Community of Democracies in Seoul.

Along with Marco Pannella, another member of the Radical Party, Bonino has fought numerous battles for civil rights and individual liberty, mainly concerned with divorce, the legalisation of abortion, the legalisation of drugs, and for sexual and religious freedoms. She has fought for an end to capital punishment, against female genital mutilation, and the eradication of world hunger.

In June 1999, she obtained a historic percentage of votes (8.5%) in the European elections (vs. the usual 2–3% that Radicals got in the previous and subsequent elections). Her list (Lista Bonino) won seven of 78 Italian seats in this election. The first seven on the list were:

Emma Bonino

Marco Pannella

Olivier Dupuis

Marco Cappato

Benedetto Della Vedova

Maurizio Turco

Gianfranco Dell'Alba

Еmma Bonino supported the NATO intervention in Kosovo in the Spring of 1999. From 1999 to 2004, the Lista Bonino was non-affiliated. Since 2004, it is part of the ALDE group. In December 2001, she moved to Cairo with the objective of learning the Arabic language and culture. In March 2003, she started a daily review of the Arabic press on Radical Radio. In January 2004, she organized the "Regional Conference on Democracy, Human Rights and the role of the International Penal Court", the first for an Arabic country. She is currently a Board member of the Arab Democracy Foundation.

Awards

In 1999 she was one of the two winners of the North-South Prize, an award that honors individuals with accomplishment in the protection of human rights, pluralistic democracy, and improvement of North-South relations.

For her battles and engagements with controversial issues, her engagement in the promotion of human rights and civil rights in the world, she received the "Open Society Prize 2004" and "Prix Femmes d'Europe 2004" for Italy.

References

External links

Official website

Article in Time from 1999

Detailed Biography

Woman in Decision-making: Interview with Emma Bonino

Parliamentary functions 1999–2004

Parliamentary functions currently

Emma Bonino's syndicated op/ed column

EU report on mismanagement in the Santer commission, chapter on Bonino's role

UK parliament report on the Santer scandal and Bonino's role

Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:People from Bra, Italy Category:Alumni of Bocconi University Category:Italian European Commissioners Category:Italian pro-choice activists Category:Italian libertarians Category:Italian Radicals MEPs Category:MEPs for Italy 2004–2009 Category:Italian Radicals politicians Category:Female MEPs for Italy Category:Italian women in politics Category:MEPs for Italy 1999–2004 Category:Radical Party (Italy) politicians

bg:Ема Бонино ca:Emma Bonino de:Emma Bonino es:Emma Bonino eo:Emma Bonino fr:Emma Bonino it:Emma Bonino la:Emma Bonino arz:ايما بونينو ja:エンマ・ボニーノ no:Emma Bonino pl:Emma Bonino pt:Emma Bonino ro:Emma Bonino fi:Emma Bonino sv:Emma Bonino