	Background and Opening Day Actions

The November 2000 elections caused the Senate to be tied with 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. 8

Two days later, on the afternoon of January 5, 2001, Senator Daschle presented to the Senate S.Res. The key provisions of the resolution were as follows:
Committees
All Senate committees would have equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats; a full committee chair could discharge a subcommittee from further consideration of a measure or matter, if it was not reported because of a tie vote; and budgets and office space for all committees were equally divided, with overall committee budgets to remain within "historic levels;"
Discharging Measures or Matters
If a measure or nomination was not reported because of a tie vote in committee, the majority or minority leader (after consultation with committee leaders) couldÂ move to discharge the committee from further consideration of such measure or nomination; this discharge motion could be debated for four hours, equally divided and controlled by the majority and minority leaders. Agenda Control and Cloture
The agreement prohibited a cloture motion from being filed on any amendable item of business during the first 12 hours in which it is debated; required both party leaders "to seek to attain an equal balance of the interests of the two parties" in scheduling and considering Senate legislative and executive business; and noted that the motion to proceed to any calendar item "shall continue to be considered the prerogative of the Majority Leader," although qualifying such statement with the observation that "Senate Rules do not prohibit the right of the Democratic Leader, or any other Senator, to move to proceed to any item." Supplemental Colloquy, January 8, 2001

On January 8, 2001, the provisions of S.Res. Conclusion

On May 24, 2001, Senator James Jeffords announced his intention to leave the Republican party, to become an Independent, and to caucus with the Senate Democrats. The powersharing agreement in effect in the Senate from January to June of 2001 was an experiment.
The 2000 elections resulted in a Senate composed of 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. An historic agreement, worked out by the party floor leaders, in consultation with their party colleagues, was presented to the Senate ( S.Res. 8 ) on January 5, 2001, and agreed to the same day. The agreement was expanded by a leadership colloquy on January 8, 2001. It remained in effect until June of 2001, when Senators reached a new agreement to account for the fact that a Senator had left the Republican party to become an Independent who would caucus with the Democratic party.
This report describes the principal features of this and related agreements which provided for Republican chairs of all Senate committees after January 20, 2001; equal party representation on all Senate committees; equal division of committee staffs between the parties; procedures for discharging measures blocked by tie votes in committee; a restriction on the offering of cloture motions on amendable matters; restrictions on floor amendments offered by party leaders; eligibility of Senators from both parties to preside over the Senate; and general provisions seeking to reiterate the equal interest of both parties in the scheduling of Senate chamber business. Also noted is that not all aspects of Senate practice were affected by the powersharing agreement.