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The Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons is assisted by the Deputy Chief Whip, Whips, and Assistant Whips. To provide a seat in the Cabinet, the Chief Whip is usually appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury. The other senior government Whips are also given offices in the Government: the Deputy Chief Whip as Treasurer of HM (Her Majesty's) Household, the next two Whips are Comptroller of HM Household and Vice-Chamberlain of HM Household , and the remaining Whips are Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. (Assistant Whips, and, of course, Whips of other parties, generally do not receive such appointments.)
A similar arrangement exists for Whips in the House of Lords. The Government Chief Whip is usually appointed Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, while the Deputy Chief Whip is usually appointed Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard . Other Whips, who are fewer in number due to the decreased importance of party discipline in the Lords, are appointed Lords in Waiting if men and Baronesses in Waiting if women.
In the UK Parliament the importance of a vote is indicated by underlining of items on the whip paper. A "one-line whip" indicates that MPs may vote as they please. "Two-line whips" indicate an expectation that MPs vote as the party directs. Pairing (the practice whereby a member of one party chooses to not vote because a member of the opposite party will also be absent, essentially nullifying the effect of the absence) is allowed. "Three-line whips" are reserved for the most important matters; MPs must attend and vote with their party, and no form of pairing is allowed. Disregarding a "three-line whip," even by failing to attend the session, is a serious matter and may result in "withdrawal of the whip", which is a form of expulsion from the party.
The U.S. House of Representatives has a Majority WhipThe Majority Whip is an elected member of the U. House of Representatives who assists the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader to coordinate ideas on and garner support for proposed legislation. This position, unlike Speaker of the House, was not as well as a Minority WhipThe Minority Whip is a member of the minority party in the U. House of Representatives who assists the Minority Leader in coordinating the party caucus in its responses to legislation and other matters. See also: Whip, Majority Whip of the United States H.
The U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the United States Congress, smaller than the U. House of Representatives. Together, they compose the legislative branch of the United States government. Seal of the Senate Each state elects two senators throu also has Majority and Minority Whips, which are the second-ranking leadership position in the Senate, after the Senate Majority LeaderThe Senate Majority Leader is a member of the United States Senate who is elected by his or her party conference to serve as the chief Senate spokesman for his or her party and to manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate. and Minority LeaderThe Senate Minority Leader is a member of the United States Senate who is elected by his or her party conference to serve as the chief Senate spokesmen for his or her party and to manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate..