organization of congress

ORGANIZATION OF CONGRESSChapter Five

CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPChapter Five, Section I

Congress

• Bi-Cameral Legislature• House & Senate

• Terms• January 3rd of odd

years• Two year terms• Term broken into two

sessions (one year each)

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMembership of the House

Membership of the House• Qualifications

• 25 years old• Citizens of the U.S. for at least 7 years• Legal resident of the state that elects them

• Term of Office• Two years

Membership of the House• Representation & Reapportionment

• Based on census taken every 10 years• Population of each state determines the amount of representatives

each state is entitled (reapportionment)• House was limited to 435 members in 1929

• This means we have a constantly declining representation• Why?

• 114th Congress

Membership of the House• Redistricting

• One representative for one district

• State legislatures set up boundary lines for each district (redistricting)• League of Latin American V

oters v. Perry• Gerrymandering

• Video

Membership of the House

THE SENATEMembership of the Senate

Membership of the Senate• Qualifications

• Must be at least 30 years old• Citizen for at least 9 years• Legal resident of the state you

represent• Elections are state-wide

Membership of the Senate• Term of Office

• Elections are November of even numbered years (like House)

• Senators serve 6 year terms• One-third of Senators run for

re-election every two years• Appointments or special

elections for vacated seats

Membership of the Senate• Salary & Benefits

• $174,000 per year• 27th amendment limits congress’ ability to vote itself pay raises• Franking privilege (all postage for official business)• Medical clinic• Gymnasium• Allowances for:

• staff and assistants• Trips home• Telephones, telegrams, newsletters• Tax deduction to maintain two homes• Pension that can top out at $150,000 per year FOR LIFE

Membership of the Senate• Privilege of Members

• Free from arrest! (except for treason, felonies, or breach of peace)• Free from lawsuits! (while speaking on the floor)• Exclusion – refusal to seat a member (majority vote)• Punish members (majority vote)• Expel members (two-thirds vote)• Censure – vote of formal disapproval of a members actions

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS114th Congress

Members of Congress• 535 voting members

• 100 senators• 435 representatives

• Also one from DC, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands, plus one resident commissioner from Puerto Rico who cannot vote

• Most diverse congress ever

Members of Congress• Demographics of the 114th Congress:• http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43869.pdf

Members of Congress• Success of Incumbents:

• Between 1945 and 1990 – 90% were reelected• Easier time raising money• Gerrymandering• Name recognition• Working with many people• Belief that incumbents

represent voters views

Representative Pat Meehan• Constituent Services

• Visit’s to Washington• Help with a Federal

Agency• Flag Request• Academy Nominations• Internships• Passports and Visas

• WEBSITE

Constituent Services• First and foremost, members of Congress represent their constituents, the residents of their

district or state who vote them into office. Senators and representatives assist constituents who have problems with Social Security payments, Medicare, veterans' pensions, or with other federal programs and agencies. Constituent needs vary widely, depending on whether a member represents a farming district or a densely populated city and depending on the social, cultural, and political leanings of the people in that district or state. Members cast their votes on national issues with an eye to how the legislation will affect their own constituents.Constituent services offer members much visibility in their district or state. “I sent all graduating high-school seniors in the Sixth District a certificate to mark their commencement,” Bob Dole (Republican-Kansas) recalled of his service in the House. “No bride walked down the aisle without a copy of The Congressional Cookbook.I once mistakenly extended congratulations on the birth of a baby to a couple observing their golden wedding anniversary.”Members of Congress now maintain offices in their home state as well as in Washington. Recesses of Congress are called “district work periods.” Members return home as often as possible to gauge their constituents’ opinions on national issues and to determine their needs. They employ caseworkers to handle mail and telephone requests from constituents. “Some members devote nearly all of their personal energies to such matters and little or none of their time to legislation beyond answering roll calls,” Representative Richard Bolling (Democrat-Missouri) observed. But members of Congress can also use their staff to attend to their constituents, freeing them to devote more of their time to legislation.

House LeadershipSpeaker of the House

John Boehner (R) OhioMinority Leader

Nancy Pelosi (D) California

House LeadershipMajority Leader

Kevin McCarthy (R) CaliforniaDemocratic House Whip

Steny Hoyer (D) Maryland

Senate LeadershipMinority Leader

Harry Reid (D) NevadaMajority Leader

Mitch McConnell (R) Kentucky

Senate LeadershipPresident Pro Tempore

Orin Hatch (R) UtahPresident of the Senate

Joe Biden (VP of the U.S.)