The House of Representatives Unit 4, Ch. 5.3: The House of Representatives

Membership in the House: The Framers intended the House to be mostly closely in touch with the people. This is why the Constitution has always called for it’s members to be chose by popular vote. Qualifications: Must be at least 25 years old. Be a U.S. resident for at least 7 years. Be a resident of the state they represent. They can be expelled, but it requires a 2/3rds majority vote (only 5 times).

Informal Qualifications: The most important informal qualification for anyone wanting to become a member of the House is the ability to appeal to voters in his or her district. This differs greatly. People with military backgrounds are sometimes popular, famous actors or athletes have had success, but the ability to raise money is the most vital.

Reapportionment and Redistricting: There are 435 members of the House, they represent more than 300 million Americans, an average of 710,000 people per representative. Some members represent more, and some less. Each state must have at least one representative regardless of population. The Constitution requires that every 10 years, the House must undergo reappointment, in which seats are redistributed among the states based on the results of the census. States that gain population gain seats, states that lose population lose seats.

Gerrymandering: The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to reapportion seats among the states. It leaves redistricting, the job of creating district boundaries within the states, however, to state governments. Not surprisingly, the party in power in each states tends to draw the boundaries to its own political advantage to give their party the best chance to win as many elections as possible. This is known as Gerrymandering.

One person, One vote: For much of U.S. history, the Supreme Court ignored gerrymandering. In the last 50 years, a series of court cases has placed restrictions on the practice. The 1964 case of Wesberry v. Sanders said that Georgia was drawing lines based on racial neighborhoods and said that was unconstitutional. Despite cases like this, gerrymandering is alive and well and continues.

Leadership in the House: The Speaker of the House is the most powerful member and presiding officer of the House, and he or she is elected by members of the House from the majority party. The Speaker presides over debates and recognizes (gives authority to speak) other speakers on the House floor. The speaker also rules on points of order, assigns bills to committees, and determines when a measure comes up for debate. The Speaker is also 2nd in line of succession after the VP.

Other Leadership Posts: Each party also elects a floor leader to help manage the actions and strategy of the party in the House. The floor leader of the majority party is known as the majority leader, and serves as assistant to the Speaker. The floor leader of the minority party is known as the minority leader. Minority leaders try to keep their parties united behind common positions, to bargain with the majority. The two parties also elect whips, their job is to encourage fellow party members to vote with leadership. In addition, each party has upwards of 100 assistant whips reporting to the whip.

House Rules: The Constitution allows the House to make whatever rules it considers necessary to carry out its business. The House can judge its own members’ behavior and expel them if necessary. They can also vote to issue a reprimand, or a censure if stronger statements is needed. The House has a Rules Committee, which sets rules for debating bills.

The Role of Committees: The House has a system of committees and subcommittees to concentrate on areas of public policy. Standing Committees are permanent committees to address the major areas in which proposed laws fall, such as agriculture, the budget, and the armed forces. They also have select committees to carry out specific tasks not already covered, such as for investigations. The House and Senate sometimes form joint committees to address broad issues that affect both chambers like taxation.

Committee Chairs and membership: Each committee is headed by a chair, and they have great power. Chairs have been chosen by the majority party. In the past it went to the most senior member of the committee, but in the 70’s Congress began holding elections for the chairs. Membership can be requested, and members may seek posts because it’s important to their constituents or because it is politically powerful. Sometimes people have to campaign among colleagues for a spot. In general, House members can serve on up to 2 standing committees and 4 subcommittees, with a few exceptions.