Congress – Chapter 10 Notes American Government

Congress The United States Congress is bi-cameral – divided into two houses – the House of Representatives and the Senate Each State has 2 members in the Senate, for a total of 100 Senators In the House of Representatives, representation is based on population. There are 435 total members in the House. Congress meets for two year terms, which are divided into one year sessions

Terms of Congress Each term of Congress lasts two years, and each term is numbered consecutively. The start of a new term is at noon on the third day of January of every odd-numbered year – we are now in the 115th term of Congress. A session is the period of time each year where Congress assembles and conducts business Until WWII, a typical session lasted 4 to 5 months, but now it meets almost year-round.

Special Sessions Only the President may call Congress into a special session. A special session is called to deal with emergencies. The House and Senate may be called into a special session jointly, or the President may choose to just call one or the other into a special session. Since Congress now meets almost year-round, it is not as likely to be called into a special session – Senators and House members are already in Washington D.C.

House of representatives The House of Representatives has 435 members – this number is decided upon by Congress (not the Constitution). The number of representatives apportioned to each state is based on the state’s population, and this may change every 10 years after the census is completed. Each state is guaranteed at least one House member. A term for each House member is 2 years (so they must run for election or re-election every 2 years)

House of Representatives Formal Qualifications to run for the House of Representatives: Must be at least 25 years of age Must have been a citizen of the U.S. for at least 7 years, and Must live in the state from which he or she is elected Informal Qualifications: live in the district that he or she is representing, party identification, political experience, gender, name familiarity

Senate There are 100 members in the Senate – 2 for each of the 50 states Senators serve 6-year terms. There are no limits to how long a Senator or House member may serve. Only 1/3 of them run every 2 years – elections are staggered so that all 100 Senators are not running for election at the same time. Senators are deemed to be more prestigious than a House of Representatives member.

Senate Formal Qualifications to be a Senator: Must be 30 years old to run for the Senate Must have been a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years Must live in the state from which he or she is elected.

Characteristics of a ‘typical’ house member or senator Average age is mid-50s Most have a law background Nearly all went to college Most are born in the states that they represent The majority are Protestants, but about 25% are Catholic and 8% are Jewish Most have had some other political experience

The job & Pay Senators and House members are paid an annual salary of $174,000 Members of Congress play 5 major roles: Legislators Representatives of their constituents Committee members Servants of their constituents Politicians

Pay The Speaker of the House has an annual salary of $223,500 Each member also has a travel allowance to offset costs from Washington DC back to their home and constituents.