Congress

Congress is the name given to the people’s elected representatives sent to Washington DC. It is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives and meets on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. It is the body which creates or repeals laws at a Federal level.

The Senate is made up of two elected representatives from each state plus Washington DC, so it has a membership of 102. The idea is that each state has an equal voice irrespective of its size or population. Senators are elected for four years and may serve for an unlimited number of terms. The US Vice President also serves as President of the Senate, his most important function. Any new law starting in the Senate, called a Bill, then proceeds to the House of Representatives before going to the President and becoming law.

The House of Representatives currently has 436 members from all states and Washington DC. Each state is entitled to at least one House of Representative congressman, but the total number each state has is allocated according to its population. The larger states like California, New York and Texas receive far more members than thinly populated states like Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming. Every ten years the number of members each state is allocated is recalculated to reflect changing populations.

Each state is divided into Congressional districts and each district elects its own member who represents this area for two years. The House of Representatives elects a Speaker who presides over the House, and the speaker usually comes from the party with the largest number of members. The leader of the largest party is called the Majority Leader and the opposition leader is called the Minority Leader. If the President comes from a different party to the House Majority Leader it is a headache in the making as passing legislation becomes a major challenge for both sides.

A Bill starting in the House of Representatives goes to the Senate for approval and then onto the President to become law. If a presidential election does not result in a clear winner, then the House of Representatives decides who shall be President. The House has not had to do this before.

 

Currently the occupants on Capitol Hill make up the nation’s 108th Congress with Houses of Congress dominated by the Republican Party. Other than debating on the House floor, members of Congress can also participate in committees where bills are considered and refined. There are Senate Committees, House Committees and Joint Committees. Members often participate in committees which particularly concern their state, especially if it involves jobs or industries in their state.

Have a look at some of the excellent websites listed below and investigate your Congressman or women. In fact, do you even know who they are? Why not study up on them and find out if they really are worthy of your vote. Don’t allow a few 10 second TV commercials to sway your opinion. Find out about each candidate and see what they are offering and decide for yourself who is best. This is the essence of democracy – selecting the best from a variety of choices. Its not perfect and sometimes terrible representatives are elected but as Winston Churchill said “Democracy is the worst system invented, except for all the rest.”
 

US Senate www.senate.gov	Contacting your Congressman www.visi.com/juan/congress
US House of Representatives www.house.gov	Clerk of the House of Representatives http://clerk.house.gov/
The White House www.whitehouse.gov	The White House, as it was in 1846 http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/