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Statistics Congressional Information
Guide to Government Publications Series
Congress and Its Structure
Article I, Section I of the US
Constitution states
that all legislative powers are granted to a congress of the United
States consisting
of a Senate and a House
of Representatives
A congress lasts two years and begins in January of the odd numbered year (first
session) and ends in the even numbered year (second session).
The Constitution
requires that it assemble once a year but may be called into special session
by the president.
The 1st Congress met in 1789, and the 109th Congress opened
in January 2005 and will close in 2006. Sessions and dates are available from
the Clerk of the House
and the Senate’s Years of Congress 1789 through 2006
The present congress (109th) is composed of 100 Senate members (two from each
state) elected for a term of 6 years each and 435 House members (number from
each state based on the state population) elected for 2 years each
.
The vice president serves as the presiding officer of the Senate, and the House
elects its speaker from its membership. A list
of past speakers is available
from the Clerk of the House
The chief administrative officers are non-members elected by the two bodies.
The most important are the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk
of the House.
There
are
also majority
and minorities leaders in the House and Senate.
The work of the congress is conducted by boards, commissions and committees.
The Senate web and the House
web include the current information on congress.
The Official congressional
directory (1870 to date) includes information on members, committees, and committee
memberships
and is issued for each session in print and electronic formats
.
Last modified:
June 17, 2008
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