How is Congress Organized?
1. Length of Sessions: Congress starts working on January 3rd until December
or January and each session last for 2 years. Each “new” session is given a
number. Last year, we started the 111th Congress.
__________________________________________________________________
House of Representatives = 435 Members
Senate = 100 Members
*Length of Service 2 years
*Length of Service is 6 years
*Number of members chosen by
state population (the more people
in that state, the more reps they have)
*Each state has an equal
number, with 2 Senators for
each state
*Speaker of the House = Leader of the House
( Nancy Pelosi -D is the current speaker)
*President Pro Tempore =
Leader of the Senate
(Daniel Inouye– D is the current
president)
In Both the House & the Senate
Majority Party: the party where more than half of the members belong
Minority Party: the party that has less than half of the members
*The current majority party in both houses is Democratic Party
Types of Committees
Standing Committee: a permanent committee that continues from session to
session (i.e. Senate Armed Services Committee)
Select Committee: a committee created for a limited period
Joint Committee: a committee which has members from both the Senate and the
House (i.e. Joint Economic Committee)
Conference Committee: a temporary committee which helps the House and Senate
agree on the details of a bill.
**Committee Leaders are known as committee chairpersons.