Term – length of time officials serve after an election

Ex: 2 or 6 year terms The date for the start of each new term

has been set as “noon of the 3rd day of January” every odd-numbered year

Session – regular period of time during which Congress conducts business.

Congress adjourns, or suspends until the next session, each regular session as it sees fit.

Only the President may call Congress into a special session – a meeting to deal with some emergency situation.

• 435 members which is determined by Congress

• Seats in the House are apportioned (distributed) among the States based on population

• Reapportion, redistribute seats every 10 years with a Census

• Serve 2 year terms• unlimited terms

Formal› 25 years old› Been a citizen for the last 7 years› Resident of the state

Informal› Party identification, age, name familiarity,

ethnic characteristics, and political experience

Held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year

Off-year elections – those congressional elections held between presidential elections.

Under single-member districts, voter’s in each district elect one of the State’s representatives.

Districts that have unusual shapes or even defy description have sometimes been gerrymandered.› The act of drawing district lines to the

advantage of the political party that controls the State legislature. Used mostly by State Legislatures.

Set at 2 per state by the Constitution Now chosen by the people, originally

chosen by State legislatures Serve 6 year terms Why serve longer?

› Gives them a greater degree of job security › Less subject to pressures of political opinion› Insulation from hardships faced in day to

day politics.

The Senate is a continuous body, meaning that all of the seats are never up for election at the same time.

Qualifications› 30 years old› Citizen for 9 years› Resident of the state

Party Affiliation› Democrats – 51› Independents – 2› Republicans - 47

Age › Average 63

Ave. length in office › 11 years

Party Affiliation › Democrats 198› Republicans 241› 2 House vacancies

Age› 57

Ave. length in office10 years

Congress 112th Religion

› Most Protestant› 3 Buddhist› 2 Muslims

Women – 91 in Congress Ethnicity

› 44 African-American› 28 Hispanic› 13 Asian Pacific

1. screen proposed laws before they are voted on

2. Oversight Function – process by which Congress checks to see that the Executive branch agencies are working effectively.

3. serve their constituents

The House AND Senate both make $174,000

Speaker of the Houses $223,500 Majority and Minority Party Leaders make

– $193,400 Franking privilege – allowed to mail

letters for free by replacing stamp with facsimile signature

Constitution states that Congress can make own pay; cannot change it in middle of term

Members of Congress are immune from arrest for noncriminal offenses while engaged in congressional business.

Speech and Debate Clause (Art 1) – protects representatives and senators from suits for libel and slander arising from their official conduct.