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Congress is made up of two very different houses—the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Senators enjoy six-year terms of office and represent their entire state,.

Representatives have two-year terms and are elected from districts.

The House of Representatives set rules to limit debate and promote majority rule.

The Senate set rules that gave more power to the minority.

Congress’s division into two houses has resulted in conflict because they often approach issues very differently.

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Each term of Congress begins on January 3 in years ending in an odd number and lasts for two years.

Each congressional term is two sessions.

A session lasts one year and includes breaks for holidays and vacations.

Congress remains in session until its members vote to adjourn.

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Must be at least 25 years old, be citizens of the United States for at least seven years, and be legal residents of the state that elects them.

Elected for two-year terms.

Elections are held in November of even-numbered years.

If a representative dies or resigns in the first session of Congress, the state must hold a special election to fill that vacancy.

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The Census Bureau takes a national census, or population count, every 10 years.

Each state’s population determines the number of representatives it will have for the next 10 years.

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After the states find out their new representation, each state legislature draws the boundaries for the congressional districts.

Redistricting is the process of setting up new district lines after reapportionment has been completed.

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If one party is dominant in the state legislature, it often tries to draw boundaries to ensure victory in future elections.

Packing a district means drawing the lines so they include as many of the opposing party’s voters as possible.

Cracking means dividing an opponent’s voters into other districts to weaken the opponent’s voter base.

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Senators must be at least 30 years old, citizens of the United States for nine years before election, and legal residents of the state they represent.

Only one-third of the senators run for reelection every two years.

If a senator dies or resigns before the end of his or her term, the state legislature can authorize the governor to appoint a person to fill the vacancy.

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The Senate and the House set their own salaries.

Over the years, Congress has voted itself periodic salary increases.

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Members cannot be sued for anything they say on the floor.

Both the Senate and the House may judge the qualifications of new members and decide whether to seat them.

Each house may refuse to seat an elected member by a majority vote if the member-elect fails to meet the constitutional requirements of age, residence, or citizenship.

Each house may punish its own members for disorderly behavior by a majority vote and expel a legislator by a two-thirds vote.

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The House and Senate each print their rules every two years.

House rules are aimed at defining the actions an individual representative can take.

Rules in the House are geared toward moving legislation quickly once it reaches the floor.

Leaders of the House of Representatives have more power than leaders in the Senate.

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The committees of Congress perform most legislative activity.

Committee work is even more important in the House than in the Senate.

Since members of the house represent districts, they serve on committees that are important to their constituents.

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In both the House and Senate, the Republicans and Democrats sit on opposite sides from each other.

In each house, the majority party has the power to select the leaders of that body, to control the flow of legislative work, and to appoint the chairs of all the committees.

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The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer and its most powerful leader.

A closed meeting of the majority party chooses the Speaker of the House at the start of each session of Congress.

The Speaker can influence proceedings by deciding which members to recognize first.

The Speaker also appoints the members of some committees, schedules bills for action, and refers bills to the proper House committee.

The Speaker of the House follows the vice president in the line of succession to the presidency.

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The Speaker’s top assistant

Helps plan the party’s legislative program, steer important bills through the House, and make sure the committees finish work on bills that are important to the party.

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How House Bills Move Through Committees to a Vote

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How House Bills Move Through Committees to a Vote

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All laws start as bills and stays a bill  until both houses of Congress pass it and the president signs it.

To introduce a bill in the House, representatives drop it into the hopper.

After a bill is introduced, the Speaker of the House sends it to the appropriate committee for study, discussion, and review.

Bills that survive the committee process are put on one of the House calendars.

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Called the “traffic officer,” because it helps to direct the flow of major legislation.

The representative who chairs this committee has great influence.

After a committee has considered and approved a major bill, it usually goes to the Rules Committee.

The Rules Committee can move bills ahead quickly, hold them back, or stop them completely.

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As major bills come out of committee, they are entered on the calendar in the order in which they are received.

Bills can be moved up on the calendar upon request.

The Rules Committee can also say how long the bill can be debated and revised.

The Rules Committee also settles disputes among other House committees.

The Rules Committee often delays or blocks bills that representatives and House leaders do not want to come to a vote on the floor.

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The vice president is the Senate’s president but doesn't act the same as the Speaker of the House,

The vice president may recognize members and put questions to a vote, but does not take part in debates.

The vice president may influence members through personal contact.

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The Senate’s most important officers are the majority and minority leaders.

They are elected by party members.

Majority leader steers the party’s bills through the Senate and makes sure members support certain bills.

The minority leader critiques the majority party’s bills and keeps his or her own party united.

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Bills are brought to the floor by unanimous consent.

a motion by all members present to set aside formal rules and consider a bill from the calendar.

A single senator can object to a unanimous consent agreement.

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Important bills need the votes of sixty senators to pass the Senate because of filibusters.

This is any number of actions taken by a senator or group of senators to prevent a bill from coming to a final vote.

Senators can end a filibuster by voting for a cloture resolution.