How many representatives are there in the house of representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives

E Pluribus Unum in Action

The United States is a large, fractured, diverse and yet still unified nation, and few government bodies reflect the paradox that is this country better than the House of Representatives.

Key Takeaways: U.S. House of Representatives

Metrics of the House

The House is the lower of the two legislative bodies in the U.S. government. It has 435 members, with the number of representatives per state dependent upon that state’s population. House members serve two-year terms. Rather than represent their entire state, as Senate members do, they represent a specific district. This tends to give House members a closer link to their constituents—and more accountability, since they have but two years to satisfy voters before having to run for reelection.

Also referred to as a congressman or congresswoman, a representative’s primary duties include introducing bills and resolutions, offering amendments and serving on committees.

Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, all sprawling but sparsely populated states, have just one representative each in the House; tiny states like Delaware and Vermont also send just one representative to the House. By contrast, California sends 53 representatives; Texas sends 32; New York sends 29, and Florida sends 25 representatives to Capitol Hill. The number of representatives each state is allotted is determined every 10 years in accordance with the federal census. Although the number has changed periodically through the years, the House has remained at 435 members since 1913, with shifts in representation occurring among different states.

The system of House representation based on district population was part of the Great Compromise of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which led to the Permanent Seat of Government Act establishing the nation’s federal capital in Washington, DC. The House assembled for the first time in New York in 1789, moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington, DC, in 1800.

The Powers of the House

While the Senate’s more exclusive membership may make it seem the more powerful of the two chambers of Congress, the House is charged with a vital task: the power to raise revenue through taxes.

The Power of the Purse

The Constitution grants Congress— and the House of Representatives in particular—the “power of the purse,” the power to tax the people and spend public money to fund the operations of the national government. In the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Massachusetts’ delegate Elbridge Gerry said that the House of Representatives “was more immediately the representatives of the people, and it was a maxim that the people ought to hold the purse-strings.”

In giving the House the power to tax and spend, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were, as they often were, heavily influenced by British history and custom. In the British Parliament, the House of Commons—the equivalent of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress—has the exclusive right to create taxes and spend that revenue, which is considered the ultimate check on royal authority. Indeed, the American colonists’ revolutionary cry of “No taxation without representation!” referred to the injustice of London imposing crippling taxes on them without the benefit of a voice in Parliament.

The constitutional provision making Congress the ultimate authority on government spending was approved by the Constitutional Convention with little debate. The framers were unanimous that Congress, as the representatives of the people, should be in control of public funds, not the president or executive branch agencies. Once again, this strongly-held belief was rooted in the framers’ experiences with England, where the king had wide latitude over spending the money once it had been raised.

The House of Representatives also has the power of impeachment, in which a sitting president, vice president or other civil officials such as judges may be removed for «high crimes and misdemeanors,» as enumerated in the Constitution. The House is solely responsible for calling for impeachment. Once it decides to do so, the Senate tries that official to determine whether he or she should be convicted, which means automatic removal from office.

Leading the House

House leadership rests with the speaker of the house, usually a senior member of the majority party. The speaker applies House rules and refers bills to specific House committees for review. The speaker is also third in line to the presidency, after the vice president.

Other leadership positions include the majority and minority leaders who monitor legislative activity on the floor, and the majority and minority whips who ensure that House members vote according to their respective parties’ positions.

The House Committee System

The House is divided into committees in order to tackle the complex and various matters on which it legislates. House committees study bills and hold public hearings, gathering expert testimony and listening to voters. If a committee approves a bill, it then puts it before the entire House for debate.

House committees have changed and evolved over time. Current committees include those on:

In addition, House members may serve on joint committees with Senate members.

The «Raucous» Chamber

Given the shorter terms of House members, their relative proximity to their constituents and their larger numbers, the House is generally the more fractious and partisan of the two chambers. Its proceedings and deliberations, like those of the Senate, are recorded in the Congressional Record, ensuring transparency in the legislative process.

House of Representatives

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Смотреть что такое «House of Representatives» в других словарях:

House of Representatives — house of representatives: the lower house of a legislative body; esp cap H&R: the lower house of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. house of representatives … Law dictionary

House of Representatives — ˌHouse of Repreˈsentatives noun the larger of the two parts of the US Congress or of the parliament of Australia or New Zealand: • The measure requires approval by the Senate before it can go to the House of Representatives. compare Senate … Financial and business terms

House of Representatives — House of Repre sentatives n the House of Representatives the larger of the two parts of the US Congress or of the parliament of Australia or New Zealand →↑Senate … Dictionary of contemporary English

House of Representatives — House of Re|pre|sen|ta|tives* [ rɛpri zɛntətivz] das; <aus engl. House auf Representatives, eigtl. »Haus der Abgeordneten«> das amerikan. ↑Repräsentantenhaus … Das große Fremdwörterbuch

House of Representatives — ► NOUN ▪ the lower house of the US Congress … English terms dictionary

House of Representatives — ☆ House of Representatives n. the lower house of the legislature of the U.S., certain other countries, and most of the states of the U.S … English World dictionary

House of Representatives — Part of the Politics series Politics List of political topics Politics by country … Wikipedia

House of Representatives — noun the lower legislative house of the United States Congress (Freq. 5) • Syn: ↑United States House of Representatives, ↑U.S. House of Representatives, ↑US House of Representatives, ↑U.S. House, ↑US House • Hypernyms: ↑ … Useful english dictionary

House of Representatives — N PROPER: the N The House of Representatives is the less powerful of the two parts of Congress in the United States, or the equivalent part of the system of government in some other countries. The House of Representatives approved a new budget… … English dictionary

House of Representatives — The House of Representatives of Congress comprises 435 representatives. The number representing each State is determined by population but every State is entitled to at least one representative. Members are elected by the people by district for 2 … Black’s law dictionary

House of Representatives — The House of Representatives of Congress comprises 435 representatives. The number representing each State is determined by population but every State is entitled to at least one representative. Members are elected by the people by district for 2 … Black’s law dictionary

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15 House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs

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18 House of Representatives subcommittee on Sea-power and Strategic Materials

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См. также в других словарях:

House of Representatives — house of representatives: the lower house of a legislative body; esp cap H&R: the lower house of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. house of representatives … Law dictionary

House of Representatives — ˌHouse of Repreˈsentatives noun the larger of the two parts of the US Congress or of the parliament of Australia or New Zealand: • The measure requires approval by the Senate before it can go to the House of Representatives. compare Senate … Financial and business terms

House of Representatives — House of Repre sentatives n the House of Representatives the larger of the two parts of the US Congress or of the parliament of Australia or New Zealand →↑Senate … Dictionary of contemporary English

House of Representatives — House of Re|pre|sen|ta|tives* [ rɛpri zɛntətivz] das; <aus engl. House auf Representatives, eigtl. »Haus der Abgeordneten«> das amerikan. ↑Repräsentantenhaus … Das große Fremdwörterbuch

House of Representatives — ► NOUN ▪ the lower house of the US Congress … English terms dictionary

House of Representatives — ☆ House of Representatives n. the lower house of the legislature of the U.S., certain other countries, and most of the states of the U.S … English World dictionary

House of Representatives — Part of the Politics series Politics List of political topics Politics by country … Wikipedia

House of Representatives — noun the lower legislative house of the United States Congress (Freq. 5) • Syn: ↑United States House of Representatives, ↑U.S. House of Representatives, ↑US House of Representatives, ↑U.S. House, ↑US House • Hypernyms: ↑ … Useful english dictionary

House of Representatives — N PROPER: the N The House of Representatives is the less powerful of the two parts of Congress in the United States, or the equivalent part of the system of government in some other countries. The House of Representatives approved a new budget… … English dictionary

House of Representatives — The House of Representatives of Congress comprises 435 representatives. The number representing each State is determined by population but every State is entitled to at least one representative. Members are elected by the people by district for 2 … Black’s law dictionary

House of Representatives — The House of Representatives of Congress comprises 435 representatives. The number representing each State is determined by population but every State is entitled to at least one representative. Members are elected by the people by district for 2 … Black’s law dictionary

U.S. House of Representatives

Table of Contents

Introduction

View the Executive Summary for this brief.

Why it Matters

America benefits from a judicial branch positioned to halt executive branch overreach. The President of the United States cannot stay in power indefinitely and is unable to force the U.S. Congress to pass laws. From the very beginning, and still to today, the American people have access to and influence over their elected representatives.

The House of Representatives most directly reflects the desires of the American public due to the ratio of American citizens to U.S. Representatives and the constant election cycle every two years. Much of the deadlock of the U.S. government that we witness today reflects a divided American people.

What is the Legislative Branch?

CrashCourse U.S. Government and Politics, produced in collaboration with PBS, explains the Bicameral Congress (9 min):

Of all federal government institutions, the House of Representatives is designed to be closest to American voters, most closely reflecting the individual cares and concerns of American taxpayers. In fact, the House is the only institution that has been directly elected by American voters since its formation in 1789.

Size and Structure of the House

In addition to the 435 representatives from the states, there is a Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and Delegates from Washington D.C., American Samoa, Guam, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. The Resident Commissioner and Delegates are able to serve and vote on committees, but do not have the same full voting rights as the 435 state representatives.

The Role of the Census

Specifically, seats in the House “ are apportioned based on state population according to the constitutionally mandated Census.” The Census, which occurs every ten years and is overseen by the Bureau of the Census, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Tying representation to Census data allows the number of each state’s representatives to increase or decrease along with fluctuations in state population. The Census data is then used to determine congressional districts, areas in the state from which representatives are elected to the House. This process is called redistricting. For more on redistricting and the Census, see The Policy Circle’s Decennial Census Brief.

Elections

The Life of a Representative

When in their home district, they reported spending time as follows:

Compensation

What does the House of Representatives do?

Responsibilities of the House

Finally, during a presidential election, the House of Representatives steps in if no candidate receives a majority of the total electoral votes. Each state delegation has one vote to choose the President from among the top three candidates with the largest number of electoral votes.

Leadership in the House

After each election, the political party that wins the most representatives is designated the “ Majority .” The other party is the “ Minority. ” The majority party holds key leadership positions, such as Speaker of the House. The same party can have the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or the chambers can be split. Third parties rarely have enough members to elect their own leadership, so independents generally join one of the larger party organizations to receive committee assignments.

The House is run by majority rule. When a majority of members vote to do something in the House, it gets done. Majority rule makes passing legislation relatively efficient, and that means that the party in the minority has less power to set the agenda or pass its proposals. This contrasts with the Senate, where a single senator – in the majority or the minority – can generally force a vote or stop a bill in its tracks.

House Leadership includes the Speaker of the House, Majority and Minority Leaders, and Majority and Minority Whips.

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House, and is elected by the members of the House. The Speaker administers the Oath of Office to House members, chairs certain committees or nominates committee chairs (namely the chairs of the House Administration Committee and the Rules Committee ), and appoints members of various committees and House staff. After the Vice President, the Speaker is second in line to succeed the Vice President.

Majority and Minority Leaders represent their respective parties on the House floor. Each is elected by his or her respective party. The majority leader is second to the Speaker and schedules legislative business, planning legislative agendas rather than serving on committees. The minority leader serves as the minority party’s spokesperson, essentially the minority party’s counterpart to the Speaker. He or she also chairs the minority party’s committee assignment panel.

Majority and Minority Whips serve as middlemen to between their party leaders and members. They “maintain communication between the leadership of the party and its members, marshal support for party positions on the floor, count votes on key legislation, and persuade wavering Members to vote for the party position.”

The Speaker of the House is elected by the entire House of Representatives, while the Republican Conference and Democratic Caucus elect the other leadership positions. The Republican Conference is the formal organization of Republican Members in the House, and the Democratic Caucus is that of the Democratic Members.

See current House Leadership positions here.

The Role of Committees

Committees “ are permanent panels governed by House chamber rules, with responsibility to consider bills and issues and to have general oversight relating to their areas of jurisdiction.” Committees have different legislative jurisdictions, but each considers, shapes, and passes laws related to its jurisdiction, and monitors agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdiction. Each committee has a chair that leads the full committee, and a ranking member who leads the minority members of the committee. Committee assignment directly affects a representative’s work in Congress. After a Congressional election, political parties assign newly elected representatives to standing committees

Crash Course U.S. Government & Politics explains what Congressional committees do (8 min):

Some of the most well-known committees include:

Legislation in the House

Drafting Legislation

Working with House parliamentarians — lawyers and clerks who provide nonpartisan guidance on rules and procedures — and other Congressional staff on Capitol Hill, the Congressional representative’s staff drafts the bill. The parliamentarians have specific expertise; they work closely with staff in a non-partisan manner to draft the specific language of the bill. Staff works to build sponsors and cosponsors before the bill is introduced.

Introducing a Bill

Any Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner can introduce a bill when the house is in session by “ placing it in the ‘hopper, ’” a box on the House Clerk’s desk in the Capitol building. The Member who introduces the bill is known as the primary sponsor. The bill is then formally assigned a number by the Clerk. A bill originating in the House will start with “H.R.” (for the House of Representatives, as opposed to “S.” for the Senate). The Speaker’s office then assigns that bill to its committee(s) of jurisdiction, which then assigns the bill to a subcommittee(s).

Committee Process

To get to the full House, the committee staff writes a report describing the purpose of the bill, why the bill is recommended, and an analysis of each part of the bill and how the bill may affect existing law. A full committee mark-up and the decision of what legislation makes it to the House floor is tightly controlled by the Committee Chairman’s office and leadership. When the legislation is reported favorably out of the full committee it awaits a decision by leadership to schedule time for it to be debated on the House floor. This decision is a negotiation based on priorities of the committee and of leadership.

Committee on Rules

Once leadership has decided that a specific piece of legislation will receive floor time, the House Majority Leader alerts the committee of jurisdiction that the bill will be considered on the House Floor, and this kicks off the Rules Committee process.

Floor Debate

See The Policy Circle’s Senate Brief to see how the process continues.

Additional Resources

Ways to Get Involved/What You Can Do

Measure & Identify : Who are the influencers in your state, county, or community? Learn about their priorities and consider how to contact them

Reach out: You are a catalyst. Finding a common cause is a great opportunity to develop relationships with people who may be outside of your immediate network. All it takes is a small team of two or three people to set a path for real improvement. The Policy Circle is your platform to convene with experts you want to hear from.

Execute: Give it your best shot. You can:

Suggestions for your Next Conversation

Explore the Series

This brief is part of a series of recommended conversations designed for circle’s wishing to pursue a specific focus for the year. Each series recommends «5» briefs to provide a year of conversations.

House of Representatives

This fact sheet explores the House of Representatives, which is part of the Australian Parliament. It includes information about the role, appearance and history of the House.

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The House of Representatives.

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Role of the House of Representatives.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

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House of Representatives current numbers

DPS AUSPIC/Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

The House of Representatives is a part of the Australian Parliament which also consists of the Queen (represented by the Governor-General) and the Senate. The House is also known as the lower house. Members of the House are elected by the people of Australia.

The House is made up of 151 members. Each member represents one of Australia’s 151 electorates. There is approximately the same number of voters in each electorate.

The Australian Government is formed in the House by the party, or coalition of parties, with the support of the majority of members in the House.

Appearance

The House is green. The tradition of a green lower house comes from the House of Commons in the British Parliament. The grey-green tones used in the House are softer shades, typical of the Australian landscape.

The seats in the House are arranged in rows to form a U-shape. The Speaker of the House of Representatives sits at the open end of the U-shape and is responsible for the orderly running of the House. Government members sit to the right of the Speaker and opposition members sit to the left. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition sit in front of their respective teams at a central table. Minor parties and independents sit in the central curved part of the U-shape.

The House of Representatives has 4 raised viewing galleries. One is directly above the Speaker and is reserved for the press gallery. The other galleries on either side of the House are open to the public. Members of the press gallery and the public may visit at any time.

Federation Chamber

The Federation Chamber is a second meeting place for the House of Representatives. It can operate at the same time as the House. All members of the House are members of the Federation Chamber. It has a similar layout to the House, with U-shaped seating for members as well as seating for the media, public and advisors.

The chamber was set up in 1994 as the Main Committee, and renamed the Federation Chamber in February 2012. It was established to streamline the House’s busy schedule and to increase the time available for conducting non-controversial business. Despite its original name, the Federation Chamber does not hold committee meetings. Its work includes:

The rules used in the Federation Chamber are almost identical to those used in the House, although divisions are not held in the Federation Chamber. If a decision requires a division it must be referred back to the House. All decisions made in the Federation Chamber are reported to the House of Representatives before moving to the next stage. When a division is called in the House of Representatives, activities in the Federation Chamber are suspended so that members can go to the House to vote.

Federation Chamber meetings are chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House or members of the Speaker’s panel. The Federation Chamber can function with a quorum – minimum number – of only 3 members, including the chair.

Reporting

Parliamentary proceedings are recorded and broadcast on ABC TV and radio, A-PAC (Australian Public Affairs Channel) and on the Parliament House website. Hansard reporters produce a daily record of what is said in the House of Representatives and Federation Chamber.

History

The physical appearance of the House of Representatives and some of its practices are derived from the British Parliament. However, the drafters of the Australian Constitution also looked to the United States (US) Congress when deciding on the form of the Australian Parliament. For example, the names ‘House of Representatives’ and ‘Senate’ were borrowed from the US system.

Although the House of Representatives has links with both the British Parliament and the US Congress, it has developed its own unique style and procedures over the last century.

The House of Representatives.

Description

This image is of a large room with green furnishings. The seats are arranged around a large central table. There is a large chair at the open end of the U-shaped seats that is elevated above the other chairs. There are people sitting in the seats and papers on the desks.

Copyright information

Permission should be sought from DPS AUSPIC for third-party or commercial uses of this image. To contact DPS AUSPIC email: auspic@aph.gov.au or phone: 02 6277 3342.

Role of the House of Representatives.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Description

This diagram illustrates the role of the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives: is where government is formed; decides matters of national interest; represents the interests of people in their electorates; proposes, debates and votes of bills and amendments; examines issues in committees; and scrutinises executive government.

Copyright information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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Attribution – you must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

Non-commercial – you may not use this work for commercial purposes.

No derivative works – you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

Waiver – any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.

House of Representatives current numbers.

DPS AUSPIC/Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Copyright information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

You are free to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work.

Attribution – you must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

Non-commercial – you may not use this work for commercial purposes.

No derivative works – you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

Waiver – any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.