Contents
The US Congress
Congressional Database
We are currently serving data for the 110th Congress with updated website and contact links.
Search for Members –or– Browse the Directory
The information in our database is as accurate or better than the most recent publication of the Congressional Directory.
About Congress
The Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each body has an equal say in the legislative process. The House and Senate share many common congressional duties:
- Writing and passing federal laws (their primary job).
- Regulating interstate commerce, communication and transportation.
- Regulating the US Mint and the money supply.
- Creating appellate and lower courts.
- Declaring war on foreign countries.
To do all of this, members of congress spend a good deal of time studying a vast array of issues. At the same time, they are also advocates for and educators of the citizens they represent.
US House of Representatives
The House is made up of 435 representatives from the 50 states, four delegates from the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam and the Virgin Islands and one resident commissioner from Puerto Rico. Representatives and delegates are elected for two-year terms and the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico is elected for a four-year term. A state’s number of representatives is proportional to its population as recorded in the most recent census.
In addition to its common congressional duties, the House alone is charged with:
- Starting bills that determine taxation and spending policies.
- Deciding if an official should face impeachment proceedings.
US Senate
The Senate is made up of 100 members—two from each of the 50 states. Senators serve six-year terms. These terms are staggered so that only one third of the seats expire every two years. A state’s senators are referred to as “junior” and “senior” according to their seniority relative to each other.
In addition to the shared congressional duties, the Senate also:
- Approves or denies treaties that the president has negotiated with foreign countries.
- Accepts or rejects presidential appointments to office (e.g. cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, the CIA director, etc.).
- Holds trials of impeachment.
Congressional
Database
We are currently serving data for the 110th Congress with updates for website, email and offices addresses.
Lookup Service
Let users find elected officials without leaving your website.
Add Lookup to your nonprofit website for free. About Lookup
XHTML 1.0 : CSS Retrieved in 0.081 seconds.