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American Congress

United States Congress
115th United States Congress
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Houses Senate
House of Representatives
History
Founded March 4, 1789
(228 years ago)
 (1789-03-04)
Preceded by Congress of the Confederation
New session started
January 3, 2017
Leadership
Orrin Hatch (R)
Since January 6, 2015
Structure
Seats

535 voting members

  • 100 senators
  • 435 representatives
6 non-voting members
United States House of Representatives 2017.svg
House of Representatives political groups
115th United States Senate.svg
Senate political groups
Elections
House of Representatives last election
November 8, 2016
Senate last election
November 8, 2016
Meeting place
United States Capitol west front edit2.jpg
United States Capitol
Washington, D.C., United States
Website
www.congress.gov

535 voting members

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States consisting of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a gubernatorial appointment. Members are usually affiliated to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party, and only rarely to a third party or as independents. Congress has 535 voting members: 435 Representatives and 100 Senators. The House of Representatives has six non-voting members in addition to its 435 voting members. These members can, however, sit on congressional committees and introduce legislation. These members represent Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms representing the people of a single constituency, known as a "district". Congressional districts are apportioned to states by population using the United States Census results, provided that each state has at least one congressional representative. Each state, regardless of population or size, has two senators. Currently, there are 100 senators representing the 50 states. Each senator is elected at-large in their state for a six-year term, with terms staggered, so every two years approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election.


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Wikipedia

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