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US Government

House of Representatives

Part of the Congress

The House of Representatives is one of the chambers of Congress that comprises the Legislative Branch of the United States government. The other chamber is the Senate. Having two chambers of Congress is called a "bicameral" legislature. The House of Representatives is sometimes just referred to as "the House" or the "lower" chamber of Congress.

State of the Union Address
by Lawrence Jackson

How many Representatives are there?

There are currently 435 representatives in the House. In the very first Congress there were only 65 representatives. The total number grew over time as new states joined the country and the population grew. However, in 1911, the Congress decided that the House was getting too big. They passed a law limiting the total number of representatives to 435.

The number of representatives from each state is determined by the population of the state. The more people that live in the state, the more representatives that state has. Every state has at least one representative no matter how small it is.

How long can someone be a Representative?

Representatives are elected to a new term every two years. In order to remain a representative, a person must get re-elected each time. However, there are no term limits, so a person can be a representative for as long as they continue to get elected.

Who can become a Representative?

The requirements for being a Representative are described in Article I of the Constitution:

1) they must be at least twenty-five years old
2) they must have been a U.S. citizen for the past seven years
3) they must live in the state they represent

Where does the House of Representatives meet?

The House of Representatives meets in the House Chamber located in the south wing of the U.S. Capitol Building. The members sit in a number of chairs that form a semicircle. At the center of the semicircle is the rostrum where the leaders of the House sit. There is an upper level called the gallery where people can observe the House (see the picture above).

House of Representatives Leadership

Speaker - The Speaker of the House is the leader. The Speaker is elected from the members of the majority party (today this is either the Republicans or Democrats). The Speaker sets the order of business in the House, moderates debates, and determines who sits on what committee.
Majority Leader - The Majority Leader is the head of the majority party.
Minority Leader - The Minority Leader is the head of the minority party.
Whips - Each party also elects a "whip" who works as the assistant to the party leader. The job of the whip is to rally the members of the party to vote for or against legislation.

Special House of Representatives Powers

The main job of the House of Representatives is to vote on new laws along with the Senate. There are a few powers, however, that are unique to the House:

All tax bills and spending bills must start in the House.
Only the House can impeach certain high ranking federal officials such as the President or a Supreme Court Justice.
The House decides who will be president if no one wins a majority of votes from the Electoral College.

Interesting Facts about the House of Representatives

The Speaker of the House is second in line to becoming the President of the United States after the Vice President.
The first woman member of Congress was Jeannette Rankin who was elected from Montana in 1916.
The first African-American member of Congress was Joseph H. Rainey who was elected from South Carolina in 1870.
James K. Polk was the only Speaker of the House who later became President.
The longest serving member of the House was John Dingell from Michigan who served for 59 years.

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