“All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.” (U.S. Constitution, 1787)
Although the first Congress in 1789 consisted of 20 senators and 59 representatives, today there are 100 senators—2 from each state—and 435 representatives. The number of representatives from each state is determined by the population of the state. There is a resident commissioner from Puerto Rico, who is elected for a 4-year term, and delegates from American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, who are elected for two-year terms.
A representative must reside in the state from which he or she is elected, be at least 25 years old, and have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years. A senator must reside in the state from which he or she is elected, be at least 30 years old, and have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years.
The Senate and the House have equal responsibility for declaring war, maintaining the armed forces, assessing taxes, borrowing money, minting currency, regulating commerce, and making all laws necessary for the operation of the government. The Senate holds exclusive authority to advise and consent on treaties and nominations. In cases of impeachment, the House votes to impeach and the Senate conducts the impeachment trial.
GPO. History of the House of Representatives.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. GPO, 1994.
United States House of Representatives. “Historical Facts-Historical Highlights-Office of the Clerk,” www.clerkweb.house.gov/histrecs/househis/index.htm
United States Senate. “Learning about the Senate,” www.senate.gov/learning
