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How is the House of Representatives organized?
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The House of Representatives, one of two chambers in the U.S. Congress, is composed of 435 members elected every two years with no term limits. Representation is based on state population, with each state having at least one representative. The House's primary role is to introduce revenue bills and initiate impeachment proceedings. Members work in committees to refine legislation, and the Speaker of the House, currently Nancy Pelosi, leads the chamber.
The House of Representatives is one of two chambers that comprise the US Congress. The Constitution vests the House with the sole power to introduce bills to raise revenue. The other chamber of the US Congress is the Senate.
The House of Representatives has a total of 435 members; the maximum of 435 was set by law in 1929. Each state has at least one representative, and its total number is proportional to its population. For instance, North Dakota has just one representative while California has the most with fifty-three. Representatives are required to reside in the states they represent. Representatives are also called congressmen or congresswomen. The House's 435 members are elected to two-year terms and there are no term limits. States gain or lose seats based on their populations as measured by the census, which occurs every ten years.
The first session (1789-1791) of the House of Representatives...
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was in New York City. The House had sixty-five members at that time. The Constitution did not spell out all of the specific aspects of this institution, so it was up to this first session to establish precedents.
The House founded its own committees to facilitate its work. The first committee to be established was the Committee on Elections. Today, there are numerous committees working on many issues.
The Speaker of the House is the leader of the chamber. He or she is selected by the party which has the congressional majority. Nancy Pelosi is the current Speaker.
The House of Representatives was originally set up to represent the will of the people of the United States. Unlike the Senate, it's members were always elected directly by the people, reflecting their will and needs. It was furthur crafted to this purpose by forcing its members to be re-elected every two years which makes them much more responsive to change.
In modern times, the number of representatives has been fixed at 435. To figure out which state get the most representatives the country must be divided up proportionally into "districts". Small states like Wyoming only recieve one representative while large states like California recieve many because of the size of its population.
Members of the House sit in committees where they debate and refine legislation before it is passed on. The House is also where the impeachment process for the president begins with a majority vote.