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{{Infobox legislature {{Infobox legislature
| background_color = #FF3333 | background_color = #FF3333
| name = United States House of Representatives | name = Unite
| legislature = ]
| coa_pic = Seal of the United States House of Representatives.svg
| coa_res =
| coa_alt = Seal of the U.S. House of Representatives
| coa_caption = Seal of the House
| logo_pic = Flag of the United States House of Representatives.svg{{!}}border
| logo_res =
| logo_alt = Flag of the United States House of Representatives
| logo_caption = Flag of the House
| house_type = Lower house
| body = United States Congress
| term_limits = None
| new_session = {{Start date|2015|01|03}}
| leader1_type = ]
| leader1 = ]
| party1 = (])
| election1 = January 3, 2011
| leader2_type = ]
| leader2 = ]
| party2 = (])
| election2 = August 1, 2014
| leader3_type = ]
| leader3 = ]
| party3 = (])
| election3 = January 3, 2011
| leader4_type = ]
| leader4 = ]
| party4 = (])
| election4 = August 1, 2014
| leader5_type = ]
| leader5 = ]
| party5 = (])
| election5 = January 3, 2011
| members = ]<br>6 ]
| structure1 = United States House of Representatives 2015.svg
| structure1_res = 250px
| political_groups1 = '''Majority''' (248)<div><div>
*{{nowrap|{{colorbox|#900000}} ] (247)}}
'''Minority''' (188)<div><div>
*{{nowrap|{{colorbox|#000090}} ] (188)}}

| term_length = Two years
| voting_system1 = ]
| last_election1 = ]
| next_election1 = ]
| redistricting = ] or ]s, ]
| session_room = 114th_United_States_Congress.jpg
| meeting_place = House of Representatives chamber<br>]<br>], ]
| website = {{URL|http://www.house.gov}}
}}
{{Politics of the United States}}
The '''House of Representatives''' is one of the two houses of the ] (a ] ]). It is frequently referred to as '''The House'''. The other house is the ].

The composition and powers of the House are established in ]. The major power of the House is to pass ] ] that affects the entire country, although its ] must also be passed by the Senate and further agreed to by the ] before becoming law (unless both the House and Senate re-pass the legislation with a ] in each chamber). The House has some exclusive powers: the power to initiate ] bills,<ref>Section 7 of Article 1 of the Constitution</ref> to ] officials (impeached officials are subsequently tried in the Senate),<ref>Section 2 of Article 1</ref> and to elect the U.S. President in case there is no majority in the ].<ref>Article 1, Section 2, and in the ]</ref>

Each ] is ] in the House in proportion to its ] as measured in the ], but every state is entitled to at least one ]. The most populous state, ], currently has 53 representatives. On the other end of the spectrum, there are seven states with only one representative each (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming). The ] is ] at 435.<ref name="USPL 62-5">See ] of 1911, though Congress has the authority to change that number. The ] capped the size of the House at 435.</ref> In addition there are six non-voting Representatives who have a voice on the floor and a vote in committees, but no vote on the floor.

The ], who presides over the chamber, is elected by the members of the House, and is therefore traditionally the leader of the ] or the ], whichever ] has more voting members.
The House meets in the south wing of the ].

==History==
{{Main|History of the United States House of Representatives}}

Under the ], Congress was a ] body in which each state held only one vote. After eight years of a more limited federal government under the Articles, numerous political leaders, such as ] and ], initiated the ] in 1787, which received the Confederation Congress's permission to "amend the Articles of Confederation". All states except ] agreed to send delegates.

The issue of how Congress was to be structured was one of the most divisive among the ] during the Convention. ]'s ] called for a ] Congress: the lower house would be "of the people", elected directly by the people of the United States and representing ], and a more deliberative upper house that would represent the individual states, and would be less susceptible to variations of mass sentiment, would be elected by the lower house.

The House is referred to as the ], with the Senate being the ], although the ] does not use that terminology. Both houses' approval is necessary for the passage of ]. The Virginia Plan drew the support of delegates from large states such as ], ], and ], as it called for representation based on population. The smaller states, however, favored the ], which called for a unicameral Congress with equal representation for the states.

Eventually, the Convention reached the ], or the Great Compromise, under which one house of Congress (the House of Representatives) would provide representation proportional to each state's population, whereas the other (the Senate) would provide equal representation amongst the states. The Constitution was ratified by the requisite number of states (nine out of the 13) in 1788, but its implementation was set for March 4, 1789. The House began work on April 1, 1789, when it achieved a ] for the first time.

During the first half of the 19th century, the House was frequently in conflict with the Senate over regionally divisive issues, including ]. The ] was much more populous than the ], and therefore dominated the House of Representatives. However, the North held no such advantage in the Senate, where the equal representation of states prevailed.

]
Regional conflict was most pronounced over the issue of slavery. One example of a provision repeatedly supported by the House but blocked by the Senate was the ], which sought to ban slavery in the land gained during the ]. Conflict over slavery and other issues persisted until the ] (1861–1865), which began soon after several southern states attempted to ] from the Union. The war culminated in the South's defeat and in the abolition of slavery. Because all southern senators except ] resigned their seats at the beginning of the war, the Senate did not have the balance of power between North and South during the war.

The years of ] that followed witnessed large majorities for the ], which many Americans associated with the Union's victory in the Civil War and the ending of slavery. The Reconstruction period ended in about 1877; the ensuing era, known as the ], was marked by sharp political divisions in the electorate. The ] and the Republican Party held majorities in the House at various times.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries also saw a dramatic increase in the power of the Speaker of the House. The rise of the Speaker's influence began in the 1890s, during tenure of Republican ]. "] Reed", as he was nicknamed, attempted to put into effect his view that "The best system is to have one party govern and the other party watch." The leadership structure of the House also developed during approximately the same period, with the positions of ] and ] being created in 1899. While the Minority Leader was the head of the minority party, the Majority Leader remained subordinate to the Speaker. The Speakership reached its zenith during the term of Republican ], 1903 to 1911. The powers of the Speaker included chairmanship of the influential ] and the ability to appoint members of other House committees. These powers, however, were curtailed in the "Revolution of 1910" because of the efforts of Democrats and dissatisfied Republicans who opposed Cannon's arguably heavy-handed tactics.
], occasionally ridiculed as "Czar Reed", was a U.S. Representative from ], and ] from 1889 to 1891 and from 1895 to 1899.]]

The Democratic Party dominated the House of Representatives during the administration of President ] (1933–1945), often winning over two-thirds of the seats. Both Democrats and Republicans were in power at various times during the next decade. The Democratic Party maintained control of the House from 1955 until 1995. In the mid-1970s, there were major reforms of the House, strengthening the power of sub-committees at the expense of committee chairs and allowing party leaders to nominate committee chairs. These actions were taken to undermine the seniority system, and to reduce the ability of a small number of senior members to obstruct legislation they did not favor. There was also a shift from the 1990s to greater control of the legislative program by the majority party; the power of party leaders (especially the Speaker) grew considerably.

The Republicans ] in 1995, under the leadership of Speaker ]. Gingrich attempted to pass a major legislative program, the ] on which the House Republicans had been elected, and made major reforms of the House, notably reducing the tenure of committee chairs to three two-year terms. Many elements of the Contract did not pass Congress, were vetoed by President ], or were substantially altered in negotiations with Clinton. The Republicans held on to the House until 2006, when the Democrats won control and ] was subsequently elected by the House as the first female Speaker. The Republicans retook the House in 2011, the largest shift of power since the 1930s.<ref>{{cite web | last=Neuman | first=Scott | url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130983833 | title=Obama, GOP Grapple With power shift | publisher=NPR | date=November 3, 2010 | accessdate=July 2, 2011}}</ref>

==Membership, qualifications and apportionment==

===Apportionment<!---] links here--->===
{{Further|United States congressional apportionment}}
]
]

Under ], seats in the House of Representatives are ] among the states by population, as determined by the ] conducted every ten years. Each state, however, is entitled to at least one Representative.

The only constitutional rule relating to the ] states: "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative."<ref>].</ref> Congress regularly increased the size of the House to account for population growth until it fixed the number of voting House members at 435 in 1911.<ref name="USPL 62-5 "/> The number was temporarily increased to 437 in 1959 upon the admission of ] and ] (seating one representative from each of those states without changing existing apportionment), and returned to 435 four years later, after the reapportionment consequent to the ].

The Constitution does not provide for the representation of the ] or of ]. The ] and the territories of ], ], ], the ], and the ] are each represented by one ]. Puerto Rico elects a ], but other than having a four-year term, the Resident Commissioner's role is identical to the delegates from the other territories. The five Delegates and Resident Commissioner may participate in debates; prior to 2011,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132685281/House-Weighs-Rules-Changes | title=New House Majority Introduces Rules Changes | publisher=NPR | date=January 5, 2011 | accessdate=July 2, 2011}}</ref> they were also allowed to vote in committees and the ] when their votes would not be decisive.<ref>See {{USBill|110|H.Res.|78}}, passed January 24, 2007. On April 19, 2007, the House of Representatives passed the DC House Voting Rights Act of 2007, a bill "to provide for the treatment of the District of Columbia as a Congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, and for other purposes" by a vote of 241–177. That bill proposes to increase the House membership by two, making 437 members, by converting the District of Columbia delegate into a member, and (until the 2010 census) grant one membership to ], which is the state next in line to receive an additional district based on its population after the ]. The bill was under consideration in the U.S. Senate during the 2007 session.</ref>

===Redistricting===
{{main|Redistricting}}
States that are entitled to more than one Representative are divided into ] ]. This has been a federal statutory requirement since 1967.<ref>{{usc|2|2c}} "no district to elect more than one Representative"</ref> Prior to that law, ] representation was used by some states.

States typically ] after each census, though they may do so at other times, such as the ]. Each state determines its own district boundaries, either through legislation or through non-partisan panels. "]" is unconstitutional and districts must be approximately equal in population (see '']''). Federal courts have allowed state legislatures to redistrict as they please, allowing various forms of ] as long as the district is contiguous and of appropriate population size,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2012/11/the_supreme_court_may_gut_the_voting_rights_act_and_make_gerrymandering.html|title=The Supreme Court may gut the Voting Rights Act and make gerrymandering much worse|first=Emily|last=Bazelon|date=November 9, 2012|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lawreview.richmond.edu/where-do-we-draw-the-line-partisan-gerrymandering-and-the-state-of-texas/|title=Where Do We Draw the Line? Partisan Gerrymandering and the State of Texas|first=Whitney M.|last=Eaton|date=May 2006|work=University of Richmond Law Review}}</ref> but Section 2 of the ] prohibits redistricting plans that are intended to, or have the effect of, discriminating against racial or language minority voters.<ref name="Section 2 Voting Rights Act">{{cite web | title=Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act | url=http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_2/about_sec2.php | work=Civil Rights Division Voting FAQ | publisher=US Dept. of Justice | accessdate=April 27, 2014}}</ref>

===Qualifications===
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives. Each representative must: (1) be at least twenty-five years old; (2) have been a ] of the United States for the past seven years; and (3) be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state they represent. Members are not required to live in the district they represent, but they traditionally do.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://law.onecle.com/constitution/article-1/06-qualifications-of-congress.html | title=Qualifications of Members of Congress | publisher=Onecle Inc. | accessdate=January 26, 2013 }}</ref> The age and citizenship qualifications for representatives are less than those for senators. The constitutional requirements of Article I, Section 2 for election to Congress are the maximum requirements that can be imposed on a candidate.<ref>See ], a U.S. Supreme Court case from 1969</ref> Therefore, Article I, Section 5, which permits each House to be the judge of the qualifications of its own members does not permit either House to establish additional qualifications. Likewise a State could not establish additional qualifications.

Disqualification: under the ], a federal or state officer who takes the requisite oath to support the Constitution, but later engages in rebellion or aids the enemies of the United States, is disqualified from becoming a representative. This post–Civil War provision was intended to prevent those who sided with the ] from serving. However, disqualified individuals may serve if they gain the consent of two-thirds of both houses of Congress.

===Elections===
Elections for representatives are held in every even-numbered year, on ] the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. By law, Representatives must be elected from ] by ]. After a census is taken (in a year ending in 0), the year ending in 2 is the first year in which elections for U.S. House districts are based on that census (with the Congress based on those districts starting its term on the following Jan. 3).

In most states, major party candidates for each district are nominated in partisan ]s, typically held in spring to late summer. In some states, the Republican and Democratic parties choose their respective candidates for each district in their ]s in spring or early summer, which often use unanimous voice votes to reflect either confidence in the incumbent or the result of bargaining in earlier private discussions. Exceptions can result in so-called floor fight—convention votes by delegates, with outcomes that can be hard to predict. Especially if a convention is closely divided, a losing candidate may contend further by meeting the conditions for a primary election.

The courts generally do not consider ] rules for ] and ] candidates to be additional qualifications for holding office and there are no federal regulations regarding ballot access. As a result, the process to gain ballot access varies greatly from state to state, and, in the case of a ] may be affected by results of previous years' elections.

In 1967, Federal law was changed to require that representatives be elected from single-member-districts,<ref>{{usc|2|2c}}</ref> due to fear that, as a consequence of the recent ] decision, courts would impose ] on states that did not redistrict to comply with the new mandates for districts roughly equal in population, and also to prevent attempts by southern states to use such voting systems to dilute the vote of racial minorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.fairvote.org/library/history/flores/district.htm#Congress|title=The 1967 Single-Member District Mandate|work=fairvote.org}}</ref>

] is unique in that it holds an all-party "primary election" on the general Election Day with a subsequent ] between the top two finishers (regardless of party) if no candidate received a majority in the primary. The states of ] and ] now use a similar (though not identical) system to that used by Louisiana. Seats vacated during a term are filled through special elections, unless the vacancy occurs closer to the next general election date than a pre-established deadline. The term of a member chosen in a special election usually begins the next day, or as soon as the results are certified.

===Terms===
Representatives and Delegates serve for two-year terms, while the Resident Commissioner serves for four years. The Constitution permits the House to expel a member with a two-thirds vote. In the history of the United States, only five members have been expelled from the House; in 1861, three were removed for supporting the Confederate states' secession: ] (D-MO), ] (D-MO), and ] (D-KY). ] (D-PA) was expelled after his criminal conviction for accepting bribes in 1980, and ] (D-OH) was expelled in 2002 following his conviction for corruption.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rules.house.gov/Archives/rl31382.pdf | title=Expulsion, Censure, Reprimand, and Fine: Legislative Discipline in the House of Representatives | format=PDF | accessdate=August 23, 2010}}{{dead link | date=July 2011}}</ref> The House also has the power to formally ] or reprimand its members; censure or reprimand of a member requires only a simple majority, and does not remove that member from office.

===Non-voting delegates===
Additionally, ] and the five inhabited ] each elect a ]. With the exception of the ], each representative and delegate serves for a two-year term. They have a voice on the floor, but cannot vote there. They have a voice and a vote on their committees.

==Comparison to the Senate==
As a check on the regional, popular, and rapidly changing politics of the House, the ] has several distinct powers. For example, the "]" powers (such as the power to approve ]) are a sole Senate privilege.<ref>, U.S. Senate . Retrieved February 3, 2010.</ref> The House, however, has the exclusive power to initiate bills for raising revenue, to impeach officials, and to choose the ] in the event that a presidential candidate fails to get a majority of the Electoral College votes.<ref>, The White House . Retrieved February 3, 2010.</ref> The Senate and House are further differentiated by term lengths and the number of districts represented: the Senate has longer terms of six years, fewer members (currently one hundred, two for each state), and (in all but seven delegations) larger constituencies per member. The Senate is informally referred to as the "upper" house, and the House of Representatives as the "lower" house.

==Salary and benefits==

===Salaries===
{{As of|2014|12}}, the annual salary of each Representative is ]174,000.<ref>{{cite web | title=Salaries and Benefits of U.S. Congress Members| url=http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031200a.htm| accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> The ] and the ] and ] earn more: $223,500 for the Speaker and $193,400 for their party leaders (the same as ] leaders).<ref name="Brudnick">{{cite web | title=Congressional Salaries and Allowances| first=Ida A. | last=Brudnick | date=January 4, 2012 | url=http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/112_20120104_Salary.pdf| work=CRS Report for Congress | publisher=United States House of Representatives| accessdate=December 2, 2012}}</ref> A ] (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it. Congress sets members' salaries; however, the ] prohibits a change in salary (but not COLA<ref>''Schaffer v. Clinton''</ref>) from taking effect until after the next election of the whole House. Representatives are eligible for retirement benefits after serving for five years.<ref>{{cite web | title=Congressional Salaries and Allowances | first=Ida A. | last=Brudnick | date= June 28, 2011 | url=http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid='0E%2C*PL%5B%3D%23P%20%20%0A | accessdate=November 22, 2011}}</ref> Outside pay is limited to 15% of congressional pay, and certain types of income involving a fiduciary responsibility or personal endorsement are prohibited.<ref name="Brudnick"/>

===Titles===
Representatives use the prefix "]" before their names. A member of the House is referred to as a ''Representative'', ''Congressman'', or ''Congresswoman''. While Senators are members of Congress, the terms ''Congressman'' and ''Congresswoman'' are generally used exclusively by members of the House of Representatives.

===Pension===
All members of Congress are automatically (without the option of withdrawal) enrolled in the ], a pension system also used for ]. They become eligible to receive benefits after five years of service (two and one-half terms in the House). The FERS is composed of three elements:

# ]
# The FERS basic annuity, a monthly pension plan based on the number of years of service and the average of the three highest years of basic pay
# The ], a ]-like ] for retirement account into which participants can deposit up to a maximum of $17,000 in 2012. Their employing agency ] up to 5% of pay.

Members of Congress may retire with full benefits at age 62 after five years of service, at age 50 after twenty years of service, and at any age after twenty-five years of service. They may retire with reduced benefits at ages 55 to 59 after five years of service, and age 50 after 20 years of service. Depending on birth year, they may receive a reduced pension after ten years of service if they are between 55 years and 57 years of age.<ref name="CRS Retirement Report">{{cite web | last=Congressional Research Service | title=Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress | url=http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid=%270E%2C*PLC8%22%40%20%20%0A | work=CRS Report for Congress | publisher=United States Senate | accessdate=September 21, 2012}}</ref>

===Tax deductions===
Members of Congress are permitted to deduct up to $3,000 of living expenses per year incurred while living away from their district or home state.<ref name="Congress Allowances">{{cite web | last=Congressional Research Service | title=Congressional Salaries and Allowances | url=http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/112_20120104_Salary.pdf | work=CRS Report for Congress | publisher=United States House of Representatives | accessdate=September 21, 2012}}</ref>

===Health benefits===
Prior to 2014, members of Congress and their staff had access to essentially the same health benefits as federal civil servants; they could voluntarily enroll in the ] (FEHBP), an employer-sponsored health insurance program, and were eligible to participate in other programs, such as the ] (FSAFEDS).<ref name="Mach & Cornell">Annie L. Mach & Ada S. Cornell, , Congressional Research Service, February 18, 2014.</ref>

However, Section 1312(d)(3)(D) of the ] (ACA) provided that the only health plans that the federal government can make available to members of Congress and certain congressional staff are those created under the ACA or offered through a ].<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> The ] promulgated a final rule to comply with Section 1312(d)(3)(D).<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> Under the rule, effective January 1, 2014, members and designated staff are no longer able to purchase FEHBP plans as active employees.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> However, if members enroll in a health plan offered through a Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) exchange, they remain eligible for an employer contribution toward coverage, and members and designated staff who are eligible for retirement may enroll in a FEHBP plan upon retirement.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/>

The ACA and the final rule do not affect members' or staffers' eligibility for ] benefits.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> The ACA and the final rule also do not affect members' and staffers' eligibility for other health benefits related to federal employment, so current members and staff are eligible to participate in FSAFEDS (which has three options within the program), the ], and the ].<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/>

There is an ] at the U.S. Capitol, which current members may seek health care from for an annual fee.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> The attending physician provides routine exams, consultations, and certain diagnostics, and may write prescriptions (although it does not dispense them).<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> The office does not provide vision or dental care.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/>

Current members (but not their dependents, and not former members) may also receive medical and emergency dental care at military treatment facilities.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> There is no charge for outpatient care if it is provided in the ], but members are billed at full reimbursement rates (set by the Department of Defense) for inpatient care.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> (Outside the National Capital Region, charges are at full reimbursement rates for both inpatient and outpatient care).<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/>

===Personnel, mail and office expenses===
House members are eligible for a Member's Representational Allowance (MRA) to support them in their official and representational duties to their district. The MRA is calculated based on three components: one for personnel, one for official office expenses and one for official or franked mail. The personnel allowance is the same for all members; the office and mail allowances vary based on the members' district's distance from Washington, D.C., the cost of office space in the member's district, and the number of non-business addresses in their district. These three components are used to calculate a single MRA which can be used to fund any expense - even though each component is calculated individually, the franking allowance can be used to pay for personnel expenses if the member so chooses. In 2011 this allowance averaged $1.4 million per member, and ranged from $1.35 to $1.67 million.<ref name="Salaries and Allowances">{{cite web | last=Brudnick | first=Ida | title=Congressional Salaries and Allowances | url=http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/112_20120104_Salary.pdf | work=Congressional Research Service Report for Congress | publisher=United States House of Representatives | accessdate=September 21, 2012}}</ref>

The Personnel allowance was $944,671 per member in 2010. Each member may employ no more than 18 permanent employees. Members' employees' salary is capped at $168,411 as of 2009.<ref name="Salaries and Allowances" />

===Travel allowance===
Each member-elect and one staffer can be paid for one round trip between their home in their congressional district and Washington, D.C. for organization caucuses.<ref name="Salaries and Allowances" />

==Officers==

===Member officials===
The ] with a majority of seats in the House is known as the ]. The next-largest party is the minority party. The ], committee chairs, and some other officials are generally from the majority party; they have counterparts (for instance, the "ranking members" of committees) in the minority party.
], Majority Leader ], and Education and Labor Committee Chairman ] confer with President ] at the ] in 2009.]]

The Constitution provides that the House may choose its own Speaker.<ref>, Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School . Retrieved February 3, 2010.</ref> Although not explicitly required by the Constitution, every Speaker has been a member of the House. The Constitution does not specify the duties and powers of the Speaker, which are instead regulated by the rules and customs of the House. Speakers have a role both as a leader of the House and the leader of their party (which need not be the majority party; theoretically, a member of the ] could be elected as Speaker with the support of a fraction of members of the majority party). Under the ] (1947), the Speaker is second in the line of ] behind the Vice President.

The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House but does not preside over every debate. Instead, he delegates the responsibility of presiding to other members in most cases. The presiding officer sits in a chair in the front of the House chamber. The powers of the presiding officer are extensive; one important power is that of controlling the order in which members of the House speak. No member may make a speech or a motion unless he or she has first been recognized by the presiding officer. Moreover, the presiding officer may rule on a "]" (a member's objection that a rule has been breached); the decision is subject to appeal to the whole House.

Speakers serve as chairs of their party's steering committee, which is responsible for assigning party members to other House committees. The Speaker chooses the chairmen of standing committees, appoints most of the members of the ], appoints all members of conference committees, and determines which committees consider bills.

Each party elects a ], who is known as the ] or ]. The Minority Leader heads his party in the House, and the Majority Leader is his party's second-highest-ranking official, behind the Speaker. Party leaders decide what legislation members of their party should either support or oppose.

Each party also elects a ], who works to ensure that the party's members vote as the party leadership desires. The ] in the House of Representatives is ], who is a member of the ]. The ] is ], who is a member of the ]. The whip is supported by ].

In the 112th Congress, the Democratic Party has an additional Assistant Minority Leader, ], who ranks between the whips and the caucus/conference chair.

After the whips, the next ranking official in the House party's leadership is the ] (styled as the Republican Conference Chair and Democratic Caucus Chair).

After the Conference Chair, there are differences between each party's subsequent leadership ranks. After the Democratic Caucus Chair is the Campaign Committee Chair (]), then the co-chairs of the Steering Committee. For the Republicans it is the ], followed by the Campaign Committee Chairman (styled as the ]).

The chairs of ], particularly influential standing committees such as ], ], and ], are powerful but not officially part of House leadership hierarchy. Until the post of Majority Leader was created, the Chair of Ways and Means was the '']'' majority leader.

====Leadership and partisanship====
When the Presidency and Senate are controlled by a different party from the one controlling the House, the Speaker can become the '']'' "leader of the opposition". Some notable examples include ] in the 1980s, ] in the 1990s, and ] in the 2010s. Since the Speaker is a partisan officer with substantial power to control the business of the House, the position is often used for partisan advantage.

In the instance when the Presidency and both Houses of Congress are controlled by one party, the Speaker normally takes a low profile and defers to the President. For that situation the House Minority Leader can play the role of a ''de facto'' "leader of the opposition", often more so than the Senate Minority Leader, due to the more partisan nature of the House and the greater role of leadership.

===Non-member officials===
The House is also served by several officials who are not members. The House's chief officer is the ], who maintains public records, prepares documents, and oversees junior officials, including ]. The Clerk also presides over the House at the beginning of each new Congress pending the election of a Speaker. Another officer is the ], responsible for the day-to-day administrative support to the House of Representatives. This includes everything from payroll to ].

The position of ] (CAO) was created by the ] following the ], replacing the positions of ] and Director of Non-Legislative and Financial Services (created by the previous congress to administer the non-partisan functions of the House). The CAO also assumed some of the responsibilities of the House Information Services, which previously had been controlled directly by the ], then headed by Representative ] of North Carolina, along with the House "Folding Room".

The ] leads the House in ] at the opening of the day. There is also a ], who as the House's chief law enforcement officer maintains order and security on House premises. Finally, routine police work is handled by the ], which is supervised by the ], a body to which the Sergeant at Arms belongs.

==Procedure==
{{Main|Procedures of the United States House of Representatives}}

===Daily procedures===

Like the Senate, the House of Representatives meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. At one end of the chamber of the House is a ] from which the ], Speaker Pro Tempore, or (when in the Committee of the Whole) the Chair presides.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/Rostrum/ |title=The Rostrum |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Historian |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> The lower tier of the rostrum is used by clerks and other officials. Members' seats are arranged in the chamber in a semicircular pattern facing the rostrum and are divided by a wide central aisle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/house-chamber |title=Explore Capitol Hill: House Chamber |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=Architect of the Capitol |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> By tradition, Democrats sit on the right of the center aisle, while Republicans sit on the left, as viewed from the presiding officer's chair.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ritchie |first=Donald A. |date=2006 |title=The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyEGeCwD63AC&pg=PA195&lpg=PA195 |location=] |publisher=] |edition=3 |page=195 |isbn=9780195309249 |accessdate=2015-01-10 }}<br>{{cite web |url=http://lowenthal.house.gov/legislation/congress-u.htm |title=Congress U |last1=Lowenthal |first1=Alan |last2= |first2= |date= |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}<br>{{cite web|title=What's in the House Chamber|url=http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/House-Floor|accessdate=November 21, 2013}}</ref> Sittings are normally held on weekdays; meetings on Saturdays and Sundays are rare. Sittings of the House are generally open to the public; visitors must obtain a House Gallery pass from a congressional office.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/access-congress |title=Access to Congress |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=Digital Media Law Project |publisher=Berkman Center for Internet and Society |accessdate=2015-01-12}}<br>{{cite web |url=http://thedistrict.com/sightseeing/other-washington-d-c-attractions/u-s-house-of-representatives |title=U.S. House of Representatives |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=The District |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> Sittings are broadcast live on television and have been streamed live on ] since March 19, 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/19/cspan-anniversary/6577593 |title=Not everyone is a fan of C-SPAN cameras in Congress |last1=Davis |first1=Susan |last2= |first2= |date=2014-03-19 |website=] |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref>

The procedure of the House depends not only on the rules, but also on a variety of customs, precedents, and traditions. In many cases, the House waives some of its stricter rules (including time limits on debates) by ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rules-republicans.house.gov/Educational/Read.aspx?ID=7 |title=Basic Training: Roadblocks at the Final Legislative Stages |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=House of Representatives |publisher=Republican Committee on Rules |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> A member may block a unanimous consent agreement; in practice, objections are rare. The presiding officer, the ] enforces the rules of the House, and may warn members who deviate from them. The Speaker uses a ] to maintain order.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132641490/passing-one-of-many-many-gavels |title=Passing One Of Many, Many Gavels |last1=Larchuk |first1=Travis |last2= |first2= |date=2011-01-05 |website=] |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> The box in which legislation is placed to be considered by the House is called the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-019-000/ |title=Bill Hopper |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Historian |accessdate=2015-01-12}}<br>{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legfaq.aspx |title=Legislative FAQ: 7. How do Representatives introduce bills? |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Clerk |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref>

In one of its first resolutions, the U.S. House of Representatives established the ]. In an American tradition adopted from English custom in 1789 by the first Speaker of the House, ] of ], the ] is used to open all sessions of the House. It is also used during the inaugural ceremonies for all Presidents of the United States. For daily sessions of the House, the sergeant at Arms carries the mace in front of the Speaker in procession to the ]. It is placed on a green marble pedestal to the Speaker's right. When the House is in committee, the mace is moved to a pedestal next to the desk of the Sergeant at Arms.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bedini |first=Silvio |date=1997 |title=The Mace and the Gavel: Symbols of Government in America, Volume 87, Part 4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IkALAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23 |location=Philadelphia |publisher=] |pages=23–26 |isbn=0871698749 |accessdate=2015-01-10 }}</ref>

The Constitution provides that a majority of the House constitutes a ] to do business.<ref name=annotate>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/art1frag19_user.html |title=CRS Annotated Constitution |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=] |publisher=] |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> Under the rules and customs of the House, a quorum is always assumed present unless a ] explicitly demonstrates otherwise. House rules prevent a member from making a point of order that a quorum is not present unless a question is being voted upon; the presiding officer will not accept a point of order of no quorum during general debate or when a question is not before the House.<ref>{{cite book |url= |title=House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House, Chapter 43: Quorums |last1= |first1= |page=733 |last2= |first2= |date= |website=] |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref>

During debates, a member may speak only if called upon by the presiding officer. The presiding officer decides which members to recognize, and can therefore control the course of debate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legfaq.aspx |title=Legislative FAQ: 6. How do Representatives obtain permission to speak? |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Clerk |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> All speeches must be addressed to the presiding officer, using the words "Mr. Speaker" or "Madam Speaker". Only the presiding officer may be directly addressed in speeches; other members must be referred to in the third person. In most cases, members do not refer to each other by name, but by state, using forms such as "the gentleman from Virginia", "the distinguished gentlewoman from California", or "my distinguished friend from Alabama". Unlike the practice in the ], members refer to each other as friends regardless of whether they are members of the same party.

There are 448 permanent seats on the House Floor and four tables, two on each side. These tables are occupied by members of the committee that have brought a bill to the floor for consideration and by the respective party leadership. Members address the House from microphones at any table or "the well," the area immediately in front of the rostrum.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/art_artifacts/virtual_tours/house_chamber/index.html | title=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives The House Floor | publisher=Clerk.house.gov | accessdate=August 23, 2010}}</ref>

===Passage of legislation===

Per the constitution, the House determines the rules according to which it passes legislation. The rules are in principle open to change with each new Congress, but in practice each new session amends a standing set of rules built up over the history of the body in an early resolution published for public inspection.<ref name=annotate>{{cite web | url=http://www.house.gov/content/learn | title=The House Explained | publisher=House.gov | accessdate=July 2, 2011}}</ref> Before legislation reaches the floor of the House, the ] normally passes a rule to govern debate on that measure. For instance, the committee determines if amendments to the bill are permitted. An "open rule" permits all germane amendments, but a "closed rule" restricts or even prohibits amendment. Debate on a bill is generally restricted to one hour, equally divided between the majority and minority parties. Each side is led during the debate by a "floor manager", who allocates debate time to members who wish to speak. On contentious matters, many members may wish to speak; thus, a member may receive as little as one minute, or even thirty seconds, to make his/her point.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rules.house.gov/about |title=About the Committee on Rules—History and Processes |last1=Sessions |first1=Pete |last2= |first2= |date= |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Committee on Rules |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref>

When debate concludes, the motion in question is put to a vote. In many cases, the House votes by voice vote; the presiding officer puts the question, and members respond either "yea" (in favor of the motion) or "nay" (against the motion). The presiding officer then announces the result of the voice vote. A member may however challenge the presiding officer's assessment and "request the yeas and nays" or "request a recorded vote". The request may be granted only if it is seconded by one-fifth of the members present. In practice, however, members of congress second requests for recorded votes as a matter of courtesy. Some votes are always recorded, such as those on the annual budget.<ref name=gpovote>{{cite book |last= |first= |date= |title=House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House, Chapter 58. Voting |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-HPRACTICE-112/html/GPO-HPRACTICE-108-59.htm |location= |publisher=] |page= |isbn= |accessdate=2015-01-10 }}<br>{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/legislative-process/house-floor |title=The Legislative Process: House Floor |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=] |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref>

A recorded vote may be taken in one of three different ways. One is electronically. Members use a personal identification card to record their votes at 46 voting stations in the chamber. Votes are usually held in this way. A second mode of recorded vote is by teller. Members hand in colored cards to indicate their votes: green for "yea", red for "nay", and orange for "present" (i.e., to abstain). Teller votes are normally held only when electronic voting breaks down. Finally, the House may conduct a ]. The Clerk reads the list of members of the House, each of whom announces their vote when their name is called. This procedure is only used rarely (such as for the election of a Speaker) because of the time consumed by calling over four hundred names.<ref name=gpovote/>

Voting traditionally lasts for fifteen minutes, but it may be extended if the leadership needs to "whip" more members into alignment.<ref name=gpovote/> The 2003 vote on the prescription drug benefit was open for three hours, from 3:00 to 6:00&nbsp;a.m., to receive four additional votes, three of which were necessary to pass the legislation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/under-the-influence |title=Under the Influence |last1=Singer |first1=Michelle |last2= |first2= |date=2007-03-29 |website=] |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> The 2005 vote on the ] was open for one hour, from 11:00&nbsp;p.m. to midnight.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/28/house.cafta/ |title=House narrowly approves CAFTA |last1=Henry |first1=Ed |last2=Barrett |first2=Ted |date=2005-07-28 |website=] |publisher= |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref> An October 2005 vote on facilitating refinery construction was kept open for forty minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/10/08/refinery-bill-passes-amid-partisan-split/ |title=Refinery Bill Passes Amid Partisan Split |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date=2005-10-08 |website=] |publisher=] |accessdate=2015-01-12}}</ref>

Presiding officers may vote like other members. They may not, however, vote twice in the event of a tie; rather, a tie vote defeats the motion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sidlow |first1=Edward |last2=Henschen |first2=Beth |date=2009 |title=America at Odds, Alternate Edition |edition=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QGlKrQ78UEsC&pg=PA246&lpg=PA246 |location=Belmont, California |publisher=Wadsworth Cengage Learning |page=246 |isbn=0495503703 |accessdate=2015-01-10 }}</ref>

==Committees==
{{Main|United States congressional committee|List of United States House of Representatives committees}}

The House uses committees and their subcommittees for a variety of purposes, including the review of bills and the oversight of the executive branch. The appointment of committee members is formally made by the whole House, but the choice of members is actually made by the political parties. Generally, each party honors the preferences of individual members, giving priority on the basis of seniority. Historically, membership on committees has been in rough proportion to the party's strength in the House as a whole, with two exceptions: on the Rules Committee, the majority party fills nine of the thirteen seats;<ref>http://rules.house.gov/110/comm_history.html {{dead link | date=March 2011}}</ref> and on the Ethics Committee, each party has an equal number of seats.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ethics.house.gov/Media/PDF/110th%20Committee%20Rules.pdf | title=Rules – Committee on Standards of Official Conduct | format=PDF | accessdate=August 23, 2010}}</ref> However, when party control in the House is closely divided, extra seats on committees are sometimes allocated to the majority party. In the 109th Congress, for example, the Republicans controlled about 53% of the House as a whole, but had 54% of the Appropriations Committee members, 55% of the members on the Energy and Commerce Committee, 58% of the members on the Judiciary Committee, and 69% of the members on the Rules Committee.

The largest committee of the House is the ], which, as its name suggests, consists of all members of the House. The Committee meets in the House chamber; it may consider and amend bills, but may not grant them final passage. Generally, the debate procedures of the Committee of the Whole are more flexible than those of the House itself. One advantage of the ] is its ability to include otherwise non-voting members of ].

Most committee work is performed by twenty standing committees, each of which has jurisdiction over a specific set of issues, such as Agriculture or Foreign Affairs. Each standing committee considers, amends, and reports bills that fall under its jurisdiction. Committees have extensive powers with regard to bills; they may block legislation from reaching the floor of the House. Standing committees also oversee the departments and agencies of the executive branch. In discharging their duties, standing committees have the power to hold hearings and to ] witnesses and evidence.

The House also has one permanent committee that is not a standing committee, the ], and from time to time may establish committees that are temporary and advisory in nature, such as the ]. This latter committee, created in the 110th Congress and reauthorized for the 111th, has no jurisdiction over legislation and must be chartered anew at the start of every Congress. The House also appoints members to serve on joint committees, which include members of the Senate and House. Some joint committees oversee independent government bodies; for instance, the Joint Committee on the Library oversees the ]. Other joint committees serve to make advisory reports; for example, there exists a ]. Bills and nominees are not referred to joint committees. Hence, the power of joint committees is considerably lower than those of standing committees.

Each House committee and subcommittee is led by a chairman (always a member of the majority party). From 1910 to the 1970s, committee chairs were powerful. ] in his classic study,<ref>Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics (1885, Boston: Houghton, Mifflin)</ref> suggested:<blockquote>Power is nowhere concentrated; it is rather deliberately and of set policy scattered amongst many small chiefs. It is divided up, as it were, into forty-seven seigniories, in each of which a Standing Committee is the court-baron and its chairman lord-proprietor. These petty barons, some of them not a little powerful, but none of them within the reach of the full powers of rule, may at will exercise almost despotic sway within their own shires, and may sometimes threaten to convulse even the realm itself.</blockquote>

From 1910 to 1975 committee and subcommittee chairmanship was determined purely by seniority; congressmembers sometimes had to wait 30 years to get one, but their chairship was independent of party leadership. The rules were changed in 1975 to permit party ]es to elect chairs, shifting power upward to the party leaders. In 1995, Republicans under ] set a limit of three two-year terms for committee chairs. The chair's powers are extensive; they control the committee/subcommittee agenda, and may prevent the committee from dealing with a bill. The senior member of the minority party is known as the Ranking Member. In some committees like Appropriations, partisan disputes are few.

==Legislative functions==
Most bills may be introduced in either House of Congress. However, the Constitution states, "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives". As a result of the ], the Senate cannot initiate bills imposing taxes. This provision barring the Senate from introducing revenue bills is based on the practice of the ], in which only the ] may originate such measures. Furthermore, congressional tradition holds that the House of Representatives originates ]s.

Although it cannot originate revenue bills, the Senate retains the power to amend or reject them. ] wrote the following about appropriations bills:<ref>Wilson, Woodrow. '''', pp.&nbsp;155–156 (Transaction Publishers 2002) (quotation marks omitted).</ref>
<blockquote>he constitutional prerogative of the House has been held to apply to all the general appropriations bills, and the Senate's right to amend these has been allowed the widest possible scope. The upper house may add to them what it pleases; may go altogether outside of their original provisions and tack to them entirely new features of legislation, altering not only the amounts but even the objects of expenditure, and making out of the materials sent them by the popular chamber measures of an almost totally new character.</blockquote>

The approval of the Senate and the House of Representatives is required for a bill to become law. Both Houses must pass the same version of the bill; if there are differences, they may be resolved by a ], which includes members of both bodies. For the stages through which bills pass in the Senate, see ].

The President may veto a bill passed by the House and Senate. If he does, the bill does not become law unless each House, by a two-thirds majority, votes to ].

==Checks and balances==
The Constitution provides that the Senate's "]" is necessary for the President to make appointments and to ratify treaties. Thus, with its potential to frustrate Presidential appointments, the Senate is more powerful than the House.

The Constitution empowers the House of Representatives to ] federal officials for "], ], or other high ]s and ]s" and empowers the Senate to try such impeachments. The House may approve "articles of impeachment" by a simple majority vote; however, a two-thirds vote is required for conviction in the Senate. A convicted official is automatically removed from office and disqualified from holding future office under the United States. No further punishment is permitted during the impeachment proceedings; however, the party may face criminal penalties in a normal court of law.

In the history of the United States, the House of Representatives has impeached sixteen officials, of whom seven were convicted. (Another, ], resigned after the ] passed ] but before a formal impeachment vote by the full House.) Only two Presidents of the United States have ever been impeached: ] in 1868 and ] in 1998. Both trials ended in acquittal; in Johnson's case, the Senate fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction.

Under the ], the House has the power to elect the President if no presidential candidate receives a majority of votes in the ]. The Twelfth Amendment requires the House to choose from the three candidates with the highest numbers of electoral votes. The Constitution provides that "the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote." It is rare for no presidential candidate to receive a majority of electoral votes. In the history of the United States, the House has only had to choose a President twice. In 1800, which was before the adoption of the ], it elected ] over ]. In 1824, it elected ] over ] and ]. If no vice-presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the Senate elects the Vice President from the two candidates with the highest numbers of electoral votes.

==Latest election results and current party standings==
{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections, 2014|114th United States Congress}}

===Current standing===
{| class=wikitable
|- valign=bottom
! colspan=2 | Affiliation
! Members
! Delegates<br>/ Resident<br>Commissioner<br><span style="font-size:87%;">(non-voting)</span>
! Number of<br>state majorities
|-
! style="background-color:{{Republican Party (United States)/meta/color}}; width: 4px" |
| ]
| align=center | 246
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 32
|-
! style="background-color:{{Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color}}; width: 4px" |
| ]
| align=center | 188
| align=center | 5
| align=center | 16
|-
! colspan=2 | Total
! 434
! 6
!
|}

===End of previous Congress===
{| class=wikitable
|- valign=bottom
! colspan=2 | Affiliation
! Members
! Delegates<br>/ Resident<br>Commissioner<br><span style="font-size:87%;">(non-voting)</span>
! Number of<br>state majorities
|-
! style="background-color:{{Republican Party (United States)/meta/color}}; width: 4px" |
| ]
| align=center | 232
| align=center | 0
| align=center | 33
|-
! style="background-color:{{Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color}}; width: 4px" |
| ]
| align=center | 201
| align=center | 6
| align=center | 16
|-
! style="background-color:white; width: 4px" |
| ''vacant''
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 0
|
|-
! colspan=2 | Total
! 435
! 6
!
|}

==See also==
There are also individual Houses of Representatives for most states in the US, sometimes called by a different name; see ].
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

===Membership lists===
* ]
* ]
* ]

===113th Congress===
The ] ran from January 3, 2013 to January 3, 2015.
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Surveys===
{{Refbegin | colwidth=30em}}
* Currie, James T. ''The United States House of Representatives.'' Krieger, 1988.
* {{Cite book | last=MacNeil | first=Neil | title=Forge of Democracy: The House of Representatives | year=1963 | publisher=D. McKay | location=New York }}
* {{Cite book | last=Peters | first=Ronald M., Jr | title=The American Speakership: The Office in Historical Perspective | year=1997 | edition=2nd | publisher=] | location=Baltimore | isbn=0-8018-5758-9 }}
* {{Cite book | last=Polsby | first=Nelson W. | title=How Congress Evolves: Social Bases of Institutional Change | authorlink=Nelson W. Polsby | year=2004 | publisher=] | location=New York | isbn=0-19-516195-5 }}
* {{Cite book | last=Poole | first=Keith T. | title=Congress: A Political-Economic History of Roll Call Voting |author2=Howard Rosenthal | year=1997 | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=New York | isbn=0-19-514242-X }}
* {{Cite book | last=Remini | first=Robert V. | title=The House: The History of the House of Representatives | authorlink=Robert V. Remini | year=2006 | publisher=] | location=New York | isbn=0-06-088434-7 }}
* {{Cite book | last=Sinclair | first=Barbara | title=Majority Leadership in the U.S. House | year=1983 | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore | isbn=0-8018-2933-X }}
* {{Cite book | editor=Julian E. Zelizer | title=The American Congress: The Building of Democracy | year=2004 | publisher=] | location=New York | isbn=0-618-17906-2 }}
{{Refend}}

===Notes===
{{Refbegin | colwidth=30em}}
* {{cite book | last1=Abramowitz | first1=Alan I. | first2=Kyle L. | last2=Saunders | year=1998 | title=Ideological Realignment in the US Electorate | publisher= Journal of Politics | volume=60 | issue = 3 | pages=634–652}}
* {{cite book | last=Adler | first=E. Scott | title=Why Congressional Reforms Fail: Reelection and the House Committee System | publisher=. Univ. of Chicago Press | year=2002}}
* {{cite book | last1=Albert | first1=Carl | last2=Goble | first2=Danney | title=Little Giant: The Life and Times of Speaker Carl Albert | publisher= Univ. of Oklahoma Press | year=1990}}, Speaker in the 1970s
* {{cite book | last1=Barone | first1=Michael | first2=Grant | last2=Ujifusa, | title=The Almanac of American Politics 2006: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts | year=2005}}, Published every two years since 1975; enormous detail on every state and district and member.
* {{cite book | last=Barry | first=John M. | title=The Ambition and the Power: The Fall of Jim Wright. A True Story of Washington | publisher= Viking | year=1989}}, Speaker in the 1980s
* {{cite book | last=Berard | first=Stanley P. | title=Southern Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives | publisher= Univ. of Oklahoma Press | year=2001}}
* {{cite book | last=Berman | first=Daniel M. (1964). | title=In Congress Assembled: The Legislative Process in the National Government | location=London | publisher=The Macmillan Company}}, <!--Used for the legislative process, procedure-->
* {{cite book | title=], 1774–2005 | location=Washington | publisher=Government Printing Office | year=2005}}, Prepared by the Office of the Clerk, Office of History and Preservation, United States House of Representatives. Contains biographical entries for every Member of Congress. Also online at .
* {{cite book | last=Brady | first=David W. | title=Congressional Voting in a Partisan Era: A Study of the McKinley Houses and a Comparison to the Modern House of Representatives | publisher= Univ. Press of Kansas | year=1973}}
* {{cite book | last1=Brady | first1=David W. | first2=Mathew D. | last2=McCubbins | title=Party, Process, and Political Change in Congress: New Perspectives on the History of Congress | year=2002}}
* ], massive, highly detailed summary of Congressional activity, and major executive and judicial decisions; based on ''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report'' and the annual CQ almanac.
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1945–1964'' (1965)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1965–1968'' (1969)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1969–1972'' (1973)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1973–1976'' (1977)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1977–1980'' (1981)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1981–1984'' (1985)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1985–1988'' (1989)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1989–1992'' (1993)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1993–1996'' (1998)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1997–2001'' (2002)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 2001–2004: A Review of Government and Politics: 107th and 108th Congresses'' (2005)
* {{cite book | title=]'s Guide to Congress | edition=5th | year=2000 | location=Washington, D.C. | publisher=Congressional Quarterly Press}}, <!--Used for the legislative process, procedure, general information-->
* {{cite book | last=Cooper | first=Joseph | title=The Origins of the Standing Committees and the Development of the Modern House | publisher= Rice Univ. Press | year=1970}}
* {{cite book | last1=Cox | first1=Gary W. | last2=McCubbins | first2=Mathew D. | title=Legislative Leviathan: Party Government in the House | publisher= Univ. of California Press | year=1993}}
* {{cite book | last=DeGregorio | first=Christine A. | title=Networks of Champions: Leadership, Access, and Advocacy in the U.S. House of Representatives | publisher= Univ. of Michigan Press | year=1997}}
* {{cite book | last=Dierenfield | first=Bruce J. | title=Keeper of the Rules: Congressman Howard W. Smith of Virginia | publisher= Univ. Press of Virginia | year=1987}}, leader of ] 1940–66
* {{cite book | last=Farrell | first=John A. | title=Tip O'Neill and the Democratic Century | publisher= Little, Brown | year=2001}}, Democratic Speaker in the 1980s
* {{cite book | last=Gertzog | first=Irwin J. | title=Congressional Women: Their Recruitment, Treatment, and Behavior | publisher= Praeger | year=1984}}
* {{cite book | last1=Hardeman | first1=D. B. | last2=Bacon | first2=Donald C. | title=Rayburn: A Biography | publisher= Texas Monthly Press | year=1987}}
* {{cite journal | last=Hatzenbuehler | first=Ronald L. | title= Party Unity and the Decision for War in the House of Representatives in 1812 | work=William and Mary Quarterly | volume=29 | year=1972 | pages=367–90 | doi=10.2307/1923870}}
* {{cite book | last=Hechler | first=Ken | title=Toward the Endless Frontier: History of the Committee on Science and Technology, 1959–79. | publisher= Washington: Government Printing Office | year=1980}}
* {{cite book | last=Henig | first=Gerald S. | title=Henry Winter Davis: Antebellum and Civil War Congressman from Maryland | year=1973}}, Radical leader in Civil War era
* {{cite book | last=Hibbing | first=John R. | title=Congressional Careers: Contours of Life in the U.S. House of Representatives | publisher= Univ. of North Carolina Press | year=1991}}
* {{cite book | last=Jacobs | first=John | title=A Rage for Justice: The Passion and Politics of Phillip Burton | publisher= Univ. of California Press | year=1995}}, leader of liberal Democrats in the 1970s
* {{cite book | last=Jacobson | first=Gary C. | title=The Electoral Origins of Divided Government: Competition in U.S. House Elections, 1946–1988 | publisher= Westview | year=1990}}
* {{cite book | last1=Kiewiet | first1=D. Roderick | last2=McCubbins | first2=Mathew D. | title=The Logic of Delegation: Congressional Parties and the Appropriations Process | publisher= Univ. of Chicago Press | year=1991}}
* {{cite book | last=Klingman | first=Peter D. | title=Josiah Walls: Florida's Black Congressman of Reconstruction | publisher= Univ. Press of Florida | year=1976}}
* {{cite book | editor1-first=Linda | editor1-last=Grant de Pauw | editor2-first=Charlene Bangs | editor2-last=Bickford | editor3-first=Kenneth R. | editor3-last=Bowling | title=Documentary History of the First Federal Congress of the United States of America, March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791 | year=1992–2006}}, 14 volumes of primary documents
* {{cite book | last=Lowitt | first=Richard | title=George W. Norris: The Making of a Progressive, 1861–1912 | volume=1 | publisher=Syracuse Univ. Press | year=1963}}, leader of Republican insurgents in 1910
* {{cite book | last=Margulies | first=Herbert F. | title=Reconciliation and Revival: James R. Mann and the House Republicans in the Wilson Era | publisher=. Greenwood | year=1996}}
* {{cite book | last=Merriner | first=James L. | title=Mr. Chairman: Power in Dan Rostenkowski's America | publisher= Southern Illinois Univ. Press | year=1999}}
* {{cite book | last=Patterson | first=James | title=Congressional Conservatism and the New Deal: The Growth of the Conservative Coalition in Congress, 1933–39 | year=1967}}
* {{cite book | last=Price | first=David E. | title=The Congressional Experience: A View from the Hill | publisher= Westview | year=1992}}, Political scientist who served in House.
* {{cite book | last=Remini first=Robert V. | authorlink=Robert V. Remini | title=Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union | year= 1992}}. Speaker for most of 1811–1825
* {{cite book | last=Rohde | first=David W. | title=Parties and Leaders in the Postreform House | publisher= Univ. of Chicago Press | year=1991}}
* {{cite journal | last1=Rohde | first1=David W. | first2=Kenneth A. | last2=Shepsle | title=Leaders and Followers in the House of Representatives: Reflections on Woodrow Wilson's Congressional Government | work=Congress & the Presidency | volume=14 | year=1987}}
* {{cite book | last=Schickler | first=Eric | title=Disjointed Pluralism: Institutional Innovation and the Development of the U.S. Congress | year=2001}}
* {{cite book | last=Schooley | first=C. Herschel | title=Missouri's Cannon in the House | location= ] | publisher= Walsworth | year=1977}}, Chaired Appropriations in the 1960s
* {{cite book | last=Shelley II, Mack C. | title=The Permanent Majority: The Conservative Coalition in the United States Congress | year=1983}}
* {{cite book | last=Sinclair | first=Barbara | title=Congressional Realignment, 1925–1978 | publisher= Univ. of Texas Press | year=1982}}
* {{cite book | last=Sinclair | first=Barbara | title=Legislators, Leaders, and Lawmaking: The U.S. House of Representatives in the Postreform Era | publisher= Johns Hopkins Univ. Press | year=1995}}
* {{cite book | last=Steinberg | first=Alfred | title=Sam Rayburn: A Biography | publisher= Hawthorn | year=1975}}, popular biography
* {{cite book | last=Stewart | first=Charles H., III | title=Budget Reform Politics: The Design of the Appropriations Process in the House of Representatives, 1865–1921 | publisher= Cambridge Univ. Press | year=1989}}
* {{Cite book | last=Story | first=Joseph | title=] (2 vol.) | year=1891 | publisher=Brown & Little | location=Boston | authorlink=Joseph Story}}
* {{cite journal | last1=Strahan | first1=Randall | last2=Moscardelli | first2=Vincent G. | last3=Haspel | first4=Moshe | last5=Wike | first5=Richard S. | title=The Clay Speakership Revisited | work=Polity | year=2000 | volume=32 | issue = 4 | pages=561–593 | doi=10.2307/3235293}}, uses roll call analysis
* {{cite book | last=Strahan | first=Randall | title=New Ways and Means: Reform and Change in a Congressional Committee. | publisher= Univ. of North Carolina Press | year=1990}}
* {{cite book | last=Trefousse | first=Hans L. | title=Thaddeus Stevens: Nineteenth-Century Egalitarian | year=1997}}, majority leader in the 1860s
* {{cite book | last=VanBeek | first=Stephen D. | title=Post-Passage Politics: Bicameral Resolution in Congress | publisher= Univ. of Pittsburgh Press | year=1995}}
* {{cite book | last=Waller | first=Robert A. | title=Rainey of Illinois: A Political Biography, 1903–34. | publisher= Univ. of Illinois Press | year=1977}}, Democratic Speaker 1932–1934
* {{Cite book | last=Wilson | first=Woodrow | title=Congressional Government | year=1885 | publisher=Houghton Mifflin | location=New York | authorlink=Woodrow Wilson}}, <!--Used for history, constitutional information, and procedure-->
* {{cite book | last=Zelizer | first=Julian E. | title=On Capitol Hill : The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences, 1948–2000 | year=2006}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Misplaced Pages|United States House of Representatives.ogg|August 4, 2006}}
* {{Official website}}
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** Educational site
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* , via ]
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* , via AggData LLC
* {{WhoRunsGov|institutions/house_of_representatives}}

{{United States Congress}}
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