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House Of Representatives

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The House of Representatives has been called the "people's body." No one ever became a member of the House by appointment or any means other than standing for election by the people. Because of the House's close connection to the voters, the Constitution gave the House authority to originate all bills to levy taxes and spend government money.

Representatives serve two-year terms. Each state has at least one representative. States with larger populations are divided into districts, whose lines are redrawn every ten years according to the latest federal census. The House has sole authority to determine any disputed elections and to expel members by a two-thirds vote.

Sheer numbers have shaped the House. The original House consisted of 65 members, one for every 30,000 citizens. After the first census the number rose to 105, and it grew steadily as the population increased and new states were added. In 1910 Congress fixed the membership at 435, and districts are reapportioned every ten years following a new census.

As its membership grew, the House changed its rules to limit time for debate and to strengthen majority rule. When Asher Hinds compiled the first volumes of House precedents in 1907, he observed that "the pages of these volumes show a constant subordination of the individual to the necessities of the whole House as the voice of the national will." Nearly a century later, in 1992, House majority leader Richard Gephardt (Democrat-Missouri) reconfirmed that "the Senate is a collection of individuals, while the House, by virtue of its size, forces you to function in a group."

Leadership in the House

The House sets its own rules and elects its own officers, headed by the Speaker. Depending upon the personality and philosophy of the various Speakers, they have acted as impartial presiding officers or as strong partisan leaders. Speakers of the stature of Henry Clay, James G. Blaine, Thomas B. Reed, Joseph G. Cannon, Nicholas Longworth, Sam Rayburn, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr., and Newt Gingrich have shaped the development of the House. So, too, have strong committee chairs, notably of the powerful Rules Committee and of the "money" committees: Appropriationsand Ways and Means. Traditionally, a small number of committee chairs, ranking minority members, and other senior representatives have dominated the House, and junior members have had little influence. Committee reforms in 1975 opened the chairmanships, particularly of subcommittees, to more members and gave members of the majority party the opportunity to vote to remove committee chairs who acted arbitrarily.

Constituent services

House members often receive less national press attention than do senators, and they tend to devote more time to constituent services. If effective, they assure that their district will have a voice in national-and international-affairs and that the federal government will be responsive to its needs, whether in road building, federal water projects, public housing, military bases, Social Security payments, or any number of other areas.

The atmosphere of the House chamber has traditionally differed from that of the more staid Senate. The larger body has often been the more boisterous one, with shouts of "Vote! Vote!" and other commotion on the floor, causing Woodrow Wilson to describe the House as a "mass of jarring elements." The Speaker, as presiding officer, holds the responsibility for keeping order. He is assisted by the sergeant at arms, who during particularly tumultuous moments has lifted the House mace, the symbol of the authority of the House, as a means of quieting the chamber.

After 200 years the House of Representatives remains the branch of government closest to the voters and the most conscious of operating with the "consent of the governed." Its members therefore constantly strive to make sure that their constituents' voices are heard and their interests are fairly considered within the federal system.

See also Committees, congressional; Congress; House-Senate relations; Mace of the House of Representatives; Speaker of the House

Sources

• James T. Currie, The United States House of Representatives (Malabar, Fla.: Krieger, 1988).
• Bruce A. Ragsdale, The House of Representatives (New York: Chelsea House, 1989)

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Office of the Speaker

H-232, US Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-0100

 

http://speaker.house.gov/

 

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