House of Representatives: Difference between revisions

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{{Organization
{{Organization
|OrganizationName=United States House of Representatives
|OrganizationName=House of Representatives
|OrganizationType=Executive Departments
|OrganizationType=Executive Departments
|Mission=To represent the interests of the American people, legislate federal laws, and oversee the implementation of those laws. The House serves as one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, focusing on issues that directly affect the populace.
|Mission=To represent the interests of the American people, legislate federal laws, and oversee the implementation of those laws. The House serves as one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, focusing on issues that directly affect the populace.
|ParentOrganization=United States Congress
|ParentOrganization=Congress
|TopOrganization=Congress
|CreationLegislation=United States Constitution, Article I, Section 2
|CreationLegislation=United States Constitution, Article I, Section 2
|Employees=10000
|Employees=10000
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Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives. Each representative must: (1) be at least twenty-five (25) years old; (2) have been a [[United States nationality law|citizen]] 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 districts 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. | access-date=January 26, 2013 | archive-date=January 23, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123162353/http://law.onecle.com/constitution/article-1/06-qualifications-of-congress.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The age and citizenship qualifications for representatives are less than [[United States Senate#Qualifications|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 [[Powell v. McCormack]], 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. [[William C. C. Claiborne]] served in the House below the minimum age of 25.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Youngest Representative in House History, William Charles Cole Claiborne {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives|url=https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1800-1850/The-youngest-Representative-in-House-history,-William-Charles-Cole-Claiborne/|access-date=October 6, 2020|website=history.house.gov|language=en|archive-date=October 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003205031/https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1800-1850/The-youngest-Representative-in-House-history,-William-Charles-Cole-Claiborne/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives. Each representative must: (1) be at least twenty-five (25) years old; (2) have been a [[United States nationality law|citizen]] 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 districts 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. | access-date=January 26, 2013 | archive-date=January 23, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123162353/http://law.onecle.com/constitution/article-1/06-qualifications-of-congress.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The age and citizenship qualifications for representatives are less than [[United States Senate#Qualifications|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 [[Powell v. McCormack]], 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. [[William C. C. Claiborne]] served in the House below the minimum age of 25.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Youngest Representative in House History, William Charles Cole Claiborne {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives|url=https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1800-1850/The-youngest-Representative-in-House-history,-William-Charles-Cole-Claiborne/|access-date=October 6, 2020|website=history.house.gov|language=en|archive-date=October 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003205031/https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1800-1850/The-youngest-Representative-in-House-history,-William-Charles-Cole-Claiborne/|url-status=live}}</ref>


Disqualification: under the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]], 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 [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] from serving. However, disqualified individuals may serve if they gain the consent of two-thirds of both houses of Congress.
Disqualification: under the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]], 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 Confederate States of Americafrom serving. However, disqualified individuals may serve if they gain the consent of two-thirds of both houses of Congress.


===Elections===
===Elections===
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===Daily procedures===
===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 [[Podium|rostrum]] from which the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker]], Speaker pro tempore, or (when in Committee of the Whole House) the chair presides.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/Rostrum/ |title=The Rostrum |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Historian |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113074034/http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/Rostrum/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The lower tiers of the rostrum are used by clerks and other officials. A table in front of the rostrum is used by the official reporters. 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 |website=Architect of the Capitol |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114172619/http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/house-chamber |url-status=live }}</ref> By tradition, Democrats sit on the left of the center aisle, while Republicans sit on the right, facing 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 |location=[[New York, New York]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=3 |page=195 |isbn=978-0-19-530924-9 |access-date=January 10, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194414/https://books.google.com/books?id=WyEGeCwD63AC&pg=PA195 |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://lowenthal.house.gov/legislation/congress-u.htm |title=Congress U |last1=Lowenthal |first1=Alan |website=U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113074143/http://lowenthal.house.gov/legislation/congress-u.htm |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web|title=What's in the House Chamber|url=http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/House-Floor|access-date=November 21, 2013|archive-date=October 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030132018/http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/House-Floor/|url-status=live}}</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 |website=Digital Media Law Project |publisher=Berkman Center for Internet and Society |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113075352/http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/access-congress |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://thedistrict.com/sightseeing/other-washington-d-c-attractions/u-s-house-of-representatives |title=U.S. House of Representatives |website=The District |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113092001/http://thedistrict.com/sightseeing/other-washington-d-c-attractions/u-s-house-of-representatives/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sittings are broadcast live on television and have been streamed live on [[C-SPAN]] since March 19, 1979,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://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 |date=March 19, 2014 |website=[[USA Today]] |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194346/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/19/cspan-anniversary/6577593/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and on ''HouseLive'', the official streaming service operated by the Clerk, since the early 2010s.
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 [[Podium|rostrum]] from which the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker]], Speaker pro tempore, or (when in Committee of the Whole House) the chair presides.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/Rostrum/ |title=The Rostrum |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Historian |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113074034/http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/Rostrum/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The lower tiers of the rostrum are used by clerks and other officials. A table in front of the rostrum is used by the official reporters. 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 |website=Architect of the Capitol |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114172619/http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/house-chamber |url-status=live }}</ref> By tradition, Democrats sit on the left of the center aisle, while Republicans sit on the right, facing 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 |location=[[New York, New York]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=3 |page=195 |isbn=978-0-19-530924-9 |access-date=January 10, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194414/https://books.google.com/books?id=WyEGeCwD63AC&pg=PA195 |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://lowenthal.house.gov/legislation/congress-u.htm |title=Congress U |last1=Lowenthal |first1=Alan |website=U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113074143/http://lowenthal.house.gov/legislation/congress-u.htm |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web|title=What's in the House Chamber|url=http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/House-Floor|access-date=November 21, 2013|archive-date=October 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030132018/http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/House-Floor/|url-status=live}}</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 |website=Digital Media Law Project |publisher=Berkman Center for Internet and Society |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113075352/http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/access-congress |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://thedistrict.com/sightseeing/other-washington-d-c-attractions/u-s-house-of-representatives |title=U.S. House of Representatives |website=The District |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113092001/http://thedistrict.com/sightseeing/other-washington-d-c-attractions/u-s-house-of-representatives/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sittings are broadcast live on television and have been streamed live on [[C-SPAN]] since March 19, 1979,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://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 |date=March 19, 2014 |website=USA Today |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194346/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/19/cspan-anniversary/6577593/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and on ''HouseLive'', the official streaming service operated by the Clerk, since the early 2010s.


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 [[unanimous consent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rules-republicans.house.gov/Educational/Read.aspx?ID=7|title=Basic Training: Roadblocks at the Final Legislative Stages|website=House of Representatives|publisher=Republican Committee on Rules|access-date=January 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401073534/http://rules-republicans.house.gov/Educational/Read.aspx?ID=7|archive-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref> A member may block a unanimous consent agreement, but objections are rare. The presiding officer, the [[Speaker (politics)|speaker of the House]] enforces the rules of the House, and may warn members who deviate from them. The speaker uses a [[gavel]] to maintain order.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132641490/passing-one-of-many-many-gavels |title=Passing One Of Many, Many Gavels |last1=Larchuk |first1=Travis |date=January 5, 2011 |website=[[NPR]] |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194303/https://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132641490/passing-one-of-many-many-gavels |url-status=live }}</ref> Legislation to be considered by the House is placed in a box called the hopper.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-019-000/ |title=Bill Hopper |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Historian |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=December 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208050408/http://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-019-000/ |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legfaq.aspx |title=Legislative FAQ: 7. How do Representatives introduce bills? |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Clerk |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110011712/http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legfaq.aspx |url-status=live }}</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 [[unanimous consent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rules-republicans.house.gov/Educational/Read.aspx?ID=7|title=Basic Training: Roadblocks at the Final Legislative Stages|website=House of Representatives|publisher=Republican Committee on Rules|access-date=January 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401073534/http://rules-republicans.house.gov/Educational/Read.aspx?ID=7|archive-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref> A member may block a unanimous consent agreement, but objections are rare. The presiding officer, the [[Speaker (politics)|speaker of the House]] enforces the rules of the House, and may warn members who deviate from them. The speaker uses a [[gavel]] to maintain order.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132641490/passing-one-of-many-many-gavels |title=Passing One Of Many, Many Gavels |last1=Larchuk |first1=Travis |date=January 5, 2011 |website=[[NPR]] |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194303/https://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132641490/passing-one-of-many-many-gavels |url-status=live }}</ref> Legislation to be considered by the House is placed in a box called the hopper.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-019-000/ |title=Bill Hopper |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Historian |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=December 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208050408/http://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-019-000/ |url-status=live }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legfaq.aspx |title=Legislative FAQ: 7. How do Representatives introduce bills? |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Office of the Clerk |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110011712/http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legfaq.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>