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{{Short description|Lower house of the US Congress}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Redirect|House of Representatives committee|others|House of Representatives}}
{{for-multi|the United States Congress in session|118th United States Congress|state-level houses of representatives in the United States|List of United States state legislatures}}
{{use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox legislature
| background_color  = {{party color|Republican Party (<span class="ltr">US</span>)}}
| name              = United States House of Representatives
| legislature       = [[118th United States Congress]]
| coa_pic           = Seal of the United States House of Representatives.svg
| coa_res           =
| coa_alt           = Seal of the United States 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 United States House of Representatives
| house_type        = Lower house
| body              = United States Congress
| term_limits       = None
| new_session       = {{Start date|2023|01|03}}

| leader1_type      = [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker]]
| leader1 = [[Mike Johnson (Louisiana politician)|Mike Johnson]]
| party1 = ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election1         = [[October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election|October 25, 2023]]

| leader2_type      = [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Leader]]
| leader2           = [[Steve Scalise]]
| party2            = ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election2         = January 3, 2023

| leader3_type      = [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives#Minority Leader|Minority Leader]]
| leader3           = [[Hakeem Jeffries]]
| party3            = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election3         = January 3, 2023

| leader4_type      = [[Chief Deputy Majority Whip|Majority Whip]]
| leader4           = [[Tom Emmer]]
| party4            = ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election4         = January 3, 2023

| leader5_type      = [[Chief Deputy Minority Whip|Minority Whip]]
| leader5           = [[Katherine Clark]]
| party5            = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election5         = January 3, 2023

| members           = [[Seniority in the United States House of Representatives|435 voting members]]<br />[[Non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives|6 non-voting members]]<br />218 for a majority
| structure1        =(118th) US House of Representatives.svg
| structure1_res    = 250px
| political_groups1 =
'''Majority (220)'''
* {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Republican Party (<span class="ltr">US</span>)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] (220)}}
'''Minority (212)'''
* {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Democratic Party (<span class="ltr">US</span>)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] (212)}}
'''Vacant (<span class="ltr">3</span>)'''
* {{nowrap|{{Color box|vacant|border=darkgray}} Vacant ([[List of current members of the United States House of Representatives#Vacancies|3]])}}
| term_length       = 2 years
| voting_system1    = [[Plurality voting]] in 46 states{{efn|[[Alaska]] (for its primary elections only), [[California]], and [[Washington (state)|Washington]] additionally utilize a [[nonpartisan blanket primary]], and [[Mississippi]] uses the [[two-round system]], for their respective [[primary elections]].}}<br />{{collapsible list
|titlestyle=font-weight:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left
|title=Varies in 4 states
|bullets = yes
|[[Elections in Alaska|Alaska]] & [[Elections in Maine|Maine]]: {{nowrap|[[Instant-runoff voting]]}}
|[[Elections in Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] & [[Elections in Louisiana|Louisiana]]:{{efn|[[Louisiana]] uses a [[Louisiana primary]].}} {{nowrap|[[Two-round system]]}}
}}
| last_election1    = [[2022 United States House of Representatives elections|November 8, 2022]]
| next_election1    = [[2024 United States House of Representatives elections|November 5, 2024]]
| redistricting     = [[State legislature (United States)|State legislatures]] or [[redistricting commission]]s, [[redistricting in the United States|varies by state]]
| session_room      = United States House of Representatives chamber.jpg
| session_res       =
| session_alt       =
| meeting_place     = House of Representatives Chamber<br />[[United States Capitol]]<br />[[Washington, D.C.]]<br />[[United States of America]]
| website           = {{URL|http://www.house.gov|house.gov}}
| rules             = [https://rules.house.gov/rules-and-resources Rules of the House of Representatives]
}}
{{Politics of the United States}}

The '''United States House of Representatives''' is the [[lower chamber]] of the [[United States Congress]], with the [[United States Senate|Senate]] being the [[upper chamber]]. Together, they comprise the national [[bicameral legislature]] of the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The House Explained |url=https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=house.gov |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231203080240/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained#:~:text=As%20per%20the%20Constitution,%20the,the%20federal%20government's%20legislative%20branch. |archive-date=December 3, 2023  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2, 2023 |title=House of Representatives {{!}} Definition, History, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/House-of-Representatives-United-States-government |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=Britannica |language=en}}</ref> The House is charged with the passage of federal [[legislation]], known as [[Bill (United States Congress)|bills]]; those that are also passed by the Senate are sent to the [[President of the United States|president]] for signature or veto. The House's exclusive powers include initiating all revenue bills, [[Impeachment in the United States|impeaching]] federal officers, and [[Contingent election|electing the president]] if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]].<ref>[[Article One of the United States Constitution#Section 7: Bills|Article 1, Section 7]] of the Constitution</ref><ref>[[Article One of the United States Constitution#Section 2: House of Representatives|Article 1, Section 2]], and in the [[12th Amendment to the United States Constitution|12th Amendment]] to the Constitution</ref>

Members of the House serve a [[Fixed-term election|fixed term]] of two years, with each seat up for election before the start of the next Congress. [[Special election]]s also occur when a seat is vacated early enough. The House's composition was established by [[Article One of the United States Constitution]]. The House is composed of representatives who, pursuant to the [[Uniform Congressional District Act]], sit in single member [[List of United States congressional districts|congressional districts]] allocated to each [[U.S. state|state]] on the basis of population as measured by the [[United States census]], with each district having one representative, provided that each state is entitled to at least one representative.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bureau |first=US Census |title=About Congressional Apportionment |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/public-sector/congressional-apportionment/about.html |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=Census.gov}}</ref> Since its inception in 1789, all representatives have been directly elected. Although suffrage was initially limited, it gradually widened, particularly after the ratification of the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|19th Amendment]] and the [[civil rights movement]]. Since 1913, the [[United States congressional apportionment|number of voting representatives]] has been at 435 pursuant to the [[Apportionment Act of 1911]].<ref name="USPL 62-5">See [[Public Law 62-5]] of 1911, though Congress has the authority to change that number.</ref> The [[Reapportionment Act of 1929]] capped the size of the House at 435. However, the number was temporarily increased in 1959 until 1963 to 437 when [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]] were admitted to the Union.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/04/20/988865415/stuck-at-435-representatives-why-the-u-s-house-hasnt-grown-with-census-counts |title=Explainer: Why Does The U.S. House Have 435 Members? |publisher=NPR |date=April 20, 2021 |access-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329204402/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/20/988865415/stuck-at-435-representatives-why-the-u-s-house-hasnt-grown-with-census-counts |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition, five non-voting delegates represent the [[District of Columbia's at-large congressional district|District of Columbia]] and the U.S. territories of [[Guam's at-large congressional district|Guam]], the [[United States Virgin Islands's at-large congressional district|U.S. Virgin Islands]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands's at-large congressional district|Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands]], and [[American Samoa's at-large congressional district|American Samoa]]. A non-voting Resident Commissioner, serving a four-year term, represents the Commonwealth of [[Puerto Rico's at-large congressional district|Puerto Rico]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the largest delegation was [[List of United States representatives from California|California]], with 52 representatives. Six states have [[At-large|only one representative apiece]]: [[Alaska's at-large congressional district|Alaska]], [[Delaware's at-large congressional district|Delaware]], [[North Dakota's at-large congressional district|North Dakota]], [[South Dakota's at-large congressional district|South Dakota]], [[Vermont's at-large congressional district|Vermont]], and [[Wyoming's at-large congressional district|Wyoming]].<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives United States House of Representatives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624161504/https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives |date=June 24, 2018 }}, [[Ballotpedia]]. Accessed November 23, 2016. "There are six states with only one representative: [[Alaska]], [[Delaware]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Vermont]] and [[Wyoming]]."</ref>

The House meets in the south wing of the [[United States Capitol]]. The rules of the House generally address a two-party system, with a majority party in government, and a minority party in opposition. The presiding officer is the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]], who is elected by the members thereof. [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Other floor leaders]] are chosen by the [[House Democratic Caucus|Democratic Caucus]] or the [[House Republican Conference|Republican Conference]], depending on whichever [[Congressional caucus|party]] has more voting members.

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

Under the [[Articles of Confederation]], the [[Congress of the Confederation]] was a [[unicameral]] body with equal representation for each state, any of which could veto most actions. After eight years of a more limited [[confederal]] government under the Articles, numerous political leaders such as [[James Madison]] and [[Alexander Hamilton]] initiated the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]] in 1787, which received the Confederation Congress's sanction to "amend the Articles of Confederation". All states except [[Rhode Island]] agreed to send delegates.

[[File:Historical distribution of parties in US House of Representatives.svg|thumb|left|Representation of all political parties as percentage in House of Representatives over time]]
[[File:Combined--Control of the U.S. House of Representatives - Control of the U.S. Senate.png|thumb|left|Historical graph of party control of the Senate and House as well as the presidency<ref name="uspolitics.about">{{cite web |url=http://uspolitics.about.com/od/usgovernment/l/bl_party_division_2.htm |title=Party In Power – Congress and Presidency – A Visual Guide To The Balance of Power In Congress, 1945–2008 |publisher=Uspolitics.about.com |access-date=September 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101145605/http://uspolitics.about.com/od/usgovernment/l/bl_party_division_2.htm |archive-date=November 1, 2012 }}</ref>]]
Congress's structure was a contentious issue among the [[Founding Fathers of the United States|founders]] during the convention. [[Edmund Randolph]]'s [[Virginia Plan]] called for a [[bicameral]] Congress: the lower house would be "of the people", elected directly by the people of the United States and representing [[public opinion]], and a more deliberative upper house, elected by the lower house, that would represent the individual states, and would be less susceptible to variations of mass sentiment.<ref name=Plans>[http://history.house.gov/People/Signatories/Signatories/ "Delegates of the Continental Congress Who Signed the United States Constitution"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194331/https://history.house.gov/People/Signatories/Signatories/ |date=January 14, 2021 }}, United States House of Representatives. Accessed February 19, 2017. "While some believed the Articles should be 'corrected and enlarged as to accomplish the objects proposed by their institution,' the Virginia Plan called for completely replacing it with a strong central government based on popular consent and proportional representation.... The Virginia Plan received support from states with large populations such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. A number of smaller states, however, proposed the 'New Jersey Plan,' drafted by William Paterson, which retained the essential features of the original Articles: a unicameral legislature where all states had equal representation, the appointment of a plural executive, and a supreme court of limited jurisdiction.... The committee's report, dubbed the Great Compromise, ironed out many contentious points. It resolved the delegates' sharpest disagreement by prescribing a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal state representation in the Senate. After two more months of intense debates and revisions, the delegates produced the document we now know as the Constitution, which expanded the power of the central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states."</ref>

The House is commonly referred to as the [[lower house]] and the Senate the [[upper house]], although the [[United States Constitution]] does not use that terminology. Both houses' approval is necessary for the passage of [[legislation]]. The Virginia Plan drew the support of delegates from large states such as [[Virginia]], [[Massachusetts]], and [[Pennsylvania]], as it called for representation based on population. The smaller states, however, favored the [[New Jersey Plan]], which called for a unicameral Congress with equal representation for the states.<ref name=Plans/>

Eventually, the Convention reached the [[Connecticut Compromise]] or 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.<ref name=Plans/> 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 [[quorum]] 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 [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]]. The [[Northeastern United States|North]] was much more populous than the [[History of the Southern United States|South]], 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 [[Wilmot Proviso]], which sought to ban slavery in the land gained during the [[Mexican–American War]]. Conflict over slavery and other issues persisted until the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] (1861–1865), which began soon after several southern states attempted to [[secede]] from the Union. The war culminated in the South's defeat and in the abolition of slavery. All southern senators except [[Andrew Johnson]] resigned their seats at the beginning of the war, and therefore the Senate did not hold the balance of power between North and South during the war.

The years of [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction]] that followed witnessed large majorities for the [[History of the United States Republican Party|Republican Party]], 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 [[Gilded Age]], was marked by sharp political divisions in the electorate. The [[History of the United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] and Republican Party each held majorities in the House at various times.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Political Party Timeline: 1836-1864 {{!}} American Experience {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lincolns-timeline/ |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=www.pbs.org |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Thomas Brackett Reed - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] speaker of the House [[Thomas Brackett Reed]] (1895–1899)]]
The late 19th and early 20th centuries also saw a dramatic increase in the power of the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker of the House]]. The rise of the speaker's influence began in the 1890s, during the tenure of Republican [[Thomas Brackett Reed]]. "Czar 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 [[Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives|majority leader]] and [[Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives|minority leader]] 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 [[Joseph Gurney Cannon]], from 1903 to 1911. The speaker's powers included chairmanship of the influential [[United States House Committee on Rules|Rules Committee]] and the ability to appoint members of other House committees. However, these powers were curtailed in the "Revolution of 1910" because of the efforts of Democrats and dissatisfied Republicans who opposed Cannon's heavy-handed tactics.

The Democratic Party dominated the House of Representatives during the administration of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] (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, members passed major reforms that strengthened the power of sub-committees at the expense of committee chairs and allowed party leaders to nominate committee chairs. These actions were taken to undermine the [[Seniority in the United States House of Representatives|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. According to historian [[Julian E. Zelizer]], the majority Democrats minimized the number of staff positions available to the minority Republicans, kept them out of decision-making, and gerrymandered their home districts. Republican [[Newt Gingrich]] argued American democracy was being ruined by the Democrats' tactics and that the GOP had to destroy the system before it could be saved. Cooperation in governance, says Zelizer, would have to be put aside until they deposed Speaker Wright and regained power. Gingrich brought an ethics complaint which led to Wright's resignation in 1989. Gingrich gained support from the media and good government forces in his crusade to persuade Americans that the system was, in Gingrich's words, "morally, intellectually and spiritually corrupt". Gingrich followed Wright's successor, Democrat [[Tom Foley]], as speaker after the [[Republican Revolution]] of 1994 gave his party control of the House.<ref>Julian E. Zelizer, ''Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party'' (2020).</ref>

Gingrich attempted to pass a major legislative program, the [[Contract with America]] 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 [[Bill Clinton]], or were substantially altered in negotiations with Clinton. However, after Republicans held control in the [[1996 United States House of Representatives elections|1996 election]], Clinton and the Gingrich-led House agreed on the first balanced federal budget in decades, along with a substantial tax cut.<ref>Balanced Budget: HR 2015, FY 1998 Budget Reconciliation / Spending; Tax Cut: HR 2014, FY 1998 Budget Reconciliation – Revenue</ref> The Republicans held on to the House until [[2006 United States House of Representatives elections|2006]], when the Democrats won control and [[Nancy Pelosi]] was subsequently elected by the House as the first female speaker. The Republicans retook the House in [[2010 United States House of Representatives elections|2011]], with the largest shift of power since the 1930s.<ref>{{cite web | last=Neuman | first=Scott | url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130983833 | title=Obama, GOP Grapple With power shift | publisher=NPR | date=November 3, 2010 | access-date=July 2, 2011 | archive-date=June 10, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610220957/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130983833 | url-status=live }}</ref> However, the Democrats retook the house in [[2018 United States House of Representatives election|2019]], which became the largest shift of power to the Democrats since the 1970s. In the [[2022 United States House of Representatives election|2022]] elections, Republicans took back control of the House, winning a slim majority.

==Membership, qualifications, and apportionment==
{{United States House of Representatives}}

===Apportionments<!---[[Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)]] links here--->===
{{Main|United States congressional apportionment}}
Under [[Article One of the United States Constitution#House of Representatives|Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution]], seats in the House of Representatives are [[United States congressional apportionment|apportioned]] among the states by population, as determined by the [[United States Census|census]] conducted every ten years. Each state is entitled to at least one representative, however small its population.

The only constitutional rule relating to the [[United States congressional apportionment|size of the House]] states: "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative."<ref>[[Article One of the United States Constitution|Article 1, Section 2]] of the Constitution</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 "/> In 1959, upon the admission of [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]], the number was temporarily increased to 437 (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 [[1960 census]].

The Constitution does not provide for the representation of the [[District of Columbia]] or of [[United States territory|territories]]. The [[District of Columbia voting rights|District of Columbia]] and the territories of [[Puerto Rico]], [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] are each represented by one [[Delegate (United States Congress)|non-voting delegate]]. Puerto Rico elects a [[Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico|resident commissioner]], 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; before 2011,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132685281/House-Weighs-Rules-Changes | title=New House Majority Introduces Rules Changes | publisher=NPR | date=January 5, 2011 | access-date=July 2, 2011 | archive-date=February 6, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206052228/http://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132685281/House-Weighs-Rules-Changes | url-status=live }}</ref> they were also allowed to vote in committees and the [[Committee of the Whole (United States House of Representatives)|Committee of the Whole]] 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 [[Utah]], which is the state next in line to receive an additional district based on its population after the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 Census]]. The bill was under consideration in the U.S. Senate during the 2007 session.</ref>

===Redistricting===
{{Main|Redistricting in the United States}}
States entitled to more than one representative are divided into [[single-member]] [[List of United States congressional districts|districts]]. This has been a federal statutory requirement since 1967 pursuant to the act titled [[An Act For the relief of Doctor Ricardo Vallejo Samala and to provide for congressional redistricting]].<ref>{{usc|2|2c}} "no district to elect more than one Representative"</ref> Before that law, [[general ticket]] representation was used by some states.

States typically redraw district boundaries after each census, though they may do so at other times, such as the [[2003 Texas redistricting]]. Each state determines its own district boundaries, either through legislation or through non-partisan panels. [[Malapportionment]] is unconstitutional and districts must be approximately equal in population (see ''[[Wesberry v. Sanders]]''). Additionally, Section 2 of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] 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=https://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_2/about_sec2.php | work=Civil Rights Division Voting FAQ | publisher=US Dept. of Justice | access-date=April 27, 2014 | archive-date=April 15, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415070444/http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_2/about_sec2.php | url-status=live }}</ref> Aside from malapportionment and discrimination against racial or language minorities, federal courts have allowed state legislatures to engage in [[gerrymandering]] to benefit political parties or incumbents.<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=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|access-date=September 29, 2013|archive-date=September 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926165358/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2012/11/the_supreme_court_may_gut_the_voting_rights_act_and_make_gerrymandering.html|url-status=live}}</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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009091942/http://lawreview.richmond.edu/where-do-we-draw-the-line-partisan-gerrymandering-and-the-state-of-texas/|archive-date=October 9, 2013}}</ref> In a 1984 case, ''[[Davis v. Bandemer]]'', the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] held that gerrymandered districts could be struck down based on the [[Equal Protection Clause]], but the Court did not articulate a standard for when districts are impermissibly gerrymandered. However, the Court overruled Davis in 2004 in ''[[Vieth v. Jubelirer]]'', and Court precedent holds gerrymandering to be a [[political question]]. According to calculations made by [[Burt Neuborne]] using criteria set forth by the [[American Political Science Association]], only about 40 seats, less than 10% of the House membership, are chosen through a genuinely contested electoral process, given partisan gerrymandering.<ref>[[Burt Neuborne]] [https://books.google.com/books?id=knyMBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT49 ''Madison's Music: On Reading the First Amendment,''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214145510/https://books.google.com/books?id=knyMBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT49 |date=December 14, 2019 }} The New Press 2015</ref><ref>[[David D. Cole|David Cole]], [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/11/05/free-speech-big-money-bad-elections/ 'Free Speech, Big Money, Bad Elections,'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314051130/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/11/05/free-speech-big-money-bad-elections/ |date=March 14, 2016 }} in ''[[New York Review of Books]]'', November 5, 2015, pp.24–25 p.24.</ref>

===Qualifications===
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives. Each representative must: (<span class="ltr">1</span>) be at least twenty-five (<span class="ltr">25</span>) years old; (<span class="ltr">2</span>) have been a [[United States nationality law|citizen]] of the United States for the past seven years; and (<span class="ltr">3</span>) 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.

===Elections===
<!--[[File:HouseDelegations2013-23.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|All 435 voting seats of the current House shown grouped by state, largest to smallest (From 2015)]] NEEDS UPDATE TO 2020 CENSUS-->
[[File:Pop per rep.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|Population per U.S. representative allocated to each of the 50 states and D.C., ranked by population. Since D.C. (ranked 49th) receives no voting seats in the House, its bar is absent.]]
[[File:115th United States Congress Congressional Districts.pdf|thumb|right|upright=1.35|U.S. congressional districts for the 115th Congress]]
Elections for representatives are held in every even-numbered year, on [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]] the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Pursuant to the [[Uniform Congressional District Act]], representatives must be elected from [[single-member districts]]. 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 January 3). As there is no legislation at the federal level mandating one particular system for elections to the House, systems are set at the state level. As of 2022, [[first-past-the-post]] or [[plurality voting]] is adopted in 46 states, [[Ranked-choice voting in the United States|ranked-choice]] or [[instant-runoff voting]] in two states (Alaska and Maine), and [[two-round system]] in two states (Georgia and Mississippi). Elected representatives serve a two-year term, with no term limit.

In most states, major party candidates for each district are nominated in partisan [[primary election]]s, typically held in spring to late summer. In some states, the Republican and Democratic parties choose their candidates for each district in their [[political convention]]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 fights—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 [[ballot access]] rules for [[Independent politician|independent]] and [[Third party (politics)|third party]] candidates to be additional qualifications for holding office and no federal statutes regulate ballot access. As a result, the process to gain ballot access varies greatly from state to state, and in the case of a [[third party in the United States]] may be affected by results of previous years' elections.

In 1967, Congress passed the [[Uniform Congressional District Act]], which requires all representatives to be elected from single-member-districts.<ref>{{usc|2|2c}}</ref><ref name=schaller>{{cite news|last1=Schaller|first1=Thomas|title=Multi-Member Districts: Just a Thing of the Past?|url=http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/multi-member-legislative-districts-just-a-thing-of-the-past/|access-date=November 2, 2015|publisher=University of Virginia Center for Politics|date=March 21, 2013|archive-date=October 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008080844/http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/multi-member-legislative-districts-just-a-thing-of-the-past/|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the ''[[Wesberry v. Sanders]]'' decision, Congress was motivated by fears that courts would impose [[Plurality-at-large voting|at-large plurality districts]] on states that did not redistrict to comply with the new mandates for districts roughly equal in population, and Congress also sought 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|access-date=September 1, 2012|archive-date=November 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111044913/http://archive.fairvote.org/library/history/flores/district.htm#Congress|url-status=live}}</ref> Several states have used multi-member districts in the past, although only two states (Hawaii and New Mexico) used multi-member districts in 1967.<ref name=schaller/> [[Louisiana]] is unique in that it holds an all-party primary election on the general Election Day with a subsequent runoff election between the top two finishers (regardless of party) if no candidate received a majority in the primary. The states of [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and [[California]] 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.

===Non-voting delegates===
{{main|Non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives}}
Historically, many [[U.S. territory|territories]] have sent [[Non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives|non-voting delegates]] to the House. While their role has fluctuated over the years, today they have many of the same privileges as voting members, have a voice in committees, and can introduce bills on the floor, but cannot vote on the ultimate passage of bills. Presently, [[the District of Columbia]] and the five inhabited [[U.S. territories]] each elect a delegate. A seventh delegate, representing the [[Cherokee Nation]], has been formally proposed but has not yet been seated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Citing treaties, Cherokees call on Congress to seat delegate from tribe|date=August 23, 2019|last=Krehbiel-Burton|first=Lenzy|work=Tulsa World|location=Tulsa, Oklahoma|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/citing-treaties-cherokees-call-on-congress-to-seat-delegate-from/article_9da9a5d4-69a1-52d8-bad6-beea75a2e17e.html|access-date=August 24, 2019|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194358/https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/citing-treaties-cherokees-call-on-congress-to-seat-delegate-from/article_9da9a5d4-69a1-52d8-bad6-beea75a2e17e.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An eighth delegate, representing the [[Choctaw Nation]] is guaranteed by treaty but has not yet been proposed. Additionally, some territories may choose to also elect [[shadow representative]]s, though these are not official members of the House and are separate individuals from their official delegates.

===Terms===
Representatives and delegates serve for two-year terms, while a [[Resident commissioner#The United States of America|resident commissioner]] (a kind of delegate) serves for four years. A term starts on January 3 following the election in November. The U.S. Constitution requires that vacancies in the House be filled with a special election. The term of the replacement member expires on the date that the original member's would have expired.

The Constitution permits the House to [[Expulsion from the United States Congress|expel]] a member with a two-thirds vote. In the history of the United States, only six members have been expelled from the House; in 1861, three were removed for supporting the Confederate states' secession: Democrats [[John Bullock Clark]] of Missouri, [[John William Reid]] of Missouri, and [[Henry Cornelius Burnett]] of Kentucky. Democrat [[Michael Myers (Pennsylvania politician)|Michael Myers]] of Pennsylvania was expelled after his criminal conviction for accepting bribes in 1980, Democrat [[James Traficant]] of Ohio was expelled in 2002 following his conviction for corruption, and Republican [[George Santos]] was expelled in 2023 after he was implicated in fraud by both a federal indictment and a [[House Ethics Committee]] investigation.<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 |access-date=August 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707030912/http://www.rules.house.gov/archives/rl31382.pdf |archive-date=July 7, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McDaniel |first=Eric |date=December 1, 2023 |title=New York Republican George Santos expelled from Congress |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/12/01/1215899764/george-santos-expulsion-house |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201231102/https://www.npr.org/2023/12/01/1215899764/george-santos-expulsion-house |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=NPR }}</ref><ref name="NY Times: Vote on Santos Expulsion 2023">{{cite news |last1=Gamio |first1=Lazaro |last2=Williams |first2=Josh |last3=Wu |first3=Ashley |last4=Cook Escobar |first4=Molly |title=How Every Member Voted On The Expulsion of George Santos From Congress |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/01/us/politics/santos-expulsion-vote-tracker.html |access-date=December 1, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=December 1, 2023}}</ref>

The House also has the power to formally [[censure]] or reprimand its members; censure or reprimand of a member requires only a simple majority, and does not remove that member from office.

==Comparison to the Senate==
As a check on the regional, popular, and rapidly changing politics of the House, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] has several distinct powers. For example, the "[[advice and consent]]" powers (such as the power to approve [[treaties]] and confirm members of the [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]]) are a sole Senate privilege.<ref>[https://www.senate.gov/legislative/common/briefing/Senate_legislative_process.htm Senate Legislative Process] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404052410/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/common/briefing/Senate_legislative_process.htm |date=April 4, 2020 }}, 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 [[President of the United States|president]] if a presidential candidate fails to get a majority of the Electoral College votes.<ref>[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/our-government/legislative-branch The Legislative Branch] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120152201/http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/legislative-branch |date=January 20, 2013 }}, The White House. Retrieved February 3, 2010.</ref> Both House and Senate confirmation is now required to fill a vacancy if the vice presidency is vacant, according to the provisions of the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment]].<ref>Section 2 reads: "Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress."</ref><ref name=XXVHeritage>{{cite web|title=Essays on Amendment XXV: Presidential Succession|work=The Heritage Guide to the Constitution|last=Feerick|first=John|url=https://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/amendments/25/essays/187/presidential-succession|publisher=The Heritage Foundatio|archive-date=August 22, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200822232208/https://www.heritage.org/constitution/%23!/amendments/8/essays/161/cruel-and-unusual-punishment#!/amendments/25/essays/187/presidential-succession|url-status=live}}</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 referred to as the "upper" house, and the House of Representatives as the "lower" house.

==Salary and benefits==
{{See also|United States Congress#Privileges}}[[File:House of Representatives salaries.webp|thumb|300px|right|House of Representatives salaries]]

===Salaries===
Since December 2014, 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 |access-date = December 24, 2014 |archive-date = January 14, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194424/https://www.thoughtco.com/salaries-and-benefits-of-congress-members-3322282 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Brudnick" /> the same as it is for each member of the [[United States Senate|Senate]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Senate Salaries since 1789 |url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/senate_salaries.htm |website=[[United States Senate]] |access-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194432/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/senate_salaries.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker of the House]] and the [[Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives|majority]] and [[Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives|minority leaders]] earn more: $223,500 for the speaker and $193,400 for their party leaders (the same as Senate 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 | access-date=December 2, 2012 | archive-date=February 12, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212140913/http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/112_20120104_Salary.pdf  }}</ref> A [[Cost-of-living index|cost-of-living-adjustment]] (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes not to accept it. Congress sets members' salaries; however, the [[Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution]] 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=https://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid='0E%2C*PL%5B%3D%23P%20%20%0A | access-date=November 22, 2011 | archive-date=August 1, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801065621/http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid=%270E%2C%2APL%5B%3D | url-status=live }}</ref> Outside pay is limited to 15% of congressional pay, and certain types of income involving a fiduciary responsibility or personal endorsement are prohibited. Salaries are not for life, only during active term.<ref name="Brudnick" />

===Titles===
Representatives use the prefix "[[The Honorable]]" before their names. A member of the House is referred to as a ''representative'', ''congressman'', or ''congresswoman''.

Representatives are usually identified in the media and other sources by party and state, and sometimes by congressional district, or a major city or community within their district. For example, [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] representative [[Nancy Pelosi]], who represents [[California's 11th congressional district]] within [[San Francisco]], may be identified as "D–California",『D–California–11』or "D–San Francisco".

"Member of congress" is occasionally abbreviated as either "MOC" or "MC" (similar to [[Member of parliament|MP]]).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bowen |first1=Daniel C. |last2=Clark |first2=Christopher J. |date=2014 |title=Revisiting Descriptive Representation in Congress: Assessing the Effect of Race on the Constituent–Legislator Relationship |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24371902 |journal=Political Research Quarterly |volume=67 |issue=3 |pages=695–707 |doi=10.1177/1065912914531658 |jstor=24371902 |s2cid=154400883 |issn=1065-9129}}</ref> However, the abbreviation "Rep." for Representative is more common, as it avoids confusion as to whether they are a member of the House or the [[Senate]].

===Pension===
All members of Congress are automatically enrolled in the [[Federal Employees Retirement System]], a pension system also used for [[United States federal civil service|federal civil servants]], except the formula for calculating Congress members' pension results in a 70% higher pension than other federal employees based on the first 20 years of service.<ref name="CRS Retirement Report" /> 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:

# [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]]
# 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 (70% higher pension than other federal employees based on the first 20 years of service)
# The [[Thrift Savings Plan]], a [[401(<span class="ltr">k</span>)]]-like [[defined contribution plan]] for retirement account into which participants can deposit up to a maximum of $19,000 in 2019. Their employing agency [[Employer Matching Program|matches employee contributions]] 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 20 years of service, and at any age after 25 years of service.<ref name="CRS Retirement Report">{{cite web | last=Congressional Research Service | title=Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress | url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL30631 | work=CRS Report for Congress | publisher=United States Senate | date=August 8, 2019 }}</ref> With an average age of 58, the US House of Representatives is older than comparable chambers in Russia and the other G7 nations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Xiao |first1=Eva |title=Battle of the ages: how America's gerontocracy is a challenge for democracy |url=https://www.ft.com/content/faa721e6-4fcf-4b9b-ae39-9ad6c44ed971 |agency=Financial Times |date=2023}}</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 | access-date=September 21, 2012 | archive-date=February 12, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212140913/http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/112_20120104_Salary.pdf  }}</ref>

===Health benefits===
Before 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 [[Federal Employees Health Benefits Program]] (FEHBP), an employer-sponsored health insurance program, and were eligible to participate in other programs, such as the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS).<ref name="Mach & Cornell">Annie L. Mach & Ada S. Cornell, [https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43194.pdf Health Benefits for Members of Congress and Certain Congressional Staff] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194216/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43194.pdf |date=January 14, 2021 }}, Congressional Research Service, February 18, 2014.</ref>

However, Section 1312(<span class="ltr">d</span>)(<span class="ltr">3</span>)(<span class="ltr">D</span>) of the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]] (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 [[health care exchange]]. The [[Office of Personnel Management]] promulgated a final rule to comply with Section 1312(<span class="ltr">d</span>)(<span class="ltr">3</span>)(<span class="ltr">D</span>).<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 eligible for retirement may enroll in a FEHBP plan upon retirement.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/>

The [[Affordable Care Act|ACA]] and the final rule do not affect members' or staffers' eligibility for [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] 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 members and staff are eligible to participate in FSAFEDS (which has three options within the program), the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/>

The [[Office of the Attending Physician]] at the U.S. Capitol provides members with health care for an annual fee.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> The attending physician provides routine exams, consultations, and certain diagnostics, and may write prescriptions (although the office does not dispense them).<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/> The office does not provide vision or dental care.<ref name="Mach & Cornell"/>

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 [[Washington metropolitan area|National Capital Region]], 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brudnick|first1=Ida A.|title=Members' Representational Allowance: History and Usage|date=September 27, 2017|publisher=Congressional Research Service|location=Washington D.C.|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40962.pdf|access-date=October 24, 2017|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194219/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40962.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 that can 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&nbsp;million per member, and ranged from $1.35 to $1.67&nbsp;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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610230116/http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/112_20120104_Salary.pdf | archive-date=June 10, 2020 |work=Congressional Research Service Report for Congress | publisher=United States House of Representatives | access-date=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===
Before being sworn into office 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" /> Members are allowed "a sum for travel based on the following formula: 64 times the rate per mile ... multiplied by the mileage between Washington, DC, and the furthest point in a Member's district, plus 10%."<ref name="Salaries and Allowances" /> {{As of|January 2012}} the rate ranges from {{convert|0.41|to|1.32|$/mi}} based on distance ranges between D.C. and the member's district.<ref name="Salaries and Allowances" />

==Officers==

===Member officials===
The [[List of political parties in the United States|party]] with a majority of seats in the House is known as the [[majority party]]. The next-largest party is the minority party. The [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker]], 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.

The Constitution provides that the House may choose its own speaker.<ref>[http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei Article I] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128081410/http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei |date=January 28, 2010 }}, 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 [[minority party]] could be elected as speaker with the support of a fraction of members of the majority party). Under the [[Presidential Succession Act]] (1947), the speaker is second in the line of [[United States presidential line of succession|presidential succession]] after the vice president.

The speaker is the presiding officer of the House but does not preside over every debate. Instead, they delegate 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 they have first been recognized by the presiding officer. Moreover, the presiding officer may rule on a "[[point of order]]" (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 chairs of standing committees, appoints most of the members of the [[United States House Committee on Rules|Rules Committee]], appoints all members of conference committees, and determines which committees consider bills.

Each party elects a [[floor leader]], who is known as the [[majority leader]] or [[minority leader]]. The minority leader heads their party in the House, and the majority leader is their 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 [[whip (politics)|Whip]], who works to ensure that the party's members vote as the party leadership desires. The [[Assistant Party Leaders of the United States House|majority whip]] in the House of Representatives is [[Tom Emmer]], who is a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. The [[Assistant Party Leaders of the United States House|minority whip]] is [[Katherine Clark]], who is a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. The whip is supported by [[Chief Deputy Whips of the United States House of Representatives|chief deputy whips]]

After the whips, the next ranking official in the House party's leadership is the [[Party caucuses and conferences in the United States Congress|party conference chair]] (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 ([[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]]), then the co-chairs of the Steering Committee. For the Republicans it is the [[chair of the House Republican Policy Committee]], followed by the campaign committee chairman (styled as the [[National Republican Congressional Committee]]).

The chairs of [[Standing committee (United States Congress)|House committees]], particularly influential standing committees such as [[United States House Committee on Appropriations|Appropriations]], [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means|Ways and Means]], and [[United States House Committee on Rules|Rules]], are powerful but not officially part of the House leadership hierarchy. Until the post of majority leader was created, the chair of Ways and Means was the ''[[de facto]]'' 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 ''[[de facto]]'' "leader of the opposition". Some notable examples include [[Tip O'Neill]] in the 1980s, [[Newt Gingrich]] in the 1990s, [[John Boehner]] in the early 2010s, and [[Nancy Pelosi]] in the late 2000s and again in the late 2010s and early 2020s. 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 such officer is the [[Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|clerk]], who maintains public records, prepares documents, and oversees junior officials, including [[United States House of Representatives Page|pages]] until the discontinuation of House pages in 2011. The clerk also presides over the House at the beginning of each new Congress pending the election of a speaker. Another officer is the [[Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives|chief administrative officer]], responsible for the day-to-day administrative support to the House of Representatives. This includes everything from payroll to [[foodservice]].

The position of [[Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives|chief administrative officer]] (CAO) was created by the [[104th Congress]] following the [[United States elections, 1994|1994 mid-term elections]], replacing the positions of [[Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives|doorkeeper]] 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 [[Committee on House Administration]], then headed by Representative [[Charlie Rose (congressman)|Charlie Rose]] of North Carolina, along with the House "Folding Room".

The [[Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives|chaplain]] leads the House in [[prayer]] at the opening of the day. The [[Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives|sergeant at arms]] is the House's chief law enforcement officer and maintains order and security on House premises. Finally, routine police work is handled by the [[United States Capitol Police]], which is supervised by the [[Capitol Police Board]], a body to which the sergeant at arms belongs, and chairs in even-numbered years.

==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 [[Podium|rostrum]] from which the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker]], 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 |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 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 |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>

In one of its first resolutions, the U.S. House of Representatives established the [[Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives|Office of the Sergeant at Arms]]. In an American tradition adopted from English custom in 1789 by the first speaker of the House, [[Frederick Muhlenberg]] of [[Pennsylvania]], the [[Mace of the United States House of Representatives]] 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 ahead of the speaker in procession to the [[Podium|rostrum]]. 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 |location=Philadelphia |publisher=[[American Philosophical Society]] |pages=23–26 |isbn=978-0-87169-874-2 |access-date=January 10, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194449/https://books.google.com/books?id=IkALAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Constitution provides that a majority of the House constitutes a [[quorum]] to do business.<ref name=annotate>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/art1frag19_user.html |title=CRS Annotated Constitution |website=[[Cornell University Law School]] |publisher=[[Legal Information Institute]] |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194303/https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Under the rules and customs of the House, a quorum is always assumed present unless a [[quorum call]] 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 on. The presiding officer does not accept a point of order of no quorum during general debate, or when a question is not before the House.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-HPRACTICE-112/pdf/GPO-HPRACTICE-112-44.pdf |title=House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House, Chapter 43: Quorums |page=743 |website=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]] |access-date=July 15, 2019 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194232/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-HPRACTICE-112/pdf/GPO-HPRACTICE-112-44.pdf |url-status=live }}</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? |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> 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 only by name, but also by state, using forms such as "the gentleman from Virginia", "the distinguished gentlewoman from California", or "my distinguished friend from Alabama".

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 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= The House Floor | publisher=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives | access-date=August 23, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702003801/http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/art_artifacts/virtual_tours/house_chamber/index.html | archive-date=July 2, 2011 }}</ref>

===Passage of legislation===

Per the Constitution, the House of Representatives determines the rules according to which it passes legislation. Any of the rules can be changed 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>{{cite web | url=http://www.house.gov/content/learn | title=The House Explained | publisher=House.gov | access-date=July 2, 2011 | archive-date=January 14, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194411/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained | url-status=live }}</ref> Before legislation reaches the floor of the House, the [[United States House Committee on Rules|Rules Committee]] normally passes a rule to govern debate on that measure (which then must be passed by the full House before it becomes effective). 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 their point.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rules.house.gov/about |title=About the Committee on Rules—History and Processes |last1=Sessions |first1=Pete |website=U.S. House of Representatives |publisher=Committee on Rules |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116130343/https://rules.house.gov/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

When debate concludes, the motion is put to a vote.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hudiburg |first1=Jane A. |title=House Voting Procedures: Forms and Requirements |date=July 23, 2018 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |location=Washington, DC |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/98-228.pdf |access-date=July 25, 2018 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194233/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/98-228.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In many cases, the House votes by voice vote; the presiding officer puts the question, and members respond either "yea!" or "aye!" (in favor of the motion) or "nay!" or "no!" (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. Traditionally, 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|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|publisher=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]]|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926022918/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-HPRACTICE-112/html/GPO-HPRACTICE-108-59.htm|archive-date=September 26, 2015}}<br />{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/legislative-process/house-floor|title=The Legislative Process: House Floor|website=[[Library of Congress]]|access-date=January 12, 2015|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194441/https://www.congress.gov/legislative-process/house-floor|url-status=live}}</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 [[roll call vote]]. 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 (and usually for ceremonial occasions, 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, at most, 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 |date=March 29, 2007 |website=[[CBS News]] |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194437/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/under-the-influence/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2005 vote on the [[Central American Free Trade Agreement]] was open for one hour, from 11:00&nbsp;p.m. to midnight.<ref>{{cite news |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=July 28, 2005 |website=[[CNN]] |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194454/http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/28/house.cafta/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An October 2005 vote on facilitating refinery construction was kept open for forty minutes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/10/08/refinery-bill-passes-amid-partisan-split/ |title=Refinery Bill Passes Amid Partisan Split |date=October 8, 2005 |website=[[Fox News]] |agency=Associated Press |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=February 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228090914/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/10/08/refinery-bill-passes-amid-partisan-split/ |url-status=live }}</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 |location=Belmont, California |publisher=Wadsworth Cengage Learning |page=246 |isbn=978-0-495-50370-5 |access-date=January 10, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194448/https://books.google.com/books?id=QGlKrQ78UEsC&pg=PA246 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Committees and caucuses==
{{Further|United States congressional committee|List of United States House of Representatives committees}}
[[File:United States House of Representatives 2024 by caucus.svg|thumb|alt=US House of Representatives Caucuses 2024|
'''[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] (212)''' 
{{legend|#FF9900|[[Congressional Progressive Caucus]]: 73 seats}}
{{legend|#8B6B2E|[[New Democrat Coalition|NDC]] and [[Congressional Progressive Caucus|CPC]]: 23 seats}}{{legend|#003366|[[New Democrat Coalition]]: 70 seats}}
{{legend|#0086B9|[[Blue Dog Coalition|BDC]] and [[New Democrat Coalition|NDC]]: 5 seats}}
{{legend|#00CCFF|[[Blue Dog Coalition]]: 5 seats}}
{{legend|#CCCCFF|Other Democrats: 36 seats}} 
'''Vacant (<span class="ltr">6</span>)''' 
{{legend|#FFFFFF|Vacant (<span class="ltr">6</span>)}} 
'''[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] (217)''' 
{{legend|#FFCCCC|Other Republicans: 14 seats}}
{{legend|#CC0000|[[Republican Study Committee]]: 162 seats}}
{{legend|#F100CA|[[Republican Study Committee|RSC]] and [[Freedom Caucus]]: 17 seats{{efn|name=Unlisted|The Freedom caucus does not publish its member roster and the actual count may therefore be higher.}}}}
{{legend|#FE9FFF|[[Freedom Caucus]]: 24 seats{{efn|name=Unlisted|The Freedom caucus does not publish its member roster and the actual count may therefore be higher.}}}}]]
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, with two exceptions: on the Rules Committee, the majority party fills nine of the thirteen seats;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rules.house.gov/110/comm_history.html|title=Committee on Rules – A History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730234619/http://rules.house.gov/110/comm_history.html |archive-date=July 30, 2008 }}</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 | access-date=August 23, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707024139/http://ethics.house.gov/Media/PDF/110th%20Committee%20Rules.pdf | archive-date=July 7, 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, but had 54% of the Appropriations Committee members, 55% of the members on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and 58% of the members on the Judiciary Committee.

The largest committee of the House is the [[Committee of the Whole (United States House of Representatives)|Committee of the Whole]], 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 Committee of the Whole is its ability to include otherwise non-voting members of [[United States Congress|Congress]].

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 [[subpoena]] witnesses and evidence.

The House also has one permanent committee that is not a standing committee, the [[Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]], and occasionally may establish temporary or advisory committees, such as the [[Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming]]. 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 [[Library of Congress]]. Other joint committees serve to make advisory reports; for example, there exists a [[Joint Committee on Taxation]]. 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. [[Woodrow Wilson]] 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; members of Congress 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 [[caucus]]es to elect chairs, shifting power upward to the party leaders. In 1995, Republicans under [[Newt Gingrich]] set a limit of three two-year terms for committee chairs. The chairman's powers are extensive; he controls 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." Because of the [[Origination Clause]], the Senate cannot initiate bills imposing taxes. This provision barring the Senate from introducing revenue bills is based on the practice of the [[British Parliament]], in which only the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] may originate such measures. Furthermore, congressional tradition holds that the House of Representatives originates [[appropriation bill]]s.

Although it cannot originate revenue bills, the Senate retains the power to amend or reject them. [[Woodrow Wilson]] wrote the following about appropriations bills:<ref>Wilson, Woodrow. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=eWBJfdV_jv8C&q=originate&pg=PA155 Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212083758/https://books.google.com/books?id=eWBJfdV_jv8C&lpg=PP1&dq=editions%3AXH62sjkuTc4C&pg=PA155#v=onepage&q=originate&f=false |date=February 12, 2021 }}'', pp.&nbsp;155–156 (Transaction Publishers 2002) (quotation marks omitted).</ref>
<blockquote>[<span class="ltr">T</span>]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 [[conference committee]], which includes members of both bodies. For the stages through which bills pass in the Senate, see [[Act of Congress]].

The president may [[Veto power in the United States|veto]] a bill passed by the House and Senate. If they do, the bill does not become law unless each House, by a two-thirds vote, votes to override the veto.

==Checks and balances==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2020}}
The Constitution provides that the Senate's "[[advice and consent]]" 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 [[impeach]] federal officials for "[[Treason]], [[Bribery]], or other high [[Crime]]s and [[Misdemeanor]]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 may be 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 seventeen officials, of whom seven were convicted. (Another, [[Richard Nixon]], resigned after the [[House Judiciary Committee]] passed [[articles of impeachment]] but before a formal impeachment vote by the full House.) Only three presidents of the United States have ever been impeached: [[Andrew Johnson]] in 1868, [[Bill Clinton]] in 1998, and [[Donald Trump]] in 2019 and in 2021. The trials of Johnson, Clinton and Trump all ended in acquittal; in Johnson's case, the Senate fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction.

Under the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twelfth Amendment]], the House has the power to elect the president if no presidential candidate receives a majority of votes in the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]]. 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 [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twelfth Amendment]], it elected [[Thomas Jefferson]] over [[Aaron Burr]]. In 1824, it elected [[John Quincy Adams]] over [[Andrew Jackson]] and [[William H. Crawford]]. (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 party standings==
{{See also|2022 United States House of Representatives elections|118th United States Congress}}

'''{{As of|2024|07|10|df=US}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Party Breakdown: 118th Congress House Lineup |date=July 10, 2024 |url=https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown |access-date=July 10, 2024}}</ref>'''

{| style="width:100%; text-align:center"
|+ ↓

|- style="color:white"
| style="background:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}; width:50.81%" | '''{{HouseRepublicanTally}}'''
<!--| style="background:{{party color|Independent Party (United States)}}; width:0.00%" | '''0'''-->
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}; width:49.19%" | '''{{HouseDemocraticTally}}'''

|-
| style="color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | '''Republican'''
<!--| style="color:{{party color|Independent Party (United States)}}" | --><!-- Don't show '''Independent''' here. It messes up the width and impresses upon the reader that they have more seats in the House than what they actually have. -->
| style="color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | '''Democratic'''

|}
[[File:United States House of Representatives Pie Chart.png|thumb|Pie Chart detailing the Partisan seat count. {{legend|#0000FF|Democratic Party}}{{legend|#ff0000|Republican Party}}{{legend|Gray|Vacant}}]]
{| class=wikitable
|- valign=bottom
! colspan=2 | Affiliation
! Members
! Delegates/resident<br />commissioner<br /><span style="font-size:87%;">(non-voting)</span>
! State<br />majorities
|-
! style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}; width: 4px" |
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=center | {{HouseRepublicanTally}}
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 26
|-
! style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}; width: 4px" |
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align=center | {{HouseDemocraticTally}}
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 22
|-
! style="background:white; width:4px;"|
| ''Vacant''
| align=center | {{HouseVacantTally}}
| align=center |
| align=center |
|-
! colspan=2 | Total
! 435
! 6
! 50
|-
! colspan=2 | Majority{{efn|The number of the majority party's voting representatives in the House in excess of the minimum number required to have an absolute majority of voting representatives.}}
! {{#expr: floor ((abs ({{HouseRepublicanTally}} - {{HouseDemocraticTally}}) - 1) / 2)}}
|}

==See also==
* [[2022 United States House of Representatives elections]]
* [[List of current members of the United States House of Representatives]]
* [[Third-party members of the United States House of Representatives]]
* [[U.S. representative bibliography (congressional memoirs)]]
* [[Women in the United States House of Representatives]]

== References ==
=== Footnotes ===
{{Notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

===Sources and further reading===
{{refbegin|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 | url=https://archive.org/details/almanacofamerica00mich_5 | url-access=registration | 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 | url=https://archive.org/details/ambitionpowerjim00barr | url-access=registration | publisher=Viking | year=1989 | isbn=978-0-670-81924-9 }}, 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. |date=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=[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 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 [http://bioguide.congress.gov Biographical Directory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091110160811/http://bioguide.congress.gov/ |date=November 10, 2009 }}.
* {{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}}
* [[Congressional Quarterly]], 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=[[Congressional Quarterly]]'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 | url=https://archive.org/details/keeperofrulescon00dier | url-access=registration | publisher=Univ. Press of Virginia | year=1987 | isbn=978-0-8139-1068-0 }}, leader of [[Conservative coalition]] 1940–66
* {{cite book | last=Farrell | first=John A. | title=Tip O'Neill and the Democratic Century | url=https://archive.org/details/tiponeilldemoc00farr | url-access=registration | publisher=Little, Brown | year=2001 | isbn=978-0-316-26049-7 }}, 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 | journal=William and Mary Quarterly | volume=29 | year=1972 | issue=3 | pages=367–90 | doi=10.2307/1923870| jstor=1923870 }}
* {{cite book | last=Hechler | first=Ken | title=Toward the Endless Frontier: History of the Committee on Science and Technology, 1959–79. | url=https://archive.org/details/towardendlessfro00hech | 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 | url=https://archive.org/details/rageforjusticepa00jaco | url-access=registration | 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 | url=https://archive.org/details/electoralorigins00jaco | url-access=registration | 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=[[Linda Grant DePauw|Grant de Pauw, Linda]] | 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 | url=https://archive.org/details/congressionalexp0000pric | url-access=registration | publisher=Westview | year=1992 }}, Political scientist who served in House.
* {{cite book | last=Remini |first=Robert V. | author-link=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 | journal=Congress & the Presidency | volume=14 | year=1987| issue=2 | pages=111–133 | doi=10.1080/07343468709507958 }}
* {{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= [[Marceline, Missouri]] | 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 | url=https://archive.org/details/legislatorsleade0000sinc | url-access=registration | publisher=Johns Hopkins Univ. Press | year=1995 | isbn=978-0-8018-4955-8 }}
* {{cite book | last=Steinberg | first=Alfred | title=Sam Rayburn: A Biography | url=https://archive.org/details/samrayburnbiogra00stei | url-access=registration | publisher=Hawthorn | year=1975 | isbn=978-0-8015-5210-6 }}, 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=[[Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States|Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (2 vol.)]] | year=1891 | publisher=Brown & Little | location=Boston | author-link = 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 | journal=Polity | year=2000 | volume=32 | issue = 4 | pages=561–593 | doi=10.2307/3235293 | jstor=3235293 | s2cid=155152645 }}, 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
* Valelly, Richard M., "The Reed Rules and Republican Party Building A New Look", ''Studies in American Political Development,'' 23 (Oct. 2009), 115–42. [https://www.academia.edu/download/34982593/Valelly_on_Reed_Rules.pdf online]{{dead link|date=July 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{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 | url=https://archive.org/details/congressionalgov00wilsiala | year=1885 | publisher=Houghton Mifflin | location=New York | author-link=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}}

====Surveys====
{{refbegin}}
* 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 | url=https://archive.org/details/forgeofdemocracy00macn | url-access=registration | 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 | url=https://archive.org/details/americanspeakers2ndpete | url-access=registration | year=1997 | edition=2nd | publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] | location=Baltimore | isbn=978-0-8018-5758-4 }}
* {{cite book | last=Polsby | first=Nelson W. | title=How Congress Evolves: Social Bases of Institutional Change | author-link = Nelson W. Polsby | year=2004 | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] | location=New York | isbn=978-0-19-516195-3 | url = https://archive.org/details/howcongressevolv00pols_0 }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Poole |first1 = Keith T. | title=Congress: A Political-Economic History of Roll Call Voting |first2 = Howard |last2 = Rosenthal | year=1997 | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=New York | isbn=978-0-19-514242-6 }}
* {{cite book | last=Remini | first=Robert V. | title = The House: The History of the House of Representatives | author-link = Robert V. Remini | year=2006 | publisher=[[HarperCollins]] | location=New York | isbn=978-0-06-088434-5 | url = https://archive.org/details/househistoryo00remi }}
* {{cite book | last=Sinclair | first=Barbara | title=Majority Leadership in the U.S. House | url=https://archive.org/details/majorityleadersh00sinc | url-access=registration | year=1983 | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore | isbn=978-0-8018-2933-8 }}
* {{cite book | editor=Julian E. Zelizer | title = The American Congress: The Building of Democracy | year=2004 | publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin]] | location=New York | isbn=978-0-618-17906-0 | url = https://archive.org/details/americancongress00juli }}
* Zelizer, Julian E. ''Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party'' (Penguin, 2020), focus on Jim Wright and Newt Gingrich in 1990s.

{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|United States House of Representatives.ogg|date=August 4, 2006}}
* {{Official website}}
** [http://clerk.house.gov Clerk of the House of Representatives]
** [http://cao.house.gov Chief Administrative Office of the House]
** [http://majorityleader.gov Office of the majority leader]
** [http://speaker.gov Office of the speaker of the House]
** [http://www.house.gov/representatives Official list of current members]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20110601184453/http://www.rules.house.gov/singlepages.aspx?NewsID=160&rsbd=165 Rules of the House]
* [https://www.congress.gov// Legislative information and archives for US House and Senate], via [[Congress.gov]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100423082228/http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present'']
* [http://dca.tufts.edu/features/aas A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725105911/http://dca.tufts.edu/features/aas |date=July 25, 2008 }}
* [http://www.aggdata.com/political/us-representatives Complete Downloadable List of U.S. Representative Contact Information], via AggData LLC
* [http://www.usbills.info Information about U.S. Congressional Bills and Resolutions]

{{United States Congress}}
{{United States legislatures}}
{{United States topics}}
{{National lower houses}}
{{Authority control}}

{{coord|38|53|20|N|77|0|32|W|region:US_type:landmark | display=title}}

[[Category:United States House of Representatives| ]]
[[Category:1789 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:National lower houses]]