What powers do the House and Senate have?
Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a government official, in effect serving as prosecutor. The Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials, essentially serving as jury and judge. Since 1789 the Senate has tried 20 federal officials, including three presidents.
What powers do the House and the Senate share?
The two houses share other powers, many of which are listed in Article I, Section 8. These include the power to declare war, coin money, raise an army and navy, regulate commerce, establish rules of immigration and naturalization, and establish the federal courts and their jurisdictions.
What are the duties of the House of Representatives?
The House of Representatives has two main duties: making laws and scrutinising the work of the Government. The main task of the Senate is considering bills approved by the House of Representatives.
How members of the House of Representatives are elected?
All members of the House of Representatives stand for reelection every two years. They are elected, each from the Congressional District they represent. Each is elected by a popular vote—usually first a primary election to sort out the candidates in each political party, then a general election to elect the winner between the parties.
What is the minimum number of Representatives?
The minimum is one member in the House of Representatives, per state. In the Senate, each state is represented by 2 senators. The maximum number of members in the House of Representatives was set to 435 in the apportionment act of 1911 .
How many seats are in the US House of Representatives?
The House of Representatives currently consists of 151 members, elected by and representing single member districts known as electoral divisions (commonly referred to as “electorates” or “seats”). The number of members is not fixed but can vary with boundary changes resulting from electoral redistributions,…