Discharge petition. A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had a bill for thirty days, may ask to have it brought to the floor. If a majority of the members agree, the bill will leave the committee. This was designed to prevent a committee from killing a bill by holding it for too long.

In United States parliamentary procedure, a discharge petition is a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee by “discharging” the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution.

First, a representative sponsors a bill. If released by the committee, the bill is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated or amended. If the bill passes by simple majority (218 of 435), the bill moves to the Senate. In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, debated and voted on.

After a bill has been introduced and referred to committee for thirty legislative days or more, any Member may file a motion (under clause 2 of rule XV) with the Clerk of the House to discharge the committee from further consideration of the bill.

These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes. The rules committee can be bypassed in three ways: 1) members can move rules to be suspended (requires 2/3 vote)2) a discharge petition can be filed 3) the House can use a Calendar Wednesday procedure.

This provision, commonly called the two-speech rule, limits each Senator to making two speeches per day, however long each speech may be, on each debatable question the Senate considers.

218 members

Reapportionment is the redistribution of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives based on changes in population. These changes are recorded by the U.S. Census, which is conducted every 10 years. In the House, federal law requires that there is always a total of 435 seats (with each seat representing one district).

Article One of the United States Constitution establishes the United States House of Representatives and apportions Representatives to the states based on population, with reapportionment occurring every ten years. The decennial United States census determines the population of each state.

How does incumbency affect congressional elections? It is the most important factor in the success of a congressional campaign.

Why was Congress created the way it was? Created to be powerful but not tyrannical. Uses Separation of powers and checks and balances to keep balance. Describe the two types of congressional powers.

In total, 98% of all incumbents were re-elected. Congressional elections are stagnant, and because of the high invincibility of House incumbents, very few districts are truly competitive, with elections shifting very few seats from one party to another.

Another difference is who they represent. Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by a state’s population. Debate is nearly unlimited in the Senate and all members have an opportunity to influence legislation.

The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an Electoral College tie.

How many people do congressmen and senators represent? Members of the U.S. House of Representatives each represent a portion of their state known as a Congressional District, which averages 700,000 people. Senators however, represent the entire state.