Subjects:
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
The Senate, the smaller of the two chambers, is composed of two members
for each state as provided by the Constitution. Membership in the House is based on population and its size is therefore not specified in the Constitution.
The first Congress under the Constitution met on March 4, 1789, in the Federal Hall in New York City. The membership then consisted of 20 Senators (because 3 of the original 13 states of the USA had not ratified the Constitution already) and 59 Representatives.
For more than 100 years after the adoption of the Constitution, senators were not elected by direct vote of the people but were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were looked on as representatives of their home states. Their duty was to
ensure that their states were treated equally in all legislation. The 17th Amendment, adopted in 1913, provided for direct election of the Senate.
Now the Senate consists of 100 members, 2 for each State, electe
. . .
Oversight power is an essential check in monitoring the presidency and controlling public policy. The lawmaking process
One of the major characteristics of the Congress is the dominant role committees play in its proceedings. The hearing process, which can last several weeks or months, opens the legislative process to public participation. A few of these powers are now outdated -- the District of Columbia today is largely self-governing -- but they remain in effect. The continuity and six-year terms were meant to allow the Senate to serve as a restraining influence on the House. When debate is ended, members vote either to approve the bill, defeat it, table it – which means setting it aside -- or return it to committee. Both Houses meet in joint session on the sixth day of January, following a presidential election, unless by law they appoint a different day, to count the electoral votes. The permanent number of 435 was established by federal law following the Thirteenth Decennial Census in 1910, in accordance with Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution.
The second is that a bicameral legislature offered a way of resolving a major conflict in the writing of the Constitution. It provided for equal representation for each state in the Senate, and for the House of Representatives to be elected on the basis of population. It applies to Cabinet departments, executive agencies, regulatory commissions and the presidency. Congressional oversight prevents waste and fraud; protects civil liberties and individual rights; ensures executive compliance with the law; gathers information for making laws and educating the public; and evaluates executive performance. Some are drawn up by standing committees; some by special committees created to deal with specific legislative issues; and some may be suggested by the president or other executive officers.
At present the Senate has 16 standing (or permanent) committees; the House of Representatives has 22.
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