THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House of Representatives is the larger of the two houses of Congress. Today, there are 435 members, known as Representatives.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REPRESENTATION. The Constitu­tion lists three qualifications for membership in the House of Representatives. A Representa­tive must be at least 25 years old. He or she must have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years. And, a Representative must live or have residence in the state from which he or she is elected.

Representation in the House of Representatives is based on each state's population. This means that the more people a state has, the more Representatives the state has in the House.

Each state's Representatives are elected from certain areas within the state. Such an area is known as a congressional district. One Representative is elected from each district. Unlike Senators, then, members of the House represent the people of a district, rather than the people of an entire state.

Representatives must: Be at least 25 years old. Be a U.S. citizen for the past 7 years. Live in the state they represent.

ELECTION AND TERMS. Members of the House of Representatives are elected in general elections, held in November of even-numbered years. Each member serves a two-year term in office. Thus, unlike the Senate, the House is not a continuous body. Every two years, the terms of all of the members end.

Once a Representative's term ends he or she may run for reelection. There is no limit to the number of terms Representatives may serve.

The House has special jobs that only it can do. It can:

• Start laws that make people pay taxes (i.e. revenue bills).
• Decide if a government official should be put on trial before the Senate if s/he commits a crime against the country.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1232