Legislative Branch
The Congress is the legislative branch of the United States Government. It is responsible for making our nation's laws. Congress consists of two legislative bodies - the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both the House and Senate meet in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
There are 100 Senators and 435 Representatives in Congress. Each state sends 2 Senators to Congress, and each Senator serves a six-year term. The number of Representatives each state sends to Congress varies depending on the number of people who live in that state, but each state has at least one Representative, and each Representative serves a two-year term. At the end of their terms in office, U.S. Senators and Representatives may run for re-election if they choose to do so, and many Senators and Representatives serve for a number of terms. There are currently no limits on the number of terms Senators and Representatives may serve.
The following web sites provide additional information about the U.S. Congress:
U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. House of Representatives Homepage - provides a great deal of information and links
- Find a Bill or Law - you can search by bill number, title, sponsor or other criteria
- The Legislative Process - describes how our laws are made
- Clerk of the House - contains links to Congressional Roll Call Votes, Bill Summaries, the Congressional Record, and other useful information
- Clerk of the House for Kids - helps young people learn about Congress
U.S. Senate
- U.S. Senate Homepage - provides a great deal of information and links
- The Senate Legislative Process - describes how our laws are made and describes the ways in which the legislative process in the Senate is different from that in the House