Welcome to the 111th Congress

WELCOME TO TODAY’S CIVICS LESSON

“The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.”

-20th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, ratified January 23, 1933

Today is the first day of the 111th Congress, as established by Public Law 110-430, approved October 15, 2008.  Prior to the 20th Amendment, which sought to shorten the “lame duck” period, Congress used to convene in December and the President was sworn in sometime in March. You can read more about the history of the 20th Amendment, as well as the rest of the Constitution, here.

By the way, if you didn’t already know this and if you were a fan of my favorite show, The West Wing, you now know there was a goof in the series finale, “Tomorrow,” when characters wonder why the Founding Fathers would schedule the Inauguration in the middle of winter.

This Congress will have some historic firsts:

• The House of Representatives will be gaveled in by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who since 2007 has served as its first female Speaker.
• The House will also seat its first member from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Delegate Gregorio Sablan, a non-voting member.  This will bring its total membership to 441.
• Delegate Sablan is also the first Member of Congress of Chamorro descent.
• On January 8, they are scheduled to count the electoral votes, which will certify that President-Elect Barack Obama will indeed be the next POTUS (that’s President of the United States for the non-West Wingers).

TRACKING THE 111TH CONGRESS

If you want to be an informed citizen, or even if you’re just curious about something going on in the halls of Congress one day, there are many resources to help you.

• Want to track a bill or resolution? Find legislative information at http://thomas.loc.gov, a system named in honor of President Thomas Jefferson and maintained by the Library of Congress.  You can find out when a bill was introduced, by whom, what committee it is referred to, and other Congressional action.
• Want to know what’s going on right now in Washington that’s interesting? Tune in to my favorite network, C-SPAN, or its sister networks C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3.  The Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network is funded by the cable industry as a public service.  If you ever visit Congressional offices while Congress is in session, most, if not all of them, will have one of the C-SPAN channels on.  It’s that good.
• Want to know how much a Congressional staffer is paid? Check out http://www.legistorm.com for salary information as well as travel paid by non-taxpayer funds.  You’ll need to know either the person’s name or the Member they work for.  You can also find the salary of a Representative or Senator, but those are set by law.  On the other hand, staff salaries are set by individual bosses, provided they conform to that chamber’s rules.
• Want to know more about a specific Representative, Senator, Vice President, or President? Consult the Congressional Biographical Directory.
• Don’t know who your state’s two Senators are or who your district’s Representative is? You can go straight to http://senate.gov/ or http://www.house.gov.  Both sites have tools to help you look up your member.
• Finally, a hint: You may not know, but if you write to someone who does not represent your state or district, Congressional courtesy generally requires that person to forward your correspondence to the correct Representative or Senator.  There is even a rule to this effect in the House.  So you should try to find your correct elected official and contact that person.  There are some exceptions, especially when the person is the Chair or Ranking Member (Vice Chair) of a committee or holds some other leadership position.

Hope you enjoyed today’s lesson.  Unlike school, there will be no test.

I’m always willing to answer questions about government.  Of course, you have to be willing to hear my answer, which will include background, other pertinent information, and yes, the answer you sought.

Mahalo!

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