• How many Members of Congress are there?
• What is the current party make up of the House of Representatives?
  
• How often are Representatives and Senators up for re-election?
• How many people do Congressmen/women and Senators represent?
• What's the biggest difference between the House and the Senate in how they operate?
• How much do Representatives and Senators get paid?
• How much is spent on office expenses?
• How many women serve in Congress?
• What is the proper form for addressing a letter to a Member of Congress?
  
• Does it make any difference if I email, write, or call Congresswoman Berkley?
• Why does Congress use a Committee System?
• What committees does Rep. Berkley sit on?
• How many bills are introduced every year?

How many Members of Congress are there?

What is the current party make up of the House of Representatives?

In the 111th Session of Congress (2009-2011) there are 435 Representatives in the House with 253 Democrats, 177 Republicans, 0 Independents and 5 vacancies.

How often are Representatives and Senators up for re-election?

Senators are elected for six-year terms. Unlike the House where everyone is up for re-election at the same time, every two years about 1/3 of the Senators are up for re-election.

How many people do Congressmen/women and Senators represent?

Under the Constitution, each state is entitled to at least one Representative, serving a two-year term. Additional seats are apportioned on the basis of the state's population. Congress fixes the size of the House of Representatives, and the procedure of apportioning the number among the states. State legislatures pass laws determining the physical boundaries of congressional districts, within certain constraints established by the Congress and Supreme Court (through its reapportionment and redistricting rulings). Each state is apportioned its number of Representatives by means of the Department of Commerce's decennial census. Further information on current congressional districts may be found at the US Census Bureau's Congressional Affairs Office page on Congressional District Profiles.

What's the biggest difference between the House and the Senate in how they operate?

In the House, the party with the majority number of seats has the power. The House conducts most of its important business by passing rules bills.  These are literally bills that determine how the House will consider a bill.  Because a rule requires only a simple majority, the party with the most votes has the upper hand.

In the Senate, while the majority still enjoys a tremendous advantage, any single Senator has immense power and can stop anything on their own. As a result, the Senate conducts a great amount of its business through something called unanimous consent agreements. Everyone must agree or things can't move forward.

How much do Representatives and Senators get paid?

How much is spent on office expenses?

Every Member in the House and the Senate gets an allotment (called a Members Representational Allowance in the House) which they can use to hire and pay staff, buy office supplies, lease office space in their home state or district, mail official documents, answer mail, travel back and forth between Washington and their home, and generally try to serve their constituents. The amount each office gets is based on a formula, but generally it's around $1 million. There are limits on how many people you can hire (18 permanent, 4 part time) and on how much you can pay people (max is $151,000). It varies from member to member, but most offices spend the most on staff salaries, then mail, then office rent, travel, supplies, etc.

Members are expressly prohibited from using their taxpayer-financed office money for campaign activities, personal expenses, or primarily social activities. Members also can't accept support from private sources for their official duties (except for travel).

• See Congressional Research Service report on the Members Representational Allowance

How many women serve in Congress?

What is the proper form for addressing a letter to a Member of Congress?

Does it make any difference if I email, write, or call Congresswoman Berkley?

Yes, Contacting your representative makes a difference. Any form of correspondence is an additional piece of information your Member of Congress may use to make their decision when voting. With the number of issues before Congress, your email, letter, or phone call could be the only way that your Member knows how their constituency feels about a particular issue.

Emails are the most preferable way of contacting the Congresswoman. Since September 11th, it can take up to four weeks for our office to receive mail, delaying the conveyance of your opinions and concerns as well as our response. Emails are the fastest and most efficient form of communication and are treated in the same manner as "normal" mail.

For more information., see our Contact Shelley section.

Why does Congress use a Committee System?

Congress deals with too many things for individual Members of Congress to debate everything, and so many things are non-controversial that they don't need much time or debate. Every year a member will vote about 600 times on dozens of issues. It's impossible for any one person to know every issue in the detail that is necessary to make an informed decision. The Committee System helps members specialize in certain areas and gain expertise, while still allowing the entire House or Senate to work its will.

What committees does Rep. Berkley sit on?

Congresswoman Berkley sits on the following committees:

House Committee Assignments for the 111th Congress

• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support
• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Europe
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia