A Member of Congress is a U.S. Representative, who serves in the House of Representatives, or a U.S. Senator, who serves in the Senate. A Member of the House also is called a Congresswoman or Congressman. (Delegates and the Resident Commissioner are nonvoting members of the House.)

For lists of current Members of the House, visit the Member Information page.
For lists of current Senators, visit the U.S. Senate website.

The office of Delegate was established by ordinance of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) and confirmed by a law of the U.S. Congress. From the beginning of the Republic, the U.S. House of Representatives has admitted Delegates from territories or districts organized by law. There are currently five Delegates, including one from the District of Columbia, and one from each of the following territories:

• American Samoa
• Guam
• The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
• The Virgin Islands.

Congress created the post of Resident Commissioner in 1900 to apply to Puerto Rico. Congress granted a Resident Commissioner to the Philippines several years later. Since 1946, when the Philippines became independent, only Puerto Rico has had a Resident Commissioner.

Delegates and Representatives serve a two-year term, and the Resident Commissioner serves a four-year term.  In most respects, Delegates and the Resident Commissioner have most of the authority that Members have. On the House Floor, they can speak, introduce bills, and offer amendments. They can serve on House Committees and possess most of the authority that other Committee members have.

Delegates and the Resident Commissioner also may offer amendments while the House is conducting business as the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. However, unlike Members, they may not vote while the House is conducting business as the Committee of the Whole or vote on the final passage of legislation when the House is meeting.

For current lists of the Members, Delegates, and Resident Commissioner, visit the Member Information page.

As required by Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, Members of Congress shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution. Representatives, delegates, and the resident commissioner all take the oath of office on the first day of the new Congress, immediately after the House has elected its Speaker. The Speaker of the House administers the oath of office as follows:

"I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Representatives elected in special elections during the course of a Congress generally take the oath of office on the floor of the House Chamber when the Clerk of the House has received a formal notice of the new Member's election or appointment from State government authorities. On rare occasions, because of illness or other circumstances, a Member-elect has been authorized to take the oath of office at a place other than the House. In those circumstances, the Clerk of the House sees to the proper administration of the oath.

Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states:

"No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."

These requirements cannot be changed without a constitutional amendment.

General elections for the U.S. House of Representatives are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, in even-numbered years.

View Election Statistics.

House candidates of major political parties are nominated by primary election in most states. Some states also provide for a party convention or committee recommendation in conjunction with a primary. In many states, no primary election is held for a particular office if the candidate is unopposed for nomination. Minor party candidates in most states are nominated according to individual party rules and procedures. Independent candidates are nominated by self-declaration.

Major party candidates are afforded automatic ballot access in all states, while minor party and independent candidates must meet various state requirements, such as submission of petition signatures of registered voters, in order to be placed on the general election ballot.

Representatives are elected by plurality vote in the congressional district in which they are candidates. The only major exception to this rule in Federal general elections is found in the District of Columbia, which requires that a candidate receive a majority of popular votes in order to be elected as its delegate to the House. A runoff election is scheduled in the event that no candidate receives the requisite majority. In addition, Louisiana requires that all candidates compete in an all-party primary election. A candidate winning a majority of votes under this arrangement is declared elected, and the general election is canceled for that office.

The current size of the U.S. House–435 Representatives–was established by Public Law 62-5 on August 8, 1911, and the law took effect in 1913. Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution stipulates the minimum and maximum numbers of Members in the House. View information on Congressional Apportionment.

Additional information on apportionment is available on the website of the U.S. Census Bureau, on the Congressional Affairs Office page or on the Congressional Apportionment page.

Under Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, each state, territory, or district is entitled to at least one representative. Additional seats are apportioned based on population.

The U.S. Congress fixes the size of the U.S. House of Representatives and the procedure of apportioning the number of Representatives among the states. State legislatures pass laws that determine the physical boundaries of congressional districts, within certain constraints established by Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court (through reapportionment and redistricting rulings). The number of Members for each state is apportioned according to the results of the decennial census conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Census Bureau.

For more information on current congressional districts, visit the Congressional District Profiles page on the U.S. Census Bureau's website.

Member offices are located in Washington, DC, in the Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn House office buildings south of the U.S. Capitol, along Independence Avenue.

In addition, House Committee offices and support services are located in the buildings and the Ford House Office Building. House leadership offices are located in the House wing of the Capitol.

Visit the Architect of the Capitol website for more information on the location and history of the House office buildings.

For specific Member contact information, visit the Member Information page.

Members, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner also maintain offices in their states, territories, and districts. For a list of district office websites, visit the House website.

For information on historic room assignments in House office buildings, visit the Art & History section.

Assigned seating for Members was abolished during the 63rd Congress, in 1913. Today, Members may sit where they please. Generally, Democrats occupy the east side of the Chamber to the right of the Speaker of the House, and Republicans sit across the aisle on the Speaker's left. The tables on either side of the aisle are reserved for party leaders and for Committee leaders during debate on bills their Committees bring to the House Floor.

For information on the locations of historic desks in the Old House Chamber, visit the National Statuary Hall Collection page.

The Constitution (Article I, Section 2, Clause 4) requires that all vacancies in the House of Representatives be filled by election. All states require special elections to fill any House seat which becomes vacant during the first session of a Congress. Procedures governing vacancies occurring during the second session of a Congress differ from state to state, and are largely dependent on the amount of time intervening between the vacancy and the next general election.

View the list of Congressional Vacancies.

A Member-At-Large is a Representative of the House of Representatives who has been elected by the voters of an entire state rather than by those in a specific congressional district. States with small populations have a Member-at-large. Consequently, there are only seven such states in the Union. They are Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Acceptable forms of address for Members of the U.S. House of Representatives include “the Honorable” and “Representative.” Address correspondence according to the following samples:

The Honorable J.Q. Smith
U.S. House of Representatives
123 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
or
Representative J.Q. Smith
U.S. House of Representatives
123 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515

For information on how to contact Members, visit the Member Information page.

For current and historical information on Members’ salaries, visit the Congressional Research Service website.

For the number of women currently serving in the U.S. Congress–and other information about women in Congress–visit the Women in Congress website.

For data on the party divisions in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, visit the Congressional Profile page.

The Speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several roles: the institutional role of presiding officer and administrative head of the House, the partisan role of leader of the majority party in the House, and the representative role of an elected Member of the House. By statute, the Speaker is also second in line, behind the Vice President, to succeed to the presidency.

View the list of Speakers of the House, 1789 to present.

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states: "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers." The Speaker is elected by roll call vote when each new House first convenes. Customarily, the conference of each major party nominates a candidate whose name is placed in nomination. Although the Constitution does not require the Speaker to be a member of the House, all Speakers have been members. Members normally vote for the candidate of their own party conference, but could vote for any individual, whether nominated or not. To be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of votes cast, which may be less than a majority of full membership of the House, because of absentees of Members voting "present." If no candidate receives the requisite majority, the roll call is repeated until a Speaker is elected.

The Speaker presides over the House, administering the oath of office to Members, calling the House to order, and preserving order and decorum within the Chamber and in the galleries. Additionally, he appoints the chairmen to preside over the Committee of the Whole, appoints special or select committees, appoints conference committees, has the power of recognition of Members to speak, and makes many important rulings and decisions in the House. The Speaker may vote, but usually does not, except in the case of a tie. The Speaker and the Majority Leader determine the legislative agenda for the House, often confer with the President and the Senate, and are regarded as spokesman for the Administration if they and the President belong to the same political party.

The political parties in the House elect leaders to represent them on the floor, to advocate their policies and viewpoints, to coordinate their legislative efforts, and to help determine the schedule of legislative business. The party or floor leaders also serve as spokespersons for their parties and for the House as a whole. Because of its larger membership, the House required Majority and Minority Leaders in the 19th century to expedite legislative business and to keep their parties united.

View the list Floor Leaders of the House of Representatives, 1899 to present

The majority party members and the minority party members meet in separate caucuses to select their leader. Third parties rarely have had enough members to elect their own leadership, and independents will generally join one of the larger party organizations to receive committee assignments.

In addition to the majority and minority party leaders, each party elects assistant leaders, or "Whips." The Whips assist the leadership in managing the party's legislative program on the floor of the House and provides information to party members about important legislative-related matters. The Whips keep track of all politically important legislation and ensure that all members of their parties are present when important measures are to be voted upon. When a vote appears to be close, the Whips contact absent members of their party and advise them of the vote. Due to the larger number of members in the House of Representatives, House Whips appoint "deputy whips" to assist them in their activities. In addition, the House Democrats elect a number of "zone whips," chosen by Democrats from particular regions of the country to assist in the informational activities of party leadership.

View the list of House Democratic Whips, 1901 to present
Or House Republican Whips, 1897-present

A party caucus or conference is the name given to a meeting, whether regular or specially called, of all party members in the House. The term "caucus" or "conference" can also mean the organization of all party members in the House. House Democrats refer to their organization as the Democratic Caucus, while House Republicans refer to their organization as the House Republican Conference.The party caucus or conference officially elects party floor leaders; the party whips nominate each party's candidates for the Speakership and other offices in the House. The chairs of the party conferences, and other subordinate party leaders are elected by vote of the caucus or conference at the beginning of each Congress. Regular caucus or conference meetings provide a forum in which party leaders and rank-and-file party members can discuss party policy, pending legislative issues and other matters of mutual concern.

The party caucus or conference traditionally establishes party committees with specialized functions. Party committees generally nominate party members to serve on the various committees of the House, subject to the approval by the caucus or conference. Party policy committees generally discuss party positions on pending legislation. Majority party steering committees (the minority party traditionally has none) generally plan the schedule of Chamber action on pending legislation. Party research committees conduct studies on broad policy questions, generally before committees of the House begin action on legislation. Party campaign committees provide research and strategy assistance to party candidates for election to the House. The chairs of the party committees are generally elected by the party caucus or conference; the exception is the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee which is chaired by the Speaker of the House (when the Democrats are in the majority) or by the Democratic Floor Leader (when they are in the minority).

The caucus or conference may also decide to appoint "task forces" to perform research on a new policy proposal, or to assist the formal leadership in developing a party position on important legislation. These "task forces" are traditionally disbanded once their work has been completed.

View the list of House Democratic Caucus Chairman, 1849 to present
Or House Republican Conference Chairman, 1863 to present

Caucuses, or legislative service organizations, are voluntary organizations whose membership consists of Members of Congress. They do not have any explicit basis or direct recognition in House or party rules. Caucuses may serve any of several functions, including: compiling, analyzing and distributing information; developing and mobilizing support for legislative proposals; advocating positions and issues; and providing representation for specific elements in national as well as Members' constituencies.

View the list of current Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs)

Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution empowers the House of Representatives to choose its Speaker and other officers. The Constitution does not specifically identify the other officers, who currently are the clerk, sergeant at arms, chief administrative officer, and chaplain. These officers are elected at the beginning of each Congress (Rule II).

The Clerk of the House, as the chief legislative officer, directs administrative activities that support the legislative process such as keeping the Journal, recording all votes, certifying bill passage, and processing all legislation.

View the list of Clerks of the House, 1789-present.

The Sergeant at Arms is the chief law enforcement officer for the House, and is responsible for maintaining security, order, and decorum in the House Chamber, House wing of the Capitol, and House office buildings.

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is responsible for certain administrative and financial activities that support the operations of the House, including the finance office, Members' accounts, information resources, human resources, office systems management, furniture, office supplies, postal operations, food services, and various media services.

The Chaplain of the House opens each legislative session with a formal prayer, a custom since the First Congress. The Chaplain provides pastoral counseling to Members, their families, and staff. Guest Chaplains of various denominations regularly offer the prayer.