109th United States Congress
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| 109th United States Congress | |
 United States Capitol (2002) |
|
| Session: | January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 |
|---|---|
| President of the Senate: | Dick Cheney |
| President pro tempore of the Senate: | Ted Stevens |
| Speaker of the House: | Dennis Hastert |
| Members: | 435 Representatives 100 Senators 5 Territorial Representatives |
| House Majority: | Republican |
| Senate Majority: | Republican |
The One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, which together comprise the legislative branch of the United States federal government. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, during the first two years of the second administration of U.S. President George W. Bush.
House members were elected in the 2004 general election on 2004-11-04. Senators were elected in three classes in the 2000 general election on 2000-11-07, 2002 general election on 2002-11-05, or 2004 general election on 2004-11-04.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Twenty-second Census of the United States in 2000. Both chambers had a Republican majority, the same party as President Bush. The President vetoed only one bill, his first veto, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.
[edit] Dates of sessions
January 3, 2005–January 3, 2007
- First session: January 4, 2005–December 22, 2005
- Second session: January 3, 2006–December 9, 2006
Previous: 108th Congress • Next: 110th Congress
[edit] Major events
Prominent events included the filibuster "nuclear option" scare, the alleged failure of the federal government to help in Hurricane Katrina disaster relief, the Tom DeLay corruption investigation, the CIA leak scandal, the rising unpopularity of the Iraq War, the 2006 immigration reform protests and government involvement in the Terri Schiavo case.
In addition to the DeLay indictment, this Congress also had a number of scandals: Bob Ney, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, William J. Jefferson, Mark Foley scandal, and the Jack Abramoff scandals.
As the session neared its conclusion, some commentators labelled this the "Do Nothing Congress," [1][2][3] a pejorative originally given to the 80th United States Congress by President Harry Truman. Noting the comparison, congressional scholar Norman J. Ornstein said, "What would Harry Truman say about the 109th Congress? Harry Truman would probably apologize to the 80th Congress."[4][5]
This Congress met for 242 days, the fewest since World War II and 12 days fewer than the 80th Congress.[4][6][7]
[edit] Major legislation
[edit] Enacted
- 2005-02-17 — Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, Pub.L. 109-2, 118 Stat. 4
- 2005-03-21 — Theresa Marie Schiavo's law, Pub.L. 109-3, 119 Stat. 15
- 2005-04-20 — Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, Pub.L. 109-8, 119 Stat. 23
- 2005-04-27 — Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, Pub.L. 109-9, 119 Stat. 218
- 2005-07-28 — Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (DR-CAFTA Implementation Act), Pub.L. 109-53, 119 Stat. 462
- 2005-07-29 — Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub.L. 109-58, 119 Stat. 594
- 2005-08-10 — Transportation Equity Act of 2005, Pub.L. 109-59, 119 Stat. 1144
- 2005-10-26 — Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, Pub.L. 109-92, 119 Stat. 2095
- 2005-12-22 — Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, Pub.L. 109-145, 119 Stat. 2664
- 2005-12-30 — Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006, Pub.L. 109-148, 119 Stat. 2680 (including McCain Detainee Amendment, SA 1977)
- 2006-05-17 — Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005, Pub.L. 109-222, 120 Stat. 345
- 2006-05-29 — Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, Pub.L. 109-228, 120 Stat. 387
- 2006-07-27 — Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, Pub.L. 109-248, 120 Stat. 587
- 2006-09-26 — Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, Pub.L. 109-282, 120 Stat. 1186
- 2006-10-13 — SAFE Port Act, Pub.L. 109-347, 120 Stat. 1884, including title VIII, Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006,
- 2006-10-17 — Military Commissions Act of 2006, Pub.L. 109-366, 120 Stat. 2600
- 2006-10-26 — Secure Fence Act of 2006, Pub.L. 109-367, 120 Stat. 2638
[edit] Proposed, but not enacted
- HR 554 — Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act
- HR 810 — Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 - Vetoed
- HR 1505 — Jessica Lunsford Act
- HR 4569 — Digital Transition Content Security Act
- S 147 — Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 (Akaka Bill)
[edit] Party summary
[edit] Senate
The party summary for the Senate remained the same during the entire 109th Congress. On 2006-01-16, Democrat Jon Corzine resigned, but Democrat Bob Menendez was appointed and took Corzine's seat the next day.
| Affiliation | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Independent | ||
| Members
(shading indicates
majority caucus) |
55 | 44 | 1 | 100 |
| Voting share | 55% | 45% | ||
| Notes | Caucused with the Democrats |
|||
[edit] House of Representatives
Due to resignations and special elections, Republicans lost a net of three seats; Democrats gained one seat; three seats were left vacant; and one seat which was vacant at the beginning of the Congress was filled. All seats were filled though special elections. (See Changes in membership, below.)
| Affiliation | Total | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Independent | Vacant | ||||
| Members
(shading indicates
majority caucus) |
Begin (2005-01-03) | 232 | 201 | 1 | 434 | 1 | Bob Matsui (D) died before Congress began |
| 2005-03-10 | 202 | 435 | 0 | Doris Matsui (D) took Bob Matsui's seat | |||
| 2005-04-29 | 231 | 434 | 1 | Rob Portman (R) resigned | |||
| 2005-08-02 | 230 | 433 | 2 | Chris Cox (R) resigned | |||
| 2005-09-06 | 231 | 434 | 1 | Jean Schmidt (R) took Portman's seat | |||
| 2005-12-01 | 230 | 433 | 2 | Duke Cunningham (R) resigned | |||
| 2005-12-07 | 231 | 434 | 1 | John Campbell (R) took Cox's seat | |||
| 2006-01-16 | 201 | 433 | 2 | Bob Menendez (D) resigned | |||
| 2006-06-09 | 230 | 432 | 3 | Tom DeLay (R) resigned | |||
| 2006-06-13 | 231 | 433 | 2 | Brian Bilbray (R) took Cunningham's seat | |||
| 2006-09-29 | 230 | 432 | 3 | Mark Foley (R) resigned | |||
| 2006-11-03 | 229 | 431 | 4 | Bob Ney (R) resigned | |||
| 2006-11-13 | 230 | 202 | 433 | 2 | Albio Sires (D) took Menendez's seat Shelley Sekula-Gibbs (R) took DeLay's seat |
||
| 2006-12-31 | 229 | 432 | 3 | Jim Gibbons (R) resigned | |||
| Latest voting share | 53% | 47% | |||||
| Notes | Caucused with the Democrats | ||||||
| Delegates and Resident Commissioner | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
[edit] Leadership
[edit] Senate
- President of the Senate: Dick Cheney (R-Wyoming)
- President Pro Tempore: Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
- President pro tempore emeritus: Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)
[edit] Majority (Republican) leadership
- Senate Majority Leader: Bill Frist (Tennessee)
- Senate Majority Whip: Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)
- Republican Conference Chairman: Rick Santorum (Pennsylvania)
- Republican Policy Committee Chairman: Jon Kyl (Arizona)
- Republican Conference Secretary: Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas)
- Republican Campaign Committee Chair: Elizabeth Dole (North Carolina)
[edit] Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Senate Minority Leader: Harry Reid (Nevada)
- Senate Minority Whip: Richard Durbin (Illinois)
- Democratic Conference Chairman: Harry Reid (Nevada)
- Democratic Policy Committee Chairman: Byron Dorgan (North Dakota)
- Democratic Conference Secretary: Debbie Stabenow (Michigan)
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Charles Schumer (New York)
[edit] House of Representatives
[edit] Majority (Republican) leadership
- House Majority Leader:
- Tom DeLay (Texas 22nd), until September 28, 2005
- Roy Blunt (Missouri 7th), September 28, 2005 – February 2, 2006 ("Interim")
- John Boehner (Ohio 8th), February 2, 2006 – end
- House Majority Whip: Roy Blunt (Missouri 7th)
- Senior Chief Deputy Whip: Eric Cantor (Virginia 7th)
- Majority Deputy Whip Team: Kevin Brady (Texas 8th), Dave Camp (Michigan 4th), Nathan Deal (Georgia 10th), Paul Gillmor (Ohio 5th), Sue Myrick (North Carolina 9th), Todd Tiahrt (Kansas 4th), Greg Walden (Oregon 2nd), Jerry Weller (Illinois 11th), John T. Doolittle (California 4th) and George Radanovich (California 19th)
- Assistant Deputy Whip Team: Doc Hastings (Washington 4th), David Hobson (Ohio 7th), Sue W. Kelly (New York 19th), Mark Green (Wisconsin 8th), Devin Nunes (California 21st), Gary G. Miller (California 42nd) and Kay Granger (Texas 12th)
- Republican Conference Chair: Deborah Pryce (Ohio 15th)
- Republican Conference Vice-Chair: Jack Kingston (Georgia 1st)
- Republican Conference Secretary: John T. Doolittle (California 4th)
- Republican Policy Committee Chairman:
- John Shadegg (Arizona 3rd), until February 2, 2006
- Adam Putnam (Florida 12th), February 2, 2006 – end
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Tom Reynolds (New York 26th)
[edit] Minority (Democratic) leadership
- House Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi (California 8th)
- House Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer (Maryland 5th)
- Senior Chief Deputy Whip: John Lewis (Georgia 5th)
- Minority Deputy Whip Team: Diana DeGette (Colorado 1st), John Tanner (Tennessee 8th), Joseph Crowley (New York 7th), Ron Kind (Wisconsin 3rd), Jan Schakowsky (Illinois 9th), Ed Pastor (Arizona 4th) and Maxine Waters (California 35th)
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Jim Clyburn (South Carolina 6th)
- Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman: John Larson (Connecticut 1st)
- Assistant to the House Minority Leader: John Spratt (South Carolina 5th)
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Rahm Emanuel (Illinois 5th)
- Democratic Steering Committee Co-Chairs: Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut 3rd), George Miller (California 7th)
[edit] Members
[edit] Senate
Senators are popularly elected statewide every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress.
- See also: Category: United States Senators
- See also: Category: United States Congressional Delegations by state
[edit] House of Representatives
| Section contents: Alabama — Alaska — Arizona —Arkansas — California — Colorado — Connecticut — Delaware — Florida — Georgia — Hawaii — Idaho — Illinois — Indiana — Iowa — Kansas — Kentucky — Louisiana — Maine — Maryland — Massachusetts — Michigan — Minnesota — Mississippi — Missouri — Montana — Nebraska — Nevada — New Hampshire — New Jersey — New Mexico — New York — North Carolina — North Dakota — Ohio — Oklahoma — Oregon — Pennsylvania — Rhode Island — South Carolina — South Dakota — Tennessee — Texas — Utah — Vermont — Virginia — Washington — West Virginia — Wisconsin — Wyoming — Non-voting members |
The names of members of th