Jump to content

111th United States Congress

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Blindman shady (talk | contribs) at 02:59, 19 December 2010 (→‎Enacted: fixed placement issue). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

111th United States Congress
110th ←
→ 112th
United States Capitol (2007)
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Members100 senators
435 representatives
6 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityDemocratic Party
Senate PresidentDick Cheney (R),
until Jan. 20, 2009
Joe Biden (D),
from Jan. 20, 2009
House majorityDemocratic Party
House SpeakerNancy Pelosi (D)
Sessions
1st: January 6, 2009 – December 24, 2009[1]
2nd: January 5, 2010[2] – present

The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of Barack Obama's presidency. The Congress will last from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011, and it began its first session on January 6, 2009. The apportionment of seats in the House is based on the 2000 U.S. Census. In the November 4, 2008 elections, the Democratic Party increased its majorities in both chambers. A new delegate seat was created for the Northern Mariana Islands.[4]

Major events

View of a large portion of a large ceremony with visible red, white and blue ornamentation and a crowd of attendees
Inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009 at the U.S. Capitol.

Major legislation

Enacted

President Obama signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 into law
Main article: Acts of the 111th United States Congress

Health care reform

Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
See also: Health care reform in the United States and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

At the encouragement of the Obama administration, Congress devoted significant time considering health care reform. In March 2010, Obama signed the Senate-crafted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, the first comprehensive health care reform legislation in decades, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 which further amended the Senate bill and also included the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. Other major reform proposals during the health care debate included:

Proposed

(in alphabetical order)
See also: Active Legislation, 111th Congress, via senate.gov

Vetoed

Major resolutions

TBD

Select committees

Hearings

Sonia Sotomayor testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on her appointment to the United States Supreme Court

Impeachments

See also: Impeachment investigations of United States federal judges

Party summary

Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section, below.

Senate

Party standings in the Senate
(February 4, 2010 – June 28, 2010;
July 16, 2010 – November 29, 2010)
  57 Democrats
  2 Independents, caucusing with Democrats
  41 Republicans
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Template:American politics/party colors/Democratic | Template:American politics/party colors/Independent | Template:American politics/party colors/Republican |
Democratic Independent Republican Vacant
End of previous congress 48 2 49 99 1
Begin 55 2 41 98 2
January 15, 2009 56 99 1
January 20, 2009 55 98 2
January 26, 2009 56 99 1
April 30, 2009 57 40
July 7, 2009 58 100 0
August 25, 2009 57 99 1
September 9, 2009 39 98 2
September 10, 2009 40 99 1
September 25, 2009 58 100 0
February 4, 2010 57 41
June 28, 2010 56 99 1
July 16, 2010 57 100 0
November 29, 2010 56 42
Latest voting share 58% 42%
Beginning of the next Congress 51 2 47 100 0

House of Representatives

Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Template:American politics/party colors/Democratic | Template:American politics/party colors/Republican |
Democratic Republican Vacant
End of previous congress 235 198 433 2
Begin 256 178 434 1
January 26, 2009 255 433 2
February 24, 2009 254 432 3
March 31, 2009 255 433 2
April 7, 2009 256 434 1
June 26, 2009 255 433 2
July 14, 2009 256 434 1
September 21, 2009 177 433 2
November 3, 2009 258 435 0
December 22, 2009 257 178
January 3, 2010 256 434 1
February 8, 2010 255 433 2
February 28, 2010 254 432 3
March 8, 2010 253 431 4
March 21, 2010 177 430 5
April 13, 2010 254 431 4
May 18, 2010 255 432 3
May 21, 2010 176 431 4
May 22, 2010 177 432 3
June 8, 2010 178 433 2
November 2, 2010 180 435 0
November 29, 2010 179 434 1
Latest voting share 58.8% 41.2%
Non-voting members 6 0 6 0
Beginning of next Congress 193 242 435 0

Leadership

Senators' party membership by state, since February 2010

Section contents: Senate: Majority (D), Minority (R) • House: Majority (D), Minority (R)

Senate

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Minority (Republican) leadership

House of Representatives

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Minority (Republican) leadership

Members

Senate

For demographics, senatorial class, when first took office, when current term expires, prior background, and education, see List of current United States Senators.

House of Representatives

For demographics, when first took office, when current term expires, prior background, and education, see Current members of the United States House of Representatives.
For maps of congressional districts, see List of United States congressional districts.

Template:Congress TOC states

Members' party membership by district, as of May 25, 2010
  Democratic
  Republican
Percentage of members from each party by state at the opening of the 111th Congress in January 2009, ranging from dark blue (most Democratic) to dark red (most Republican).

Changes in membership

See also: Special elections to the 111th United States Congress

Senate

Four of the changes are associated with the 2008 presidential election and appointments to the Obama administration, one Senator changed parties, one election was disputed, two Senators died, one Senator resigned, and at least three appointed Senators will serve only until special elections are held during this congress.

See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate
Date seat became vacant or otherwise affected State
(class) 		Previous Reason for change Subsequent Date of successor's taking seat
January 3, 2009[23] Minnesota
(2) 		Disputed Incumbent Norm Coleman (R) challenged the election of Al Franken (D). Following recounts and litigation, Coleman conceded. Al Franken
(D) 		July 7, 2009[24]
January 3, 2009[25] Illinois
(3) 		Vacant Barack Obama (D) resigned near the end of the previous Congress, after being elected President of the United States.[26] His successor was appointed December 31, 2008, during the last Congress, but due to a credentials challenge, his credentials were not deemed "in order" until January 12, and he was not sworn in to fill his seat until 12 days after the initiation of this Congress.[27] The appointed successor will fill the seat until a special election is held November 2, 2010. Roland Burris[28]
(D) 		January 12, 2009[27]
January 15, 2009 Delaware
(2) 		Joe Biden
(D) 		Resigned to assume the position of Vice President.[29]
The appointed successor will fill the seat until a special election is held November 2, 2010. 		Ted Kaufman[30]
(D) 		January 16, 2009[31]
January 20, 2009 Colorado
(3) 		Ken Salazar
(D) 		Resigned to become Secretary of the Interior.
The appointed successor will fill the seat for the remainder of the term that ends with this congress. 		Michael Bennet[32]
(D) 		January 21, 2009[33]
January 21, 2009 New York
(1) 		Hillary Clinton
(D) 		Resigned to become Secretary of State.
The appointed successor will fill the seat until a special election is held November 2, 2010. 		Kirsten Gillibrand[34]
(D) 		January 26, 2009
April 30, 2009 Pennsylvania
(3) 		Arlen Specter
(R) 		Changed party affiliation.[17] Arlen Specter
(D) 		April 30, 2009
August 25, 2009 Massachusetts
(1) 		Ted Kennedy
(D) 		Died.
The appointed successor filled the seat until the elected successor took the seat.[35][36][37] 		Paul G. Kirk
(D) 		September 25, 2009
September 9, 2009 Florida
(3) 		Mel Martinez
(R) 		Resigned for personal reasons.[38]
The appointed successor will fill the seat for the remainder of the term that ends with this congress. 		George LeMieux
(R) 		September 10, 2009[39][40]
February 4, 2010 Massachusetts
(1) 		Paul G. Kirk
(D) 		The appointment lasted only until his elected successor was seated.[41]
The winner of the special election will fill the seat for the remainder of the term that ends January 3, 2013. 		Scott Brown
(R)[42] 		February 4, 2010
June 28, 2010 West Virginia
(1) 		Robert Byrd
(D) 		Died.[43]
The appointed successor will fill the seat until a special election is held November 2, 2010.[44] 		Carte Goodwin
(D)[18] 		July 16, 2010[18]
November 15, 2010 Delaware
(2) 		Ted Kaufman
(D) 		The appointment lasts only until the November 2, 2010 special election, in which he was not a candidate.[45]
The winner of the special election will fill the seat for the remainder of the term that ends January 3, 2015. 		Chris Coons
(D) 		November 15, 2010[46][47]
November 15, 2010 West Virginia
(1) 		Carte Goodwin
(D) 		The appointment lasts only until the November 2, 2010 special election, in which he was not a candidate.
The winner of the special election will fill the seat for the remainder of the term that ends January 3, 2013. 		Joe Manchin
(D) 		November 15, 2010[46][47]
November 29, 2010 Illinois
(3) 		Roland Burris
(D) 		The appointment lasts only until the November 2, 2010 special election, in which he was not a candidate.
The winner of the special election will fill the seat for the remainder of the term that ends with this congress. 		Mark Kirk
(R) 		November 29, 2010[46][47]

House of Representatives

Five changes are associated with appointments to the Obama administration, four directly and one indirectly. Two representatives changed parties, one died, and five resigned. House vacancies are only filled by elections. State laws regulate when (and if) there will be special elections.

See also: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
Date change began District Previous Reason for change Subsequent Date of successor's installation
January 3, 2009 Illinois 5th Vacant Rahm Emanuel (D) resigned near the end of the previous Congress after being named White House Chief of Staff.
A special election was held April 7, 2009 		Michael Quigley
(D) 		April 7, 2009
January 26, 2009 New York 20th Kirsten Gillibrand
(D) 		Resigned when appointed to the Senate, replacing Hillary Clinton who became Secretary of State.
A special election was held March 31, 2009. 		Scott Murphy
(D) 		March 31, 2009
February 23, 2009 Northern Mariana Islands At-large Gregorio Sablan
(I) 		Changed party affiliation.[22]
Previously an Independent who caucused with Democrats in House 		Gregorio Sablan
(D) 		February 23, 2009
February 24, 2009 California 32nd Hilda Solis
(D) 		Resigned to become Secretary of Labor.
A special election was held July 14, 2009. 		Judy Chu
(D) 		July 14, 2009
June 26, 2009 California 10th Ellen Tauscher
(D) 		Resigned to become Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
A special election was held November 3, 2009. 		John Garamendi
(D)[48] 		November 3, 2009[49]
September 21, 2009 New York 23rd John M. McHugh
(R) 		Resigned to become Secretary of the Army.[50]
A special election was held November 3, 2009. 		Bill Owens
(D)[51] 		November 3, 2009
December 22, 2009 Alabama 5th Parker Griffith
(D) 		Changed party affiliation.[52] Parker Griffith
(R) 		December 22, 2009
January 3, 2010 Florida 19th Robert Wexler
(D) 		Resigned to become president of the Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation.[53]
A special election was held April 13, 2010. 		Ted Deutch (D) April 13, 2010
February 8, 2010 Pennsylvania 12th John Murtha
(D) 		Died.
A special election was held May 18, 2010. 		Mark Critz (D) May 18, 2010
February 28, 2010[54] Hawaii 1st Neil Abercrombie
(D) 		Resigned to focus on run for Governor of Hawaii.
A special election was held May 22, 2010. 		Charles Djou (R) May 22, 2010
March 8, 2010[55] New York 29th Eric Massa
(D) 		Resigned due to a recurrence of his cancer, as well as an ethics investigation.
A special election was held contemporaneously with the November 2, 2010 general election. 		Tom Reed (R) November 2, 2010[56][47]
March 21, 2010 Georgia 9th Nathan Deal
(R) 		Resigned to focus on run for Governor of Georgia.
A special election runoff was held June 8, 2010. 		Tom Graves (R) June 8, 2010
May 21, 2010 Indiana 3rd Mark Souder
(R) 		Resigned after an affair with a staff member was revealed.[57]
A special election was held contemporaneously with the November 2, 2010 general election.[58] 		Marlin Stutzman (R) November 2, 2010[47]
November 29, 2010 Illinois 10th Mark Kirk
(R) 		Resigned after being elected to the United States Senate in a special election Vacant until the next Congress

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Elections

Membership lists

References

  1. ^ H.Con.Res. 223
  2. ^ Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 111–121 (text) (PDF)
  3. ^ a b Hulse, Carl (June 28, 2010). "Inouye Sworn In as President Pro Tem". New York Times.
  4. ^ Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 110–229 (text) (PDF)
  5. ^ "Certificate of Election". Office of the Minnesota Governor, via StarTribune.com. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Mitch Jeserich (July 5, 2009). "Can The 60 Seats Give The Democrats a Filibuster Proof Senate?". NewsJunkiePost.
  7. ^ See Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 110–430 (text) (PDF). Section 1 sets the beginning of the first session of the 111th Congress. Section 2 sets the date for counting Electoral College votes.
  8. ^ S.Res. 203, resolution to provide for the appointment of a committee to receive and to report evidence with respect to the articles of impeachment against Judge Samuel B. Kent.
  9. ^ "Senate Takes First Steps Toward Judge's Impeachment Trial". CQ Politics. Congressional Quarterly. June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on July 20, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Articles of impeachment against Judge Kent were dismissed by the Senate on July 22, 2009, and the Impeachment Trial Committee terminated. 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page S7833
  11. ^ The Democratic Senate Majority Leader also serves as the Chairman of the Democratic Conference.
  12. ^ a b "Thune Elected Republican Policy Committee Chairman". Office of U.S. Senator John Thune. June 25, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  13. ^ Toeplitz, Shira (September 18, 2010). "Lisa Murkowski quits GOP leadership".
  14. ^ "Murkowski Keeps Panel Job; Barrasso Elected Vice Chairman". Roll Call. September 22, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  15. ^ Burris was appointed on December 31, 2008, during the 110th United States Congress. However, he was not allowed to take the oath until January 15, 2009, due to the controversy surrounding Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who appointed him.
  16. ^ Al Franken was elected to the term beginning January 3, 2009, but did not take office until July 7, 2009, due to a recount and subsequent election challenge.
  17. ^ a b Arlen Specter announced his switch from the Republican to the Democratic party on April 28, and it officially took effect on April 30. "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress".
  18. ^ a b c "Carte Goodwin to succeed Senator Byrd - for now". Christian Science Monitor. July 16, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-16. Cite error: The named reference "goodwin" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Officials: House Democrat will switch to GOP". December 22, 2009.
  20. ^ "Wexler Begins New Job With Washington Think Tank". WBPF.com. January 4, 2010.
  21. ^ "Congressman John Murtha Passes Away at Age 77". Honorable John Murtha Congressional Website. February 8, 2010.
  22. ^ a b Gregorio Sablan announced his switch from the Republican to the Democratic party on February 23, 2009. "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress".
  23. ^ Vacancy resulted because a senator could not be seated due to a disputed election
  24. ^ Hulse, Carl (July 7, 2009). "And Here's Senator Franken". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
  25. ^ Vacancy continued from previous congress
  26. ^ Mason, Jeff (January 27, 2009). "Obama resigns Senate seat, thanks Illinois". WashingtonPost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2008. [dead link]
  27. ^ a b Hulse, Carl (January 27, 2009). "Burris Is Sworn In". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  28. ^ "Burris v. White, [[Illinois Supreme Court]], No. 107816" (PDF). January 9, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2009. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  29. ^ Mark Murray (January 9, 2009). "Biden to Resign from Senate Thursday". MSNBC.
  30. ^ "Longtime Biden aide picked to fill his Senate seat". WJLA.com. November 24, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  31. ^ Kathleen Hunter and Catharine Richert, CQ Staff (January 14, 2009). "Illinois, Delaware Senators to Be Seated in First Round of Replacements". CQ Politics. Congressional Quarterly.
  32. ^ "Official Press Release from Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., Jan. 3, 2009, appointing Michael Bennet". Colorado.gov. January 3, 2009.
  33. ^ Associated Press (January 19, 2009). "Ken Salazar sends Senate resignation". KJCT8.com. Retrieved January 21, 2009. [dead link]
  34. ^ Danny Hakim and Nicholas Confessore (January 23, 2009). "Paterson Picks Gillibrand for Senate Seat". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  35. ^ Phillips, Frank (August 31, 2009). "Panel to weigh Kennedy request for interim senator". Boston.com. Boston Globe.
  36. ^ Goddnough, Abby (September 23, 2009). "Kennedy Confidant Expected to Take Senate Seat". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ Associated Press (September 23, 2009). "House OKs Kennedy replacement, but not immediately". Boston.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved September 29, 2009. [dead link]
  38. ^ 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page S9147
  39. ^ "Crist Officially Names Former Aide As New Senator". CNNPolitics.com. CNN. August 28, 2009.
  40. ^ 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page S9190
  41. ^ "Paul Kirk to fill Kennedy's Senate seat". CNNPolitics.com. CNN. September 24, 2009.
  42. ^ "Scott Brown Wins Mass Special Election". CNN. January 19, 2010.
  43. ^ Clymer, Adam (2010-06-28). "Robert Byrd, Respected Voice of the Senate, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  44. ^ http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39946.html
  45. ^ Montgomery, Jeff (November 24, 2008). "Minner taps Kaufman for Biden's seat". DelawareOnLine.com. Delaware News-Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  46. ^ a b c "Coons, Manchin to be sworn in next week; Kirk after Thanksgiving". MSNBC. November 8, 2010.
  47. ^ a b c d e "5 election winners to be sworn in early". Associated Press. The Wall Street Journal. November 15, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  48. ^ Blake, Aaron (November 4, 2009). "Garamendi wins House seat in California special election". The Hill. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  49. ^ "John Garamendi Wins in 10th Congressional District with Commanding Lead". California Chronicle. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  50. ^ Weiner, Mark (September 16, 2009). "Rep. John McHugh is confirmed as Secretary of the Army". Syracuse Post-Standard. syracuse.com.
  51. ^ Rudin, Ken (November 6, 2009). "Democrat Bill Owens Wins In NY 23". Political Junkie. NPR. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  52. ^ Deirdre Walsh (December 22, 2009). "House Dem to switch to Republican Party". CNN.
  53. ^ Man, Anthony (October 14, 2009). "Wexler makes it official: leaving Congress in January". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  54. ^ Josh Kraushaar. Abercrombie sets Feb. 28 date for resignation. January 4, 2010.
  55. ^ Wilson, Reid; Sahd, Tim (March 5, 2010). "Massa To Resign". National Journal.
  56. ^ "Reed Remains Hospitalized, Swearing-In Delayed". Roll Call. November 16, 2010.
  57. ^ Cilizza, Chris; Burke, Aaron (May 18, 2010). "Mark Souder to resign after affair". Washington Post.
  58. ^ Taylor, Jessica (May 28, 2010). "Daniels schedules Souder special". Politico 2010.
  59. ^ 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page H24 (January 6, 2009)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=111th_United_States_Congress&oldid=403116248"