Impeachment and the US House of Representatives Quiz

The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber.

The House is composed of representatives who sit in single member congressional districts allocated to each state on the basis of population as measured by the United States Census.

Since 1913, the number of voting representatives has been at 435 pursuant to the Apportionment Act of 1911.

In addition, five non-voting delegates represent the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. A non-voting Resident Commissioner, serving a four-year term, represents the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The House is charged with the passage of federal legislation, initiates all revenue bills, impeaches federal officers, and elects the president if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the Electoral College.

The presiding officer is the Speaker of the House, who is elected by the members thereof.

During the first half of the 19th century, the House was frequently in conflict with the Senate over regionally divisive issues, including slavery.

The Democratic Party dominated the House of Representatives during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

States entitled to more than one representative are divided into single-member districts.

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives.

Elections for representatives are held in every even-numbered year, on Election Day the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In most states, major party candidates for each district are nominated in partisan primary elections, typically held in spring to late summer.Overview of the United States House of Representatives

• The United States House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the US Congress, with the other being the Senate.

• The House has 435 voting members, with each member representing a congressional district for a two-year term.

• Non-voting delegates from US territories and the District of Columbia are also elected to the House.

• The House has the power to initiate bills for raising revenue, impeach officials, and choose the president if a presidential candidate fails to get a majority of the Electoral College votes.

• Members of the House are paid an annual salary of $174,000 and are eligible for retirement benefits after serving for five years.

• The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House, and the majority party elects the Speaker, Majority Leader, and Whip.

• The minority party elects the Minority Leader and Whip, and other officials are selected by the party leadership.

• The House has the power to expel members with a two-thirds vote and can formally censure or reprimand members with a simple majority.

• The House has a Member's Representational Allowance to support members in their official and representational duties to their district.

• The House has significant differences from the Senate, including shorter terms, more members, and the power to initiate bills for raising revenue.

• Health benefits for members of Congress changed after the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2014.Overview of the United States House of Representatives

• The Speaker of the House is a partisan officer with substantial power to control the business of the House, often used for partisan advantage.

• In the instance when the presidency and both Houses of Congress are controlled by one party, the speaker normally takes a low profile and defers to the president.

• The House is also served by several officials who are not members, including the clerk, chief administrative officer, chaplain, and sergeant at arms.

• The procedure of the House depends not only on the rules but also on a variety of customs, precedents, and traditions, and often waives some of its stricter rules by unanimous consent.

• Legislation to be considered by the House is placed in a box called the hopper, and members may speak only if called upon by the presiding officer.

• The House uses committees and their subcommittees for a variety of purposes, including the review of bills and the oversight of the executive branch.

• The largest committee of the House is the Committee of the Whole, which consists of all members of the House and may consider and amend bills but may not grant them final passage.

• Most committee work is performed by 20 standing committees, each of which has jurisdiction over a specific set of issues, and has the power to hold hearings and to subpoena witnesses and evidence.

• Bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives, and the Senate retains the power to amend or reject them.

• The Constitution empowers the House of Representatives to impeach federal officials for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" and empowers the Senate to try such impeachments.

• The House has the power to override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote from both the House and Senate.

• The Senate is more powerful than the House as it has the power to frustrate presidential appointments through its "advice and consent" role, and it requires a two-thirds vote for conviction in the case of impeachment.Impeachment in the United States: A Summary

• Impeachment is a process in the United States by which a legislative body levels charges against a government official, typically a high-ranking one such as a president or judge.

• The Constitution of the United States grants the power of impeachment to the House of Representatives and the power to try impeachments to the Senate.

• If an official is impeached by the House, they face a trial in the Senate, which can remove them from office if two-thirds of the Senators vote to convict.

• Impeachment can only be used for "high crimes and misdemeanors," which is not clearly defined in the Constitution.

• Only three presidents of the United States have ever been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998, and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021. None of them were convicted and removed from office.

• In the history of the United States, the House of Representatives has impeached seventeen officials, of whom seven were convicted.

• If an official is convicted and removed from office through impeachment, they may also be disqualified from holding future office.

• The House of Representatives has the power to elect the president if no presidential candidate receives a majority of votes in the Electoral College, as specified in the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution.

• The Twelfth Amendment requires the House to choose from the three candidates with the highest numbers of electoral votes, with the votes taken by states and each state having one vote.

• In the history of the United States, the House has only had to choose a president twice, in 1800 and 1824.

• The latest election results and party standings are not provided in the text.

• The text does not provide any external links, sources, or further reading.