What's In the House Chamber?
Legislative activities in the House of Representatives begin and end in the House Chamber. Here, bills are introduced, debated, and voted on. Electoral votes are counted. The President’s State of the Union address and Joint Sessions and Joint Meeting of the House and Senate are held. The press and the public can witness the process from the galleries or watch the proceedings on television. The grand space in which all this work is carried out was designed in the 19th century—and redesigned over the years—with these needs in mind. Today, 446 seats on the floor accommodate the Members of the House during their daily work.