Statistics & Lists

The Statistics page features lists related to Senate business, including a list of lame duck sessions of Congress.

Occasionally, Congress meets after a November election. These sessions, known as lame duck sessions, are held to finish the business of the Congress. In 2004, there will be a lame duck session starting on November 16th.

Is it true that...

The U.S Constitution is explicitly modeled upon the Iroquois Constitution?

Virtual Reference Desk

A small ivory gavel conveys a sense of continuity and the importance of order in Senate proceedings. The gavel in current use was given as a gift from India to the Senate on November 17, 1954 (replacing the Senate’s original) with the hope that it would inspire Senators to debate "with freedom from passion and prejudice." Learn more about the history of the Senate gavel and other Senate symbols on the Virtual Reference Desk.