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Representative Matsui receives many telephone calls and correspondence from students and constituents seeking to learn about the legislative process. This page is intended to provide an overview of Congress as well as related website links.
What is Congress? The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. Congress is a bicameral (two-chamber) legislature that is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The primary function of Congress is to create laws by writing, debating, and passing bills.
How is Congress organized? Each state, under the Constitution, is entitled to two Senators, each serving a six-year term, and at least one Representative, serving a two-year term. Additional House seats are apportioned on the basis of State population, with California currently entitled to 53 seats. The membership of the House of Representatives is fixed in law at 435 Members representing the 50 states. A Congress lasts for two years, with each year normally constituting a separate session. How does Congress make laws? The bills introduced to Congress must endure committee and floor debates in both houses before becoming a law. Though the House of Representatives and Senate introduce up to 10,000 bills during a two-year Congress, only approximately 600 laws are passed by each Congress and signed by the President. First, a bill must be formally introduced and endorsed by a member of Congress. The bill is then examined by issue-related committees. After the committee leaders agree to support the bill, they will hold public hearings to debate the proposal. Most bills are revised numerous times before becoming enacted. Once the bill is approved by one house of Congress, it proceeds to the other. If the bill is approved by both houses, it is sent to the President who has 10 days, excluding Sundays, to sign or veto the bill. The Library of Congress provides a more detailed description of this process written by the House Parliamentarian. What are congressional committees and what do they do? How can I find information on a specific bill? THOMAS, a service provided by the Library of Congress, permits you to search bills by text or title and to view their status, a summary provided by the Congressional Research Service, and the full text of the legislation. Each bill is assigned a number and is also known by its popular name or by the name of its sponsor. You can search for a specific bill by entering its number or entering key phrases or words, or you can follows these links to search for bills that Representative Matsui has sponsored in the 107th Congress, to search for bills that Representative Matsui has cosponsored in the 107th Congress, or to find Representative Matsui's citations in the Congressional Record. What does Representative Matsui do on a daily basis in Washington, D.C. and in his home district? Additional Links
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