FAQ US House

There are 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. In addition, there are 6 non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the United States: American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.

Pennsylvania currently has 17 Representatives. 9 Democrats and 8 Republicans.

The 7th District contains all of Lehigh County, Carbon County, Northampton County and a portion of Monroe County.
See a map of the 7th Congressional District

Representatives represent the people of their district in the United States Congress by

• Serving on committees
• Holding hearings for the purpose of investigation and oversite
• Developing and introducing bills and resolutions and offering amendments
• Speaking on the floor
• Voting on legislation
• Interacting with the news media
• Providing services to their constituents and supervise office staff
• Meeting in their states or districts with constituents, local officials, business leaders, and other stakeholders.
• Greeting local delegations from their home states

• Assistance with Federal Agencies
• Military academy nominations
• Internships
• Grant Applications
• Art Competition
• Commendations and Greetings
• Tours and Tickets
• Flag requests

Only the House and Senate can make new laws or change existing laws. 

Powers held exclusively by the US House of Representatives:

• The power to initiate revenue bills to raise money for the Federal Government. (Members of the Senate can only propose amendments to existing revenue bills, but they cannot make major changes.)
• Impeach federal officials
• Elect the President in the case of an Electoral College tie.

The House and Senate each produce their own appropriations (spending) bills that authorize the expenditure of federal government funds. The House and Senate appropriations committees make their proposals, after their 12 subcommittees hold hearings to examine the budget requests and needs of federal spending programs. Most times, the bills passed by House and Senate differ in some significant ways and must be reconciled. Once a final bill has been negotiated between the two chambers, it must then pass the House and Senate and be signed by the president.

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House of Representative. The Speaker is elected by the Representatives every two years. The Speaker also serves as a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He or she is third in the line of succession to the Presidency.

• Runs the House of Representatives. The speaker controls the voting agenda, sends bills to committees, and signs bills and resolutions that pass in the House. They oversee House committee assignments and collaborate with the House Rules Committee to structure debate and deliberations on the floor
• Is the majority political party leader in the House
• Communicates with the President of the United States and the U.S. Senate and is the key negotiator between the House and president and with the Senate
• Oversees operations of the house — everything from accounting to procurement
• Plays a role in the 25th Amendment’s process of dealing with the event of a presidential disability