Do your Congressmen fit the bill?
Rodney Davis (R) – 13th District
 Taylorville
 Married (Shannon) with three
children.
 43 years old.
 1st Term
 Former assistant to
Congressman John Shimkus
(16 years)
 Graduate of Millikin
University.
Aaron Schock (R) – 18th
District

Peoria

Single

32 years old

3rd term

Former representative in
Illinois General Assembly

Former Peoria District 150
School Board member.

Peoria Richwoods and Bradley
University graduate.
Dick Durbin (D)

Springfield, IL


3rd term


Married, Loretta Durbin, three
children


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
68 years old

Georgetown University – law


14 years in U.S. House of Rep.

Mark Kirk (R)
Chicago, IL
1st term
Single
54 years old
Georgetown University law
Illinois Navy Reserve
U.S. Congressman from
2000-2010.
I
can identify the size, term length and
requirements for members of the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
I
can explain what types of people get
elected to Congress.
I
can define reapportionment and explain the
impact it has had on Illinois.
I
can gerrymander.
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Bicameral – House and
Senate
Term Length – Two Years
(113th Congress)
20th Amendment – new
Congressional term
begins January 3rd, every
odd-numbered year.
Session – meeting of
Congress
Recess – break in the
meeting
Adjournment – end of the
meeting
Special Session – can be
called by President.
The Constitution says that
the Senate “shall be
composed of two
Senators from each
State.” Today’s Senate
consists of 100
Senators.
 17th Amendment –
Senators elected by the
people.
 Term Length – 6 years,
no term length.
 Continuous body – Only
1/3rd of the Senate is up
for re-election at a
time.
The Constitution says
that a Senator
(1) must be at least
30 years of age,
(2) must have been a
citizen of the United
States for at least
nine years, and
(3) must be an
inhabitant of the
State from which he
or she is elected.
***Unofficially*** Must be
an attractive candidate
The size of the House
is currently fixed at
435 members.
 Seats are apportioned
(distributed) among
the States on the
basis of their
respective
populations.
 Term Length – 2 year,
no term length.
 All 435 are up for reelection at the same
time.

The Constitution says
that a member of the
House
(1) must be at least 25
years of age,
(2) must have been a
citizen of the United
States for at least seven
years, and
(3) must have been an
inhabitant of the State
from which he or she is
elected.
***Unofficially*** Must be an
attractive candidate
Article I of the Constitution directs
Congress to reapportion—
redistribute—the seats in the House
after each decennial census.
Does this cause the number of
constituents that each member of
the House represents to increase or
decrease?
Changes
Texas +3
Florida +2
Arizona, California,
Georgia, Nevada, Utah +1
Illinois, Iowa, Lousiana,
Massachusetts, Missouri,
Pensylvania -1
New York, Ohio -2
2003-2011
2012-2022
18th District
13th District
Gerrymandering
refers to the act
of drawing
congressional
districts to the
advantage of a
particular group
of citizens.
2013: Only 16% of Americans approve of
the job Congress is doing.