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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the
United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Each state receives
representation in the House proportional to its population but is entitled to at
least one Representative; the most populous state, California, currently has 53
representatives. The total number of representatives is currently fixed at
435.[1] Each representative serves for a two-year term. The presiding officer of
the House is the Speaker, and is elected by the members.
The bicameral Congress arose from the desire of the Founders to create a
House "of the people" that would represent public opinion, balanced by a more
deliberative Senate which would represent the governments of the individual
states, and would be less susceptible to variations of mass sentiment. The House
is often considered to be the "lower house," with the Senate as the "upper
house," although the United States Constitution does not use such language. Both
houses' approval is necessary for the passage of legislation.
Because its members are generally elected from smaller (approximately 693,000
residents as of 2007) and more commonly homogenous districts than those from the
Senate, the House is generally considered a more partisan chamber. The House was
granted its own exclusive powers: the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach
officials, and elect the President in electoral college deadlocks.
The House meets in the south wing of the United States Capitol.
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