96th Congress of the United States
The 96th Congress of the United States , consisting of the House and Senate , was the legislature of the United States . Its legislative period lasted from January 3, 1979 to January 3, 1981. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the senators ( Class II ) were elected in November 1978 in the congressional elections. The Democratic Party won a majority in both chambers . Congress met in the American capital Washington, DC The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1970 census .
Important events
- January 3, 1979: beginning of the legislative period of the 96th Congress
- March 28, 1979: Core meltdown in Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant
- July 11, 1979: The Skylab space station crashes in a controlled manner without injuring anyone.
- November 4, 1979: The hostage-taking of Tehran begins .
- February 2, 1980: First reports appeared in the media that the FBI was investigating congressmen. They named the operation Abscam after Abdul-Scam (Abdul-Fraud).
- May 18, 1980: Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption
- November 4, 1980: Presidential and Congressional elections. The previous president Jimmy Carter is defeated against Ronald Reagan . For the first time since 1954, Republicans win a majority in the Senate. The House of Representatives remains in the hands of the Democrats
There was also an energy crisis in 1979 and an extraordinary heat wave in the United States in 1980.
The main laws
During the session of the 96th Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):
- September 9, 1979: Panama Canal Act of 1979
- April 10, 1979: Taiwan Relations Act .
- October 17: Department of Education Organization Act
- March 17, 1980: Refugee Act
- September 19, 1980: Regulatory Flexibility Act
- September 29, 1980: Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980
- October 14, 1980: Staggers Rail Act
- December 2, 1980: Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
- December 11, 1980: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
- December 11, 1980: Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980
- December 12, 1980: Defense Officer Personnel Management Act
- December 12, 1980: Bayh – Dole Act
- December 22, 1980: Nuclear Safety, Research, Demonstration, and Development Act of 1980
Composition according to parties
senate
Political party (Shading shows majority party)
|
Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | republican | Others | Vacant | ||
95th Congress | 58 | 41 | 1 | 100 | 0 |
96th Congress | 57 | 42 | 1 | 100 | |
97th Congress | 46 | 53 | 1 | 100 |
House of Representatives
Political party (Shading shows majority party)
|
Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | republican | Others | Vacant | ||
95th Congress | 275 | 140 | 0 | 435 | 20th |
96th Congress | 277 | 158 | 0 | 435 | |
97th Congress | 244 | 191 | 0 | 435 |
There were also four congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote
Public officials
senate
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: Robert Byrd (D)
- Majority swip: Alan Cranston (D)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: Howard Baker (R)
- Minority whip: Ted Stevens (R)
House of Representatives
- House Speaker : Tip O'Neill (D)
Leadership of the majority party
- Majority Leader: Jim Wright (D)
- Majority swip : John Brademas (D)
Leadership of the minority party
- Minority Leader: John Jacob Rhodes (R)
- Minority whip: Robert H. Michel (R)
Senate members
The following senators represented their respective states in the 96th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives
The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 96th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:
Web links
- bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 96 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 96th Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)