96th Congress of the United States

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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

See also 1979 and 1980

  • 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

Majority in the Senate at the beginning of the 96th Congress
  • 57 Democratic Senators
  • 1 independent senator, on the electoral committee with the Democrats
  • 42 Republican Senators
  • 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

    Leadership of the minority party

    House of Representatives

    Leadership of the majority party

    Leadership of the minority party

    Senate members

    The following senators represented their respective states in the 96th Congress:

    Alabama

    Alaska

    Arizona

    Arkansas

    California

    Colorado

    Connecticut

    Delaware

    Florida

    Georgia

    Hawaii

    Idaho

    Illinois

    Indiana

    Iowa

    Kansas

    Kentucky

    Louisiana

    Maine

    Maryland

    Massachusetts

    Michigan

    Minnesota

    Mississippi

    Missouri

    Montana

    Nebraska

    Nevada

    New Hampshire

    New Jersey

    New Mexico

    new York

    North Carolina

    North Dakota

    Ohio

    Oklahoma

    Oregon

    Pennsylvania

    Rhode Island

    South carolina

    South Dakota

    Tennessee

    Texas

    Utah

    Vermont

    Virginia

    Washington

    West Virginia

    Wisconsin

    Wyoming

    Members of the House of Representatives

    The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 96th Congress:

    Alabama 7 constituencies

    Alaska state-wide election

    Arizona 4 constituencies

    Arkansas 4 constituencies

    California 43 constituencies


    Colorado 5 constituencies

    Connecticut 6 constituencies

    Delaware state-wide choice

    Florida 15 constituencies


    Georgia 10 constituencies

    Hawaii 2 electoral districts

    Idaho 2 constituencies

    Illinois 24 constituencies

    Indiana 11 constituencies

    Iowa 6 constituencies

    Kansas 5 constituencies.

    Kentucky 7 constituencies


    Louisiana 8 constituencies

    Maine 2 constituencies

    Maryland 8 constituencies

    Massachusetts 12 constituencies

    Michigan 19 constituencies

    Minnesota 8 constituencies

    Mississippi 5 constituencies

    Missouri 10 constituencies

    Montana 2 electoral districts

    Nebraska 3 constituencies

    Nevada state-wide election

    New Hampshire 2 electoral divisions

    New Jersey 15 constituencies

    New Mexico 2 electoral districts

    New York 39 constituencies

    North Carolina 11 constituencies

    North Dakota 1 constituency (state-wide)

    Ohio 23 constituencies

    Oklahoma 6 constituencies

    Oregon 4 constituencies

    Pennsylvania 25 constituencies

    Rhode Island 2 electoral districts

    South Carolina 6 constituencies.

    South Dakota 2 constituencies

    Tennessee 8 constituencies

    Texas 24 constituencies

    Utah 2 constituencies

    Vermont 1 constituency (state-wide)

    Virginia 10 constituencies

    Washington 7 constituencies

    West Virginia 4 electoral divisions

    Wisconsin 9 constituencies

    Wyoming state-wide elections

    Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:

    Web links

    Commons : 96th Congress of the United States  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files
    • 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)