109th United States Congress

The 109th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005, to January 3, 2007, during the fifth and sixth years of George W. Bush's presidency. House members were elected in the 2004 elections on November 2, 2004. Senators were elected in three classes in the 2000 elections on November 7, 2000, 2002 elections on November 5, 2002, or 2004 elections on November 2, 2004. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 2000 United States census.
This is the most recent Congress to feature a Republican senator from Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, who lost re-election in 2006.
The Republicans maintained control of both the House and the Senate, and with the reelection of President Bush, the Republicans maintained an overall federal government trifecta.

Major events

January 6, 2005: A joint session to count the presidential Electoral College votes of the 2004 presidential election.
January 20, 2005 — President George W. Bush began his second term.
November 7, 2006 — California Representative Nancy Pelosi and Nevada Senator Harry Reid led the Democratic Party in taking control of both the House and the Senate in the 2006 congressional elections, the first time in 12 years the Democrats secure control of both houses of Congress simultaneously.
Prominent events included the filibuster "nuclear option" scare, the failure of the federal government to promptly respond to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief, the Tom DeLay corruption investigation, Plamegate, the rising unpopularity of the Iraq War, the 2006 immigration reform protests and government involvement in the Terri Schiavo case.
In addition to the DeLay indictment, this Congress also had a number of scandals: Bob Ney, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, William J. Jefferson, Mark Foley scandal, and the Jack Abramoff scandals.
This Congress met for 242 days, the fewest since World War II and 12 days fewer than the 80th Congress. As the Congress neared its conclusion, some media commentators labeled this the "Do Nothing Congress", a pejorative originally given to the 80th United States Congress by President Harry Truman, although the number of bills passed by Congress is no measure of its success.
The President vetoed only one bill, his first veto, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.

Major legislation

Enacted

February 17, 2005: Class Action Fairness Act of 2005,
March 21, 2005: Theresa Marie Schiavo's law,
April 20, 2005: Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act,
April 27, 2005: Family Entertainment and Copyright Act,
May 11, 2005: Real ID Act of 2005,
July 9, 2005: Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005,
July 29, 2005: Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005,
August 2, 2005: Trade Agreement Implementation Act,
August 8, 2005: Energy Policy Act of 2005,
August 10, 2005: Transportation Equity Act of 2005,
October 26, 2005: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,
December 1, 2005: Caribbean National Forest Act of 2005,
December 20, 2005: Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005,
December 22, 2005: Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005,
December 30, 2005: Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006,
January 11, 2006: United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act,
February 8, 2006: Deficit Reduction Act of 2005,
February 15, 2006: Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act,
March 8, 2006: USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2006,
May 17, 2006: Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005,
May 29, 2006: Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act,
June 15, 2006: Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005,
July 24, 2006: Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005,
July 27, 2006: Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006,
July 27, 2006: Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act,
August 17, 2006: Pension Protection Act of 2006,
September 26, 2006: Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006,
September 26, 2006: United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act,
September 29, 2006: Credit Rating Agency Reform Act,
September 30, 2006: Iran Freedom and Support Act,
October 4, 2006: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007,
October 6, 2006: Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006,
October 6, 2006: Trademark Dilution Revision Act,
October 13, 2006: Darfur Peace and Accountability Act,
October 13, 2006: Safe Port Act,, including title VIII, Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
October 17, 2006: John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007,
October 17, 2006: Military Commissions Act of 2006,
October 26, 2006: Secure Fence Act of 2006,
November 27, 2006: Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act,
December 14, 2006: Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006,
December 19, 2006: Combating Autism Act of 2006,
December 19, 2006: Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act,
December 20, 2006: Health Act of 2006,
December 20, 2006: Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act,
December 20, 2006: Stolen Valor Act of 2005,
January 12, 2007: Johanna's Law,
January 12, 2007: Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006,

Proposed, but not enacted

More information:

Hearings

Congressional response to the NSA warrantless surveillance program

Party summary

Senate

The party summary for the Senate remained the same during the entire 109th Congress. On January 16, 2006, Democrat Jon Corzine resigned, but Democrat Bob Menendez was appointed and took Corzine's seat the next day.

House of Representatives

Due to resignations and special elections, Republicans lost a net of three seats; Democrats gained one seat; three seats were left vacant; and one seat which was vacant at the beginning of the Congress was filled. All seats were filled though special elections.

Leadership

Senate

Majority (Republican) leadership

Minority (Democratic) leadership

Members

Senate

In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 2006; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 2008; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 2010.

Delaware">List of United States senators from Delaware">Delaware

Kansas">List of United States senators from Kansas">Kansas

Mississippi">List of United States senators from Mississippi">Mississippi

New York">List of United States senators from New York">New York

South Carolina">List of United States senators from South Carolina">South Carolina

West Virginia">List of United States senators from West Virginia">West Virginia

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Delaware">List of United States representatives from Delaware">Delaware

Kansas">List of United States representatives from Kansas">Kansas

Mississippi">List of United States representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi

New York">List of United States representatives from New York">New York

South Carolina">List of United States representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina

West Virginia">List of United States representatives from West Virginia">West Virginia

Changes in membership

Members who came and left during this Congress.

Committees

House of Representatives

Agriculture
* [United States House United States House Committee on Agriculture|Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research|Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research]
* Department Operations, Oversight
* General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
* Livestock and Horticulture
* Speciality Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs
Appropriations
* Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies
* Defense
* Energy, Water Development and Related Agencies
* Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Agencies
* Homeland Security
* Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
* Labor, Health, Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
* Military Quality of Life and Veterans' Affairs and Related Agencies
* Science, The Departments of State, Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies
* Transportation, Treasury, HUD, The Judiciary, District of Columbia and Independent Agencies
Armed Services
* Military Personnel
* Projection Forces
* Readiness
* Strategic Forces
* Tactical Air and Land Forces
* Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities
Budget
Education and the Workforce
* Education Reform
* Employer-Employee Relations
* Select Education
* 21st Century Competitiveness
* Workforce Protections
Energy and Commerce
* Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
* Energy and Air Quality
* Environment and Hazardous Materials
* Health
* Oversight and Investigations
* Telecommunications and the Internet
Financial Services
* Capital Markets, Insurance and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
* Domestic, International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology
* Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
* Housing and Community Opportunity
* Oversight and Investigations
Government Reform
* Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources
* Energy and Resources
* Federal Workforce and Agency Organization
* Federalism and the Census
* Governmental Management, Finance and Accountability
* National Security, Emerging Threats and International Resources
* Regulatory Affairs
Homeland Security
* Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity
* Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology
* Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment
* Management, Integration and Oversight
* Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack
House Administration
Hurricane Katrina (Select)
Intelligence (Select)
International Relations
* Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations
* Asia and the Pacific
* Europe and Emerging Threats
* International Terrorism and Nonproliferation
* The Middle East and Central Asia
* Oversight and Investigations
* The Western Hemisphere
Judiciary
* Commercial and Administrative Law
* The Constitution
* Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
* Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
* Immigration, Border Security and Claims
Resources
* Energy and Mineral Resources
* Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans
* Forests and Forest Health
* National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands
* Water and Power
Rules
* Legislative and Budget Process
* Rules and Organization of the House
Science
* Energy
* Environment, Technology and Standards
* Research
* Space and Aeronautics
Small Business
* Regulatory Reform and Oversight
* Rural Enterprises, Agriculture and Technology Sam Graves Chair; John Barrow, Ranking Member)
* Tax, Finance and Exports
* Workforce, Empowerment and Government Programs
Standards of Official Conduct
Transportation and Infrastructure
* Aviation
* Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
* Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
* Highways, Transit and Pipelines
* Railroads
* Water Resources and Environment
Veterans' Affairs
* Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
* Economic Opportunity
* Health
* Oversight and Investigations
Ways and Means
* Health
* Human Resources
* Oversight
* Select Revenue Measures
* Social Security
* Trade
Whole

Joint committees

Employees

Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States">Legislative branch agency directors

Architect of the Capitol: Alan M. Hantman
Attending Physician of the United States Congress: John F. Eisold
Comptroller General of the United States: David M. Walker
Director of the Congressional Budget Office: Douglas Holtz-Eakin, until December 29, 2005
* Donald B. Marron Jr., from December 29, 2005
Librarian of Congress: James H. Billington
Public Printer of the United States: Bruce James, until 2006
* vacant, from 2006

Senate

Chaplain: Barry C. Black
Curator: Diane K. Skvarla
Historian: Richard A. Baker
Parliamentarian: Alan Frumin
Secretary: Emily J. Reynolds
Librarian: Greg Harness
Sergeant at Arms: William H. Pickle
Secretary for the Majority: David J. Schiappa
Secretary for the Minority: Martin P. Paone

House of Representatives

Employees include:

Chaplain: Daniel P. Coughlin
Chief Administrative Officer: James M. Eagen III
Clerk: Jeff Trandahl, until November 18, 2005
* Karen L. Haas, from December 1, 2005
Historian: Robert V. Remini
Parliamentarian: John V. Sullivan
Reading Clerks: Paul Hays, Mary Kevin Niland
Sergeant at Arms: Wilson Livingood
Inspector General: James J. Cornell

Elections

Membership lists

List of new members of the 109th United States Congress