112th United States Congress (SIADD)

112th United States Congress
United States Capitol (2011)
Duration: January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Senate President:	Tim Pawlenty (R)
Senate Pres. pro tem:	Daniel Inouye (D)
House Speaker:	John Boehner (R)
Members:	100 Senators 435 Representatives 6 Non-voting members
Senate Majority:	Democratic Party
House Majority:	Republican Party
Sessions
1st: January 5, 2011 – January 3, 2012 2nd: January 3, 2012 – present
<111th 113th>

United States Congress
Congress
111th (2009) · 112th (2011) · 113th (2013)
Senate
111th (2009) · 112th (2011) · 113th (2013)
Elections
2010 (Senate, House) · 2012 (Senate, House)

The One Hundred Twelfth United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and will end on January 3, 2013, 17 days before the end of the presidential term to which John McCain was elected in 2008. Senators elected to regular terms in 2006 will complete those terms in this Congress. This Congress includes the last House of Representatives elected from congressional districts that were apportioned based on the 2000 census.

In the 2010 midterm elections, the Republican Party won the majority in the House of Representatives. While the Democrats kept their Senate majority, it was reduced from the previous Congress. This is the first Congress in which the House and Senate are controlled by different parties since the 107th Congress (2001–2003), and the first Congress to begin that way since the 99th Congress (1985–1987). In this Congress, the House of Representatives has the largest number of Republican members, 242, since the 80th Congress (1947–1949). This is also the first Congress since 1947 in which a member of the Kennedy family has not served.

Major legislation

Enacted

• January 2, 2011: James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010
• October 21, 2011: United States-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• October 21, 2011: United States-Panama Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• October 21, 2011: United States-South Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• November 21, 2011: VOW to Hire Heroes Act
• December 31, 2011: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
• February 15, 2012: Questions to the President Act
• March 21, 2012: United States-Ghana Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• March 21, 2012: United States-Kenya Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• April 5, 2012: Jump-start Our Business Start-ups Act

Leadership

Senate

President of the Senate
Tim Pawlenty (R)

President pro tempore of Senate
Daniel Inouye (D)

• President of the Senate: Tim Pawlenty (R)
• President pro tempore: Daniel Inouye (D)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

• Majority Leader and Caucus Chair: Harry Reid
• Assistant Majority Leader (Majority Whip): Dick Durbin
• Caucus Vice Chair and Policy Committee Chair: Chuck Schumer
• Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair and Caucus Secretary: Patty Murray
• Policy Committee Vice Chair: Debbie Stabenow
• Steering and Outreach Committee Vice Chair: Daniel Akaka
• Chief Deputy Whip: Barbara Boxer

Minority (Republican) leadership

• Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell
• Assistant Minority Leader (Minority Whip): Jon Kyl
• Conference Chairman: Lamar Alexander, until 2012
  • John Thune, from 2012
• Policy Committee Chairman: John Thune, until 2012
  • John Barrasso, from 2012
• Conference Vice Chair: John Barrasso, until 2012
  • Roy Blunt, from 2012
• National Senatorial Committee Chair: John Cornyn
• Deputy Whips: Roy Blunt, Richard Burr, Mike Crapo, Saxby Chambliss, Rob Portman, Olympia Snowe, David Vitter, Roger Wicker

House of Representatives

Speaker of the House
John Boehner (R)

• Speaker: John Boehner (R)

Majority (Republican) leadership

• Majority Leader: Eric Cantor
• Majority Whip: Kevin McCarthy
• Majority Chief Deputy Whip: Peter Roskam
• Conference Chair: Jeb Hensarling
• Campaign Committee Chairman: Pete Sessions
• Policy Committee Chairman: Tom Price
• Conference Vice-Chair: Cathy McMorris Rodgers
• Conference Secretary: John Carter

Minority (Democratic) leadership

• Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi
• Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer
• Assistant Democratic Leader: Jim Clyburn
• Senior Chief Deputy Minority Whip: John Lewis
• Chief Deputy Minority Whips: Maxine Waters, Jim Matheson, Jan Schakowsky, Joseph Crowley, Diana DeGette, G. K. Butterfield, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Peter Welch
• Caucus Chairman: John B. Larson
• Caucus Vice-Chairman: Xavier Becerra
• Campaign Committee Chairman: Steve Israel
• Steering/Policy Committee Co-Chairs: Rosa DeLauro and George Miller
• Organization, Study, and Review Chairman: Mike Capuano

Party summary

Senate

Senate Party standings (at the beginning of this Congress)

  53 Democrats

  1 Independent caucusing with Democrats

  46 Republicans

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total	Vacant
	Democratic	Independent	Republican
End of previous congress	57	1	42	100	0
Begin	53	1	46	100	0
May 3, 2011			45	99	1
May 9, 2011			46	100	0
October 14, 2012			45	99	1
October 18, 2012			46	100	0
Latest voting share	54%		46%

House of Representatives

House Party standings (at the beginning of this Congress)

  203 Democrats

  232 Republicans

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total	Vacant
	Democratic	Republican
End of previous congress	255	179	434	1
Begin	203	232	435	0
February 9, 2011		231	434	1
February 28, 2011	202		433	2
May 9, 2011		230	432	3
May 24, 2011	203		433	2
June 21, 2011	202		432	3
July 12, 2011	203		433	2
August 3, 2011	202		432	3
September 13, 2011		232	434	1
January 25, 2012	201		433	2
January 31, 2012	202		434	1
March 6, 2012	201		433	2
March 20, 2012	200		432	3
June 12, 2012	201		433	2
July 7, 2012		231	432	3
July 31, 2012		230	431	4
August 15, 2012	200		430	5
Latest voting share	46.5%	53.5%
Non-voting members	6	0	6	0

Changes in membership

State (class)	Former senator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's installation
Nevada (1)	John Ensign (R)	Resigned May 3, 2011 due to an Ethics Committee investigation. The appointed successor will serve for the remainder of the term that ends with this Congress.	Dean Heller	May 9, 2011
Pennsylvania (3)	Arlen Specter (R)	Died October 14, 2012. The appointed successor will hold the seat until a special election has been held.	Pat Toomey	October 18, 2012