The House of Representatives is one of two chambers in the United States [[Congress]], the other being the [[Senate]]. The House is composed of 435 members, representing the 50 states. The number of representatives each state gets is based on its population, as determined by the U.S. Census, which is conducted every 10 years. This arrangement ensures that more populous states have more representatives than less populous states -- however, the absolute size of the chamber has been [capped at 435 members since the 1929 Permanent Reapportion Act](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-the-house-got-stuck-at-435-seats/), following the last time it grew in size after the 1910 Census. Despite the fact that the US population has more than tripled since then -- from 90 million in 1910 to over 330 million today -- changes in representation have been frozen for over a century, resulting in a poor match between the actual population size and distribution and relative political power in the House of Representatives. Representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. This is intended to keep representatives closely tied to their constituents' interests. There are no term limits for representatives. ## House leadership The Speaker of the House, who is elected by the members of the House, presides over the chamber. The Speaker is typically a member of the majority political party and is third in line for the presidency, after the Vice President. ## Powers and responsibilities The House has several unique powers and responsibilities. These include the power to initiate revenue bills (all bills dealing with taxation must originate in the House), impeach federal officials (while the Senate conducts the trials, the House is responsible for bringing charges), and elect the President in the case of an electoral college tie. ## Committees Much of the work of the House is done in committees. There are standing committees, special committees, and select committees. Standing committees are permanent panels with specific duties and jurisdictions, such as the Committee on Education and Labor, or the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Special and select committees are typically temporary and are established to investigate a particular issue. ## Historical significance The House, since its inception, has been a critical part of the U.S. federal government. It's designed to represent the people directly, compared to the [[Senate]] which was originally intended to represent the states. The composition and operations of the House have evolved over time to meet the changing needs of the United States.