Seniority in the United States House of Representatives
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This is a complete list of current members of the United States House of Representatives based on seniority. For the most part, representatives are ranked by the beginning of their terms in office. Representatives whose terms begin the same day are ranked alphabetically by last name.[1]
Standards for seniority
Representatives who return to the House after having previously served in the House may be credited with service equal to one less than the number of terms they served. For example, Rep. Steve Chabot had previously served seven terms, from 1995 to 2009, when he was once again elected in 2010. Instead of holding seniority with others whose terms began January 3, 2011, he was credited with six terms, and holds seniority above all representatives whose terms began on or after January 3, 1999. When a representative has served a prior term of fewer than two terms (i.e., prior term minus one equals less than one), he or she is ranked above all others whose service begins on the same day.
Benefits of seniority
Committee leadership in the House is often associated with seniority, especially in the Democratic Caucus. The Republican leadership, in comparison with the Democratic Party, prioritizes voting records and campaign fundraising over seniority for committee leadership.[2] Party leadership in the House is not strictly associated with seniority.
Seniority also affects access to more desirable office space in the House Office Buildings.
Vacancies
- December 5, 2017 — Michigan 13: John Conyers resigned. The special election will be concurrent with the general election.
- March 16, 2018 — New York 25: Louise Slaughter died. The special election will be concurrent with the general election.
- April 23, 2018 — Oklahoma 1: Jim Bridenstine resigned. The seat will remain vacant until the next Congress.
- April 27, 2018 — Pennsylvania 7: Pat Meehan resigned. The special election will be concurrent with the general election.
- May 12, 2018 — Pennsylvania 15: Charlie Dent resigned. The special election will be concurrent with the general election.
- September 10, 2018 - Florida 6: Ron DeSantis resigned. The seat will remain vacant until the next Congress.
- September 30, 2018 - West Virginia 3: Evan Jenkins resigned. The seat will remain vacant until the next Congress.
Current seniority list
Delegates
| Rank | Delegate | Party | District | Seniority date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eleanor Holmes Norton | D | District of Columbia at-large | January 3, 1991 | |
| 2 | Madeleine Bordallo | D | Guam at-large | January 3, 2003 | |
| 3 | Gregorio Sablan | D | Northern Mariana Islands at-large | January 3, 2009 | |
| 4 | Stacey Plaskett | D | United States Virgin Islands at-large | January 3, 2015 | |
| 5 | Amata Coleman Radewagen | R | American Samoa at-large | ||
| 6 | Jenniffer González | NPP/R | Puerto Rico at-large | January 3, 2017 |
References
- ↑ Delegates are non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives.
- ↑ House Seniority and Committee Leadership
- ↑ Members elected with substantial prior service receive credit for part of that service when calculating seniority.
- ↑ http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B001306
See also
External links
- Clerk of the House of Representatives Office's Seniority List.