United States of America

House of Representatives Senate

House of Representatives

Political system
Presidential system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
No
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Parliamentary mandate

Start and end of mandate

Start of the parliamentary mandate for newly elected members
When the member is sworn in
Start of the parliamentary mandate for appointed members
Not applicable
End of the parliamentary mandate
On the last day of the chamber’s term (including in the case of early dissolution)

Speaker

Mode of designation of the Speaker
The Speaker is elected from among the members of parliament/chamber
Authority that designates the Speaker when the Speaker is designated from outside parliament.
Not applicable
Rank of the Speaker in the hierarchy of the State
Third
Speaker becomes interim Head of State in the event of the latter’s death or incapacity
No
Speaker's mandate continues between legislatures
No

Speaker terms

The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house
No
Speaker's term
2 Years
Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any
No information available

Notes: The Speaker of the House is elected on the first day of the new Congress, which is January 3rd of odd-numbered years (unless the House authorizes another nearby date, which sometimes happens if January 3rd is a Sunday).

Immunity and code of conduct

Parliament’s authorization is required for the detention or prosecution of members
No
There is a Code of conduct for members
Yes

Salaries and allowances

Members are paid salaries by parliament
Yes
(2020)
Basic salary, per year
174,000 USD
(2024)
Basic salary, per year in PPP
174,000
(2024)
Basic allowances
Click for historical data
Basic allowance in PPP
1,498,546
Names of the basic allowances

Members’ Representatives Allowance (MRA).

Amount reported is an average.

The MRA is composed of:

1. Personnel (amount is the same for every member)

2. Official office expenses (varies among Members based on the distance between a Member’s district and Washington, DC, and the cost of General Services Administration office rental space in the district)

3. Official mail (varies among Members based on the number of non-business addresses in the district)

Members pay income tax on salaries
Yes
Members pay income tax on allowances
No
Members can have remunerated employment outside parliament
Yes
Members are required to declare income from other employment to parliament
Yes
Additional salaries and allowances provided for leadership positions
Yes

Facilities, services and allowances for constituency work

Personal staff to work directly for the parliamentarian
Yes
Office at parliament
Yes
Constituency office
Yes
Housing
No
Other cash or in-kind allowances for constituency work
Yes

Notes:

Office space in States, including Mobile Office Space;

Furniture and Furnishings in Washington, D.C., supplied and maintained by the Architect of the Capitol;

Furniture and Furnishings in State Offices (USD 40,000 max);

Office equipment in Washington, DC, and State Offices;

Entitlement to receive government publications, e.g. the daily Congressional Record, various manuals and directories.

Personal staff are paid for out of each Parliamentarian's office.

Additional salaries and allowances for leadership positions
List of salaries and allowances for leadership positions
Salary Allowances
Speaker Yes
Committee Chair No

Notes:

Speaker: USD 225,000

Salary of the Speaker
225,000 USD
Salary of the Speaker in PPP
225,000
Parliament determines the amount of salaries
Yes
Name of the body (or bodies) in parliament which determines the amount

Both chambers of Parliament have to pass legislation.

Parliament determines the amount of allowances
Yes
Name of the body (or bodies) in parliament which determines the amount

Both chambers of Parliament have to pass legislation.

Name of the institution outside parliament which determines the amount
No information available
The parliamentary salary is determined in reference to another salary scale
Yes
Reference scale used for parliamentary salaries
Other

Notes:

Annual adjustments are based on "changes in private sector wages as measured by the

Employment Cost Index (ECI)," but Congress often votes to not accept these annual adjustments.

Information on salaries and allowances on the parliamentary website

All SOPOEA expenditures are required to be published in the semiannual Report of the Secretary of the Senate.

All MRA expenditures are reported in the quarterly Statement of Disbursements of the House Statements (SOD)

https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/PublicDisclosure/FinancialDisclosure https://www.senate.gov/legislative/lobbyingdisc.htm

No information available
Year data was last reported

2020

Participation in the government

Members of the government must also be members of parliament
Cannot be a member of parliament
Members for whom data is available
432
(2023)

Historical data for IPU membership

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Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No