A Profile of the 114th Congress, and More from CRS
The membership of the new Congress has set several new demographic records, according to a survey by the Congressional Research Service.
“One hundred eight women (a record number) serve in the 114th Congress: 88 in the House, including four Delegates, and 20 in the Senate. There are 46 African American Members of the House and two in the Senate. This House number includes two Delegates. There are 38 Hispanic or Latino Members (a record number) serving: 34 in the House, including one Delegate and the Resident Commissioner, and four in the Senate. A record 14 Members (11 Representatives, two Delegates, and one Senator) are Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders. Two American Indians (Native Americans) serve in the House,” CRS found.
“The average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 114th Congress was 57.0 years; of Senators, 61.0 years. The overwhelming majority of Members of Congress have a college education.” See Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile, January 22, 2015.
Other new or newly updated CRS reports that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following.
Latin America and the Caribbean: Key Issues for the 114th Congress, January 28, 2015
Nigeria’s 2015 Elections and the Boko Haram Crisis, January 28, 2015
Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2015 Action in the 114th Congress, January 30, 2015
H.R. 399, the Secure Our Borders First Act of 2015: Report in Brief, January 27, 2015
Same-Sex Marriage: A Legal Overview, January 30, 2015
Congressional Roll Call Votes on the Keystone XL Pipeline, January 22, 2015
In Re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001: Claims Against Saudi Defendants Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), January 22, 2015
Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations, January 23, 2015
Defense: FY2015 Authorization and Appropriations, January 28, 2015
U.S. Trade Concepts, Performance, and Policy: Frequently Asked Questions, January 30, 2015
Bitcoin: Questions, Answers, and Analysis of Legal Issues, January 28, 2015
Multilateral Development Banks: U.S. Contributions FY2000-FY2015, January 26, 2015
Who Regulates Whom and How? An Overview of U.S. Financial Regulatory Policy for Banking and Securities Markets, January 30, 2015
Oil Sands and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund: The Definition of “Oil” and Related Issues for Congress, January 22, 2015
U.S.-Mexico Water Sharing: Background and Recent Developments, January 23, 2015
National Security Letters: Proposals in the 113th Congress, January 22, 2015
The United States has the only proven and scalable tritium production supply chain, but it is largely reserved for nuclear weapons. Excess tritium production capacity should be leveraged to ensure the success of and U.S. leadership in fusion energy.
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Innovations in artificial intelligence and robotics will allow us to accelerate the search process using foundation AI models for science research and automate much of the experimentation with robotic, self-driving labs.
FAS commends the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for clearing a historic 75 pieces of legislation, including multiple crucial bills to confront the wildfire crisis.