Viral images of Exxon gas station signs were shared in October 2020, ahead of Election Day. The House of Representatives has averaged 146.7 "legislative days" a year since 2001, according to records kept. That's about one day of work every two and a half days. These responsibilities do not always go hand in hand. Why do they get such a long recess? But in an amended Section 132 of the act, Congress agreed that “unless otherwise provided by the Congress, the two Houses shall adjourn sine die not later than July 31 of each year,” or in an odd-numbered year, “by concurrent resolution adopted in each House by roll call vote, for the adjournment of the two Houses from that Friday in August which occurs at least thirty days before the first Monday in September (Labor Day) of such year to the second day after Labor Day.”. Some members of Congress have attempted to address the gender pay gap, or the fact that, according to Pew Research Center, women earn 84 percent as much as their male counterparts. Also, Section 132 says Congress can’t take the August recess if a war declaration is in effect. Article I, Section 4, in the Constitution said that Congress had to meet at least once a year, with the meeting on the first Monday in December. The Senate works a little differently. After Congress comes back in session in September, its schedule still shows the House taking a week off in late September and another in mid-October, the Senate taking a week off in early October, both chambers taking off a week around Thanksgiving, and Congress closing up shop for the year on the evening of December 15. The House works about two days a week and the Senate works a little more than that, according to federal records.. However, it does not come close to capturing members’' range of responsibilities. The 1970 Act recognized a summer recess tradition that dated back to 1791, when Congress met in Philadelphia (and not Washington, at least for another decade). No matter where they are or what they are doing, House and Senate members are spending 83-85% of their time—and well over 40 hours a week—on legislative/policy work, constituent services, political/campaign work, press/media relations, and administrative duties. Congressional sessions begin in January of odd-numbered years and typically end in December of the same year. During the 1960s, Senate Gale McGee pushed for an official August recess on the congressional calendar. In some years, the number of legislative days can dip to 101 days a year (as in 2006) or it can be more than 170 days (as in 2011). This is why even when Congress is out of session, members are at work. We did the math (see below) and it comes to more than three months a year, on average, since 1977. Members of congress, regardless of party affiliation, adhere to the same schedule. The 20th Amendment moved the date to January 3, or another day that Congress chose. Also, the lack of modern comforts made full-time congressional sessions in August in Washington, D.C., very uncomfortable. There is a great deal of misunderstanding about how much congressmen actually work due to the fact that there are often fewer legislative days than working days in the calendar. With the Senate and House getting ready for an August recess, with little progress on important legislation, some critics say politicians should stay in D.C. And that begs a bigger question: How much vacation do politicians get anyway?

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