Congressional calendar

The congressional calendar is a detailed description of the days for which the U.S. Congress will be in session. The leadership of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate release the projected calendar at the beginning of each congressional session, often differing slightly. The calendar designates holidays, in addition to district work periods, which designate time for members of Congress to return home and interact with their constituents. Generally, a targeted adjournment date is set, although this is often adjusted as unforseen circumstances and responsibilities arise. 

Days in session
The number of days which the House and Senate hold session varies greatly by year. The graph and charts below detail the day total for each chamber since 1993, in addition to the House Speaker and Senate majority leader who presided over the respective bodies. (Note: the 2006 figures are based on the days Congress had met through August 16, in addition to those days planned for the remainder of the session)



House

 * Source(s): The Library of Congress, USA Today, Résumé of Congressional Activity

Senate

 * Source(s): The Library of Congress, OMB Watch, U.S. Senate Daily Digest, Résumé of Congressional Activity

Note: In 1996, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) replaced Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kan.) on May 16, 1996. In 2001, Lott served as majority leader from January 20 through June 5, 2001. Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) replaced him on this date for the remainder of the congressional session.

Criticism of the 109th Congress
The 2nd session of the 109th Congress received sharp criticism in 2006 for the comparatively low number of days with which it conducted (or scheduled to conduct) legislative business. As of August 16, the House had met only 79 days, and scheduled only 12-16 additional days before the close of the session. The Senate planned to meet only 125 days during the 2006 session. Each figure, if the schedule goes to plan, will be the lowest in the respective branches in well over a decade. 

Attendance in Congress
While some Congresses are in session more days and longer hours than others, individual members ultimately determine the amount of time they spend on Capitol Hill. In any given Congress, some members will have perfect attendance records, while others will have missed dozens, if not hundreds, of votes. Campaigning, as well as suffering an illness, are two of the more common reasons a member will be absent from a floor vote.


 * See the Washington Post's tracker of each House and Senate member and his or her attendance record in the 110th Congress.

Resources

 * OMB Watch
 * The Library of Congress
 * 2006 Senate calendar
 * 2006 House calendar
 * Washington Post database on voting attendance in the House
 * Washington Post database on voting attendance in the Senate
 * Blumenthal, Paul, "The 'Do-Nothing' 109th Congress: The Days in Session for the 109th Congress Compared to Previous Congresses from 1947-2006," Sunlight Foundation, September 13, 2006.

Articles

 * "So much to do, so little time ... so Congress skips town," USA Today, August 6, 2006.