A Close Inspection of the 111th Congress

By Gina Luke, Assistant Director of the GRD

An estimated 123 million citizens voted in the November 2008 elections, and their votes resulted in a Democrat winning the White House and many changes on Capitol Hill. Among the highlights for the AVMA are the elections of Kurt Schrader, a veterinarian who will represent Oregon's fifth district in the U.S. House of Representatives, and former U.S.D.A Secretary Mike Johanns, who will represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate.

Underscoring the importance of veterinarians being actively involved in grassroots advocacy programs, both the AVMA's and the state VMAs', is the fact that 61% of the members of the 111th Congress held prior elected office as governors, lieutenant governors, state legislators and mayors. Additionally, 23% of Members were congressional staff on Capitol Hill and/or fellows on the Hill, the White House or in executive branch agencies.

There are 541 Members in the 111th Congress that hail from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Among them are 262 Democrats (including five Delegates and one Resident Commissioner), 178 Republicans and one vacancy in the House of Representatives and 56 Democrats, two Independents, and 41 Republicans in the Senate. Senate Democrats will likely gain one more seat when the courts dispatch with Republican Norm Coleman's case against Democratic challenger Al Franken.

The election resulted in an older demographic in both chambers of Congress, although the Senate is trending younger. Of the U.S. Senate's 15 newest members, only four "rookies" are older than the senators they replaced. The average age of senators increased from an average age of nearly 62 to 63, while the average age of House members increased from 56 to 57. The youngest senator is 42 year old New Yorker, Kristen Gillibrand, a Democrat. The oldest is Senator Robert Byrd, 91, a Democrat from West Virginia. The youngest member of Congress is newly elected 27-year old Representative Aaron Schock, a Republican from the state of Illinois; the oldest is Texas Republican Ralph Hall at 85.

There are 95 women serving in Congress, 77 in the House, and 17 in the Senate. There are also 41 African Americans serving in the House of Representatives, and one in the Senate. There are 30 Hispanics in Congress, 28 in the House, and two in the Senate. Also, there are 11 Asians and one Native American in the House.

Aside from two veterinarians serving in Congress, Schrader in the House and John Ensign in the Senate, there are three organic farmers, three ranchers, two vintners, a fruit orchard worker, two dentists, three nurses, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an optometrist, a clinical dietician, a pharmacists, three physicists, a chemist, six engineers, a microbiologist, an astronaut, five accountants and 225 lawyers – as well as several other professions.

Although 95% of Members have college degrees, there are 27 Representatives and 1 Senator that have no education degree beyond a high school diploma. Twenty-three Representatives have PhDs, while no Senators do.

The 111th Congress is in session for two years. Take some time to get to know the members of your delegation. Attend a town hall meeting, write a letter, make phone calls and weigh in with your Members on important issues. Learn more about your elected officials and issues before the 111th Congress by visiting www.congress.org. Become an AVMA advocate. AVMA can use your help.

For more information, contact Gina Luke.