111th Congress Convenes Today: Watch Swearing-In Ceremonies

The U.S. House and U.S. Senate will be in session for the first time today as the 111th Congress. The primary business will be swearing in members, adopting rules and electing leaders. You can view live streaming of the sessions on CSPAN.org or its TV stations:

10:00 AM MST: House convenes
Mass swearing-in will occur during session
CSPAN TV or online

10:00 AM MST: Senate convenes
Mass swearing-in will occur during session
CSPAN-2 TV or online

11:00 AM MST: Individual ceremonial swearing-in
Conducted in Senate
CSPAN-2 TV or online

1:00 PM MST: Individual ceremonial swearing-in
Conducted by House Speaker Nancy Pelois
CSPAN-3 TV or online

The all-Democratic New Mexico Delegation is made up of Senior Senator Jeff Bingaman, Junior Senator Tom Udall, NM-01 Representative Martin Heinrich, NM-02 Representative Harry Teague and NM-03 Representative Ben Ray Lujan. They'll all be participating today and we wish them good luck!

The Congressional Research Service offers a profile of the new Congress that contains lots of facts about its members. Here's a short summary:

Currently, in the House of Representatives, there are 262 Democrats (including five Delegates and the Resident Commissioner) and 178 Republicans. The Senate has 55 Democrats; two Independents, who caucus with the Democrats; and 41 Republicans. There are two Senate vacancies and one House vacancy.

The average age of Members of both Houses of Congress at the convening of the 111th Congress is 58.2 years; of Members of the House, 57.0 years; and of Senators, 63.1 years. The overwhelming majority of Members have a college education. The dominant professions of Members are public service/politics, business, and law. Protestants collectively constitute the majority religious affiliation of Members. Roman Catholics account for the largest singlereligious denomination, and numerous other affiliations are represented.

The average length of service for Representatives at the beginning of the 111th Congress is 11.0 years (5.5 terms); for Senators 12.9 years (2.2 terms).

A record number of 95 women serve in the 111th Congress: 78 in the House, 17 in the Senate. There are 41 African American Members of the House and none in the Senate. This number includes two Delegates. There are 31 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 28 in the House, including the Resident Commissioner, and three in the Senate. Eleven Members (seven Representatives, two Delegates, and two Senators) are Asian or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander. The only American Indian (Native American) serves in the House.