111th Congress (2009 - 2011)
House of Representatives
House Majority: Democrat
House Majority Seats: 257 out of 435
House Speaker: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Senate
Senate Majority: Democrat
Senate Majority Seats: 59 out of 100
Senate Majority Leader: Sen. Harry M. Reid (D-NV)
Executive
President: Barack Obama (D-IL)
Vice President: Joe Biden (D-DE)
Member Spotlight
Featured: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Majority Leader, was a defining figure in late 20th and early 21st century American governance. Born in 1939 in Searchlight, Nevada, Reid's early life was marked by modest beginnings. He served in the Nevada State Assembly from 1969 to 1971 and as the state's lieutenant governor from 1971 to 1975. After a tenure as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, Reid was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, where he served until 1987. That year, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until his retirement in 2017, becoming Nevada's longest-serving senator. Reid's leadership in the Senate was characterized by a pragmatic and strategic approach. He played a pivotal role in passing significant legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2013, under his leadership, the Senate Democrats invoked the “nuclear option,” eliminating the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster for most presidential nominations, a move that significantly altered Senate procedural dynamics.
Enactments
- Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
- Expansion of State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
- Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009
- Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009
- Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009
- The Serve America Act
- Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
- Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009
- Tobacco Regulation
- Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009
- Supplemental Appropriations for the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program
- Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2009
- Agriculture Appropriation Act of 2009
- Veterans Affairs Appropriations Advancement
- Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2009
- National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
- Department of Energy Appropriations Act of 2009
- Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010
- Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010
- Defense Appropriations Act of 2009
- Public Debt Limit Increase
- Travel Promotion Act of 2009
- Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act
- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- Small Business Loan Guarantee Act Extension
- Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
- Continuing Extension Act of 2010
- Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010
- Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010
- Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
- Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010
- Iraq and Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act
- Patent and Trademark Supplemental Appropriations Act
- Education, Jobs and Medicaid Funding Act
- Border Security Appropriations Act
- Small Business Jobs Act of 2010
- Continuing Appropriations Act
- Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010
- First Continuing Appropriations Act of 2010
- Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
- Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, And Job Creation Act Of 2010
- Second Continuing Appropriations Act of 2010
- Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
- Continuing Appropriations and Surface Transportation Extensions Act
- James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
- FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
- Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011
- New START Treaty
- Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act
- American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
- DISCLOSE Act
- Emergency Senior Citizens Relief Act of 2010
- District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009
- Medicare Physician Fairness Act
- Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2010
- Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2010
- Troubled Asset Relief Program Disapproval
- Greenhouse Gas Regulation EPA Rule Disapproval
- Fiscal 2010 Budget Resolution