 Translating public will into public policy is a principal function of democracy. In the U.S. House of Representatives, 435 people assume that responsibility every day. In the House, representation is determined by apportionment. This means states with the larger populations control a greater percentage of the 435 House seats. And because people may move from state to state or immigrate to the U.S., House seats remain in flux. State representation can go up or down when official Census Bureau results are posted each decade. This reapportionment ensures that although the number of seats remains constant at 435, representation changes to reflect population shifts. Once the number of state districts is determined, state legislatures determine the district boundaries. They are not, however, allowed to set boundaries that have the sole purpose of bolstering political power. This practice was given the name gerrymandering after Elbridge Gerry in 1812 tried to redistrict Massachusetts into districts that resembled the shape of a salamander. However, exceptions to this have existed in the past. In 1982, amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 required states to draw district lines along concentrations of African American and Hispanic American voters. But when an irregular shaped district in North Carolina was created to secure the election of a minority representative, the Supreme Court ruled in Shaw v. Reno that these amendments violated the voter's equal rights protection of the 14th Amendment. Despite all efforts to ensure proper representation, House members rarely resemble the demographics of the people in their districts. Most are lawyers, business elite, or academics, and are largely composed of wealthy white males. Just imagine for a moment what life in this country might have been if women had been properly represented in Congress. Would a Congress where women and all their diversity were represented tolerate the countless laws now on the books that discriminate against women in all phases of their lives? Bella Abzug, 1972. Though African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and women are all underrepresented, congressional representation is substantive rather than a descriptive representation. This means that although House members may not look like their constituents, they represent the interests of the people of their districts. There are three requirements for being elected to the House. Each representative must be at least 25 years old, a resident of the state they represent, and they must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years. Members of the House are elected to two-year terms, and there is no constitutional limit on the number of terms they may serve. Going through the election process every two years helps keep them in close contact with their constituents, ensuring they remain accountable and in touch with the preferences of the people. Several key positions in the House wield a great deal of influence over the members of their parties. The most influential is the Speaker of the House. Elected by the party in power, the Speaker presides over the House when it is in session, controls its daily functions, and is second in line for the presidency. Next on the House ladder are Majority and Minority Leaders. The Majority Leader schedules House bills and works side-by-side with the Speaker. The Minority Leader is simply that, the Floor Leader of the Minority Party. Two other positions, the Majority and Minority Whips, assist their respective Majority and Minority Leaders to encourage members to vote with the party on key issues. Finally, committee chairpersons round out the main power sphere of the House. Some are more powerful than others. The Rules Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, and the Appropriations Committee are power committees with highly coveted chairmenhips. Regardless of individual influence, however, the committee system dominates the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House may be the most powerful position in the U.S. House of Representatives, but committees facilitate most of the work. They meet to discuss specific areas of policy. They work to control the congressional agenda. They even guide legislation through Congress. Debate is rare in the House of Representatives, since nearly all real business is done in the committees. DW Brogan, 1944. There are four types of House committees, standing, joint, conference, and select. Standing committees, the most important, remain assembled in order to hold hearings, discuss proposed laws, add amendments, and oversee committee issues. Agriculture, budget, rules, ways and means, and appropriations committees are key examples of standing committees. Joint committees are unique in that they draw members from both the House and the Senate, handling policy areas such as the economy and taxation. Conference committees gain consensus on House and Senate bills that are similar in nature. Select committees are appointed for specific purposes, such as investigating a governmental crisis, for example. Over the course of the nation's history, a political phenomenon known as the Iron Triangle has emerged from within the congressional committee system. The three sides of this triangle are made up of a congressional committee, the bureaucratic agency that is tied to the committee, and the special interest group affected by laws being considered by the committee. An example of an Iron Triangle is the one formed by the Armed Services Committee, the Defense Department, and the Boeing Corporation. Tied together in a mutually dependent relationship, members of Iron Triangles can dominate domestic policymaking, for better and for worse. On one hand, the triangle ensures that the laws Congress passes are both practical and effective. It also gives interest groups a direct say in legislation that immediately affects them. On the other hand, Iron Triangles can allow committees who should be watchdogs over the agencies to become too comfortable with their triangle counterparts. Another negative impact can occur when interest groups gain too much influence over legislation and encourage governmental waste or overspending. Though imperfect, the committee system of the House of Representatives is the driving force behind taking public will and turning it into public policy.