The 108th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 2003, to January 3, 2005, during the third and fourth years of George W. Bush's presidency.
House members were elected in the 2002 general election on November 5, 2002. Senators were elected in three classes in the 1998 general election on November 3, 1998, 2000 general election on November 7, 2000, or 2002 general election on November 5, 2002. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 2000 United States census.
This is the most recent Congress to have a Democratic senator from South Carolina, Fritz Hollings, who retired at the end of the Congress.
Both chambers had a Republican majority, with the Republicans slightly increasing their edge in the House, and regaining control of the Senate, after party control had switched back and forth during the 107th Congress due to various factors. With President Bush, this gave the Republicans an overall federal government trifecta.
Major events
February 1, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry March 20, 2003: 2003 invasion of Iraq began April 14, 2003: Human Genome Project was completed July 14, 2003: CIA leak scandal began May 17, 2004: Same-sex marriage began in Massachusetts July 22, 2004: 9/11 Commission issued an initial report of its findings September 13, 2004: expiration of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban November 2, 2004: 2004 United States presidential election: George W. Bush defeated Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts. United States Senate elections, 2004 & United States House of Representatives elections, 2004: Republicans increased their majorities in both houses.
Major legislation Enacted
March 11, 2003: Do-Not-Call Implementation Act of 2003, April 25, 2003: Clean Diamond Trade Act, Pub.L. 108-19 April 30, 2003: PROTECT (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today) Act, including Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act, May 27, 2003: United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, Pub.L. 108-25 May 28, 2003: Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, May 29, 2003: Veterans' Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act of 2003, Pub.L. 108-29 June 25, 2003: Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, Pub.L. 108-36 September 4, 2003: Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, October 1, 2003: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2004, Pub.L. 108-90 October 28, 2003: Check 21 Act, November 5, 2003: Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, December 3, 2003: Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, Pub.L. 108-148 December 3, 2003: 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, Pub.L. 108-153 December 4, 2003: Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, December 6, 2003: Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act, Pub.L. 108-164 December 8, 2003: Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, December 12, 2003:Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, December 16, 2003: CAN-SPAM Act, March 25, 2004: Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Laci and Conner's Law), June 30, 2004: Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act, July 7, 2004: GAO Human Capital Reform Act of 2004, July 21, 2004: Project BioShield Act of 2004, October 18, 2004: North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, October 18, 2004: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2005, Pub.L. 108-334 October 20, 2004: Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, October 22, 2004: American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, Pub.L. 108-357 October 30, 2004: Crime Victims' Rights Act, Pub.L. 108-405 December 3, 2004: Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act, Pub.L. 108-435 December 3, 2004: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub.L. 108-446 December 8, 2004: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Pub.L. 108-447 December 10, 2004: Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act, Pub.L. 108-452 December 17, 2004: Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act,
Proposed, but not enacted : Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003
Party summary Senate
The party summary for the Senate remained the same during the entire 108th Congress.
Affiliation Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Democratic Independent IPM Republican Vacant End of previous Congress 48 1 1 50 100 0 108th Congress 48 1 0 51 100 0 Beginning of next Congress 44 1 0 55 100 0
House of Representatives Due to resignations and special elections, Republicans lost a net of two seats to the Democrats. All seats were filled though special elections. (See Changes in membership, below.)
Affiliation Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Democratic Independent Republican Vacant End of previous Congress 209 1 223 433 2 Begin 204 1 229 434 1 May 31, 2003 228 434 1 June 5, 2003 205 229 435 0 December 9, 2003 228 434 1 January 20, 2004 227 433 2 February 17, 2004 228 434 1 June 1, 2004 207 228 435 0 June 9, 2004206 434 1 July 20, 2004 229 435 0 August 31, 2004 205 228 434 1 September 23, 2004 204 227 432 3 Final voting share 48.0% 52.0% Non-voting members 4 0 1 5 0 Beginning of next Congress 201 1 232 434 1
Leadership Senate
President: Dick Cheney (R) President pro tempore: Ted Stevens (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
Majority Leader: Bill Frist Majority Whip: Mitch McConnell Republican Conference Chairman: Rick Santorum Republican Conference Secretary: Kay Bailey Hutchison Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: George Allen Policy Committee Chairman: Jon Kyl Chief Deputy Whip: Bob Bennett
Minority (Democratic) leadership
Minority Leader: Tom Daschle Minority Whip: Harry Reid Policy Committee Chairman: Byron Dorgan Democratic Conference Secretary: Barbara Mikulski Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Jon Corzine Steering and Outreach Committee Chair: Hillary Clinton Chief Deputy Whip: John Breaux
House of Representatives
Speaker: Dennis Hastert (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
Majority Leader: Tom DeLay Majority Whip: Roy Blunt Chief Deputy Whip: Eric Cantor Republican Conference Chairman: Deborah Pryce Republican Conference Vice-Chairman: Jack Kingston Republican Conference Secretary: John T. Doolittle Policy Committee Chairman: Christopher Cox Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Tom Reynolds House Rules Committee Chairman: David Dreier
Minority (Democratic) leadership
Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer Senior Chief Deputy Minority Whip: John Lewis Democratic Caucus Chairman: Bob Menendez Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman: Jim Clyburn Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Bob Matsui Chief Deputy Minority Whips: Joe Crowley, Baron Hill, Ron Kind, Ed Pastor, Max Sandlin, Jan Schakowsky, & Maxine Waters
Members Senate
Senators are preceded by the class, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 2004; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 2006; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 2008.
Alabama 2. Jeff Sessions (R) 3. Richard Shelby (R)
Alaska 2. Ted Stevens (R) 3. Lisa Murkowski (R)
Arizona 1. Jon Kyl (R) 3. John McCain (R)
Arkansas 2. Mark Pryor (D) 3. Blanche Lincoln (D)
California 1. Dianne Feinstein (D) 3. Barbara Boxer (D)
Colorado 2. Wayne Allard (R) 3. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R)
Connecticut 1. Joe Lieberman (D) 3. Chris Dodd (D)
Delaware 1. Tom Carper (D) 2. Joe Biden (D)
Florida 1. Bill Nelson (D) 3. Bob Graham (D)
Georgia 2. Saxby Chambliss (R) 3. Zell Miller (D)
Hawaii 1. Daniel Akaka (D) 3. Daniel Inouye (D)
Idaho 2. Larry Craig (R) 3. Mike Crapo (R)
Illinois 2. Dick Durbin (D) 3. Peter Fitzgerald (R)
Indiana 1. Richard Lugar (R) 3. Evan Bayh (D)
Iowa 2. Tom Harkin (D) 3. Chuck Grassley (R)
Kansas 2. Pat Roberts (R) 3. Sam Brownback (R)
Kentucky 2. Mitch McConnell (R) 3. Jim Bunning (R)
Louisiana 2. Mary Landrieu (D) 3. John Breaux (D)
Maine 1. Olympia Snowe (R) 2. Susan Collins (R)
Maryland 1. Paul Sarbanes (D) 3. Barbara Mikulski (D)
Massachusetts 1. Ted Kennedy (D) 2. John Kerry (D)
Michigan 1. Debbie Stabenow (D) 2. Carl Levin (D)
Minnesota 1. Mark Dayton (DFL)The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) is affiliated with the United States Democratic Party. 2. Norm Coleman (R)
Mississippi 1. Trent Lott (R) 2. Thad Cochran (R)
Missouri 1. James Talent (R) 3. Kit Bond (R)
Montana 1. Conrad Burns (R) 2. Max Baucus (D)
Nebraska 1. Ben Nelson (D) 2. Chuck Hagel (R)
Nevada 1. John Ensign (R) 3. Harry Reid (D)
New Hampshire 2. John E. Sununu (R) 3. Judd Gregg (R)
New Jersey 1. Jon Corzine (D) 2. Frank Lautenberg (D)
New Mexico 1. Jeff Bingaman (D) 2. Pete Domenici (R)
New York 1. Hillary Clinton (D) 3. Chuck Schumer (D)
North Carolina 2. Elizabeth Dole (R) 3. John Edwards (D)
North Dakota 1. Kent Conrad (D-NPL) 3. Byron Dorgan (D-NPL)
Ohio 1. Mike DeWine (R) 3. George Voinovich (R)
Oklahoma 2. Jim Inhofe (R) 3. Don Nickles (R)
Oregon 2. Gordon H. Smith (R) 3. Ron Wyden (D)
Pennsylvania 1. Rick Santorum (R) 3. Arlen Specter (R)
Rhode Island 1. Lincoln Chafee (R) 2. Jack Reed (D)
South Carolina 2. Lindsey Graham (R) 3. Fritz Hollings (D)
South Dakota 2. Tim Johnson (D) 3. Tom Daschle (D)
Tennessee 1. Bill Frist (R) 2. Lamar Alexander (R)
Texas 1. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) 2. John Cornyn (R)
Utah 1. Orrin Hatch (R) 3. Bob Bennett (R)
Vermont 1. Jim Jeffords (I) 3. Patrick Leahy (D)
Virginia 1. George Allen (R) 2. John Warner (R)
Washington 1. Maria Cantwell (D) 3. Patty Murray (D)
West Virginia 1. Robert Byrd (D) 2. Jay Rockefeller (D)
Wisconsin 1. Herb Kohl (D) 3. Russ Feingold (D)
Wyoming 1. Craig L. Thomas (R) 2. Mike Enzi (R)
House of Representatives
Representatives are preceded by the district number.
Alabama . Jo Bonner (R) . Terry Everett (R) . Mike Rogers (R) . Robert Aderholt (R) . Bud Cramer (D) . Spencer Bachus (R) . Artur Davis (D)
Alaska . Don Young (R)
Arizona . Rick Renzi (R) . Trent Franks (R) . John Shadegg (R) . Ed Pastor (D) . J. D. Hayworth (R) . Jeff Flake (R) . Raúl Grijalva (D) . Jim Kolbe (R)
Arkansas . Marion Berry (D) . Vic Snyder (D) . John Boozman (R) . Mike Ross (D)
California . Mike Thompson (D) . Wally Herger (R) . Doug Ose (R) . John Doolittle (R) . Robert Matsui (D), until January 1, 2005, vacant thereafter . Lynn Woolsey (D) . George Miller (D) . Nancy Pelosi (D) . Barbara Lee (D) . Ellen Tauscher (D) . Richard Pombo (R) . Tom Lantos (D) . Pete Stark (D) . Anna Eshoo (D) . Mike Honda (D) . Zoe Lofgren (D) . Sam Farr (D) . Dennis Cardoza (D) . George Radanovich (R) . Cal Dooley (D) . Devin Nunes (R) . Bill Thomas (R) . Lois Capps (D) . Elton Gallegly (R) . Howard McKeon (R) . David Dreier (R) . Brad Sherman (D) . Howard Berman (D) . Adam Schiff (D) . Henry Waxman (D) . Xavier Becerra (D) . Hilda Solis (D) . Diane Watson (D) . Lucille Roybal-Allard (D) . Maxine Waters (D) . Jane Harman (D) . Juanita Millender-McDonald (D) . Grace Napolitano (D) . Linda Sánchez (D) . Edward R. Royce (R) . Jerry Lewis (R) . Gary Miller (R) . Joe Baca (D) . Ken Calvert (R) . Mary Bono (R) . Dana Rohrabacher (R) . Loretta Sanchez (D) . Christopher Cox (R) . Darrell Issa (R) . Duke Cunningham (R) . Bob Filner (D) . Duncan Hunter (R) . Susan Davis (D)
Colorado . Diana DeGette (D) . Mark Udall (D) . Scott McInnis (R) . Marilyn Musgrave (R) . Joel Hefley (R) . Tom Tancredo (R) . Bob Beauprez (R)
Connecticut . John Larson (D) . Rob Simmons (R) . Rosa DeLauro (D) . Chris Shays (R) . Nancy Johnson (R)
Delaware