![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090103000449im_/http://clerk.house.gov/images/lib_show_icon_tan.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090103000449im_/http://clerk.house.gov/images/lib_hide_icon_tan.gif)
What is the current status of “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008” commonly known as the “Bailout Bill” on the House Floor?
What is the status of the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008,” commonly known as the “Bailout Bill,” voted on the Senate Floor?
What is the status of the September 29, 2008 “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008,” commonly known as the “Bailout Bill,” voted on the House Floor?
What is a “lame duck” session? Who is a “lame duck”?
Currently, for the second session of the 110th Congress “lame duck” would occur if Congress came back into session after the November 4, 2008 elections and subsequently remained in session until January 3, 2009.
A “lame duck” is a Member of Congress who has not been re-elected, or did not seek re-election and is serving out the balance of his or her term.
Where can I find the latest bill passed in the House of Representatives on reducing the nation’s dependency on oil?
What is the “Open Fuel Standard Act”? And what fuel mixture is required by automobile manufacturers?
The “open fuel standard” requires automobile manufacturers to ensure that not less than 80 percent of the automobiles manufactured or sold in the United States by each such manufacturer to operate on fuel mixtures containing 85 percent ethanol, 85 percent methanol, or biodiesel.
House bill H.R. 6559 and Senate Bill S. 3303
What is the function of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? What does the government takeover mean?
They are privately owned mortgage companies that are protected financially by the U.S. government, and they were created to assist with affordable housing.
The government's takeover means that the government will put the two companies into conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency and bail them out financially.
Where can I find the oath of office, and what does it state?
As required by Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, Members of Congress shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution. Representatives, delegates, and the resident commissioner all take the oath of office on the first day of the new Congress, immediately after the House has elected its Speaker. The Speaker of the House administers the oath of office as follows:
“I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
Representatives elected in special elections during the course of a Congress generally take the oath of office on the floor of the House Chamber when the Clerk of the House has received a formal notice of the new Member’s election or appointment from state government authorities. On rare occasions, because of illness or other circumstances, a Member-elect has been authorized to take the oath of office at a place other than the House. In those circumstances, the Clerk of the House sees to the proper administration of the oath.
Where can I find the Resume of Congressional Activity?
The House Library holds the Resume of Congressional Activity from the 80th through the present Congresses.