On August 6, 1971, the Senate and House recessed and did not return to session until September 9. That was the first August recess to occur under the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. Existing law already required that the Senate and House "shall adjourn sine die not later than July 31 of each year," unless they provided otherwise. But the last time that congress managed to complete its work by the end of July was in 1956. The press of legislative business during the 1960s kept Congress in session an average of 296 days a year. By contrast, during the previous decade, sessions of Congress had lasted an average of only 252 days a year.
On even-numbered years, Congress usually managed to adjourn by early October to accommodate members running for reelection. But in odd-numbered years it had become standard to work through to December, with little time for members to plan and enjoy family summer vacations.
In 1965, a Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress was established. Over the next five years it heard testimony suggesting numerous ways to modernize the legislative branch. Its work culminated in the Legislative Reorganization Act, which, among other things, increased the size of the staff, limited the number of committees a senator could chair, and opened most committee meetings to public scrutiny.
One small section of that large reorganization package, added by the Senate, provided that in election years Congress recess for thirty days in August, unless it voted otherwise. This provision gave senators, representatives, and their families and their staffs a predictable breathing space in the crowded calendar. Although August recesses have often been abbreviated during election years, the legislative intent of the Reorganization Act of 1970 has continued to be carried out faithfully during odd-numbered years.
