Majority Required

The topic for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.5.1: “A majority of the Senate and a majority of the House of Representatives shall be required in order to constitute a quorum to do the business of these houses.” This principle gives the people the Right to have laws passed by a majority of their representatives. This provision prevents small groups of Senators or Representatives taking over and passing laws.

The Founders knew that a requirement for the attendance of the whole body of Senators or Representatives would present the situation where the non-attendance of a few people could prevent the completion of a particular business. They wanted the business of the people to be performed by a quorum of the majority of their representatives without transferring power to a minority.