Delegate (United States Congress) Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
A United States Delegate is a non-voting representative of a U.S. territory in the U.S. House of Representatives. A "territory" under U.S. law is a discrete, often self-ruled jurisdiction that for constitutional or historical reasons is not a state. Only states are allowed full voting representation in the Congress.Currently, four U.S. territories are represented by delegates: American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, otherwise known as Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. (Puerto Rico is represented by a resident commissioner who holds similar status within the House.)
Delegates serve only in the House of Representatives; the Senate does not include any counterpart representatives from U.S. territories.
In 1993, the 103rd Congress approved a rule change that allowed the five delegates to vote on the floor of the House in the Committee of the Whole. However, if any measure passed or failed because of a delegate's vote, a second vote excluding the deciding delegate would be taken. In other words, delegates were permitted to vote only if their votes had no effect on a measure's ultimate outcome. In 1995, this rule change was reversed by the 104th Congress, stripping the delegates of even non-decisive votes.
Though currently not allowed to vote on the House floor, delegates may vote in any legislative committee to which they belong.
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