By Congresspedia assistant editor Avelino Maestas

With the 111th Congress in full swing (see Conor’s post on freshman members and Donny’s recent work on the first 10 bills in the Senate), we’re starting to see changes announced last year become formalized, such as the selection of committee chairs and ranking members in the House and Senate. With big policy debates on the horizon, you’ll also start to hear more about the caucus leadership.

Fortunately, Congresspedia has you covered. We detailed the leadership changes back in December, but we also have citizen-generated entries on the leadership in the House and Senate. These articles include background information on the various positions and links to profiles of individual senators and representatives.

The House and Senate both convened their inaugural sessions of the 111th Congress at noon Tuesday with 65 new faces. There were 39 Democrats (plus two non-voting members who caucus with Democrats) and 24 Republicans. (See the complete, citizen-authored profiles of the freshmen at Congresspedia.)

By Congresspedia assistant editor Avelino Maestas

The House approved automaker bailout legislation last night by a 237-to-170 margin. The $14 billion stipulated in the Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act would go to help struggling U.S. automakers, and would be provided in the form of bridge loans.

By Congresspedia assistant editor Avelino Maestas

The weekend brought news of an upset down south, where indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D) on Saturday was upset in his re-election big by Anh “Joseph” Cao (R). Also, congressional leaders negotiated a compromise with the White House to tap about $15 billion for an emergency loan to U.S. automakers, and legislation authorizing the funds could come this week.

By Congresspedia assistant editor Avelino Maestas

CEOs representing the American auto-making industry were in Washington last week testifying before relevant House and Senate committees, as they seek billions of dollars in federal loans. The other main piece of business on the hill was figuring out which anonymous senator was blockading the appointment of an inspector general to oversee the $700 billion financial industry bailout. In the states, however, undecided congressional races in Georgia and California were settled, with Louisiana (two seats), Ohio and Minnesota left to go.