81st United States Congress

The Eighty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3 1949 to January 3 1951, during the first two years of the second administration of U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Dates of sessions

January 3 1949 – January 3 1951
*First session: January 3 1949 – October 19 1949
*Second session: January 3 1950 – January 2 1951Previous congress: 80th Congress
Next congress: 82nd Congress

Major events

:"Main article: Events of 1949; Events of 1950"

Major legislation

* June 20, 1949 — Central Intelligence Agency Act, ch. 227, USStat|63|208, USC|50|403a
* October 25, 1949 — Hospital Survey and Construction Amendments of 1949, ch. 722, USPL|81|380, USStat|63|898
* October 26, 1949 — Fair Labor Standards Amendment, ch. 736, USPL|81|393, USStat|63|910, USC|29|201
* May 10, 1950 — National Science Foundation Act, ch. 171, USPL|81|507, USStat|64|149, USC|42|1861
* September 23, 1950 — McCarran Internal Security Act, ch. 1024, USStat|64|987, USC|50|781
* 1950 — Public Health Services Act Amendments, USPL|81|692
* January 12, 1951 — Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, ch. 1228, USStat|64|1245, USC|50 App.|2251

Party summary

Employees

Architect of the Capitol:

enate

House of Representatives

*Clerk of the House: Ralph R. Roberts
*Doorkeeper: William Mosley "Fishbait" Miller, Elected January 3, 1949
*Postmaster: Finis E. Scott
*Sergeant at Arms: Joseph H. Callahan, Elected January 3, 1949
*Chaplain of the House: James Shera Montgomery - Methodist, Bernard Braskamp - Presbyterian