113th Session Of Congress Convenes

U.S. Vice President Joseph "Joe" Biden, second right, and Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, left, assist Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, second left, up the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. Kirk returned for the first time since he suffered a stroke on Jan. 23, 2012. The 113th Congress convenes today in Washington where new members will try to meld their diverse backgrounds in a legislature containing a record seven openly gay lawmakers, an unprecedented 20 women in the Senate and the first all-female state delegation, from New Hampshire. Photographer: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images