113th Session Of Congress Convenes

Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, second left, and Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, second right, wave as U.S. Vice President Joseph "Joe" Biden, left, looks on while standing at 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