Claim: In the United States House of Representatives (specifically, in the 110th Congress), seniority is not only determined by the date a member is sworn in; due to multiple inductees swearing in on the same date, it also takes previous congressional service into account.
Evidence: For the most part, representatives are ranked by the beginning of their terms in office. Representatives whose terms begin the same day are ranked alphabetically by last name. Members of the House are arranged by the number of terms they have served, before being arranged by the beginning date of their most recent continuous service. Where members have served the same number of terms and have the same date of service, they are arranged alphabetically by last name. Seniority date
Previous service (if any)