Final answer:
The new term of Congress begins on January 3rd of every odd-numbered year pursuant to the 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering when each new term of Congress begins, the correct answer is d) January of every odd-numbered year. This is established by the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, specifically in Section 2, which states that the terms of Senators and Representatives begin at noon on the 3rd day of January. The Congress must assemble at least once in every year, and this meeting shall officially begin at noon on the 3rd of January, as specified unless a different day is set by law.Initially, the Constitution mentioned that Congress shall assemble at least once every year, with the session commencing on the first Monday in December. However, with the ratification of the 20th Amendment in 1933, this date was changed. The first session of the new Congress now starts on January 3rd of every odd-numbered year, following the general elections that take place in November of the preceding even-numbered year. This adjustment was made to reduce the 'lame-duck' period when outgoing legislators held office long after the new ones were elected. Federal elections for Congressional seats occur every two years for the House of Representatives and every six years for one-third of the Senate seats.Conclusion To reiterate, the commencement of each new term for the U.S. Congress is at noon on January 3rd of every odd-numbered year unless a different day has been designated by law.