The 106th United States Congress began on January 3, 1999. There were eight new senators (four Democrats, four Republicans) and 40 new representatives (23 Democrats, 17 Republicans) at the start of the first session. Additionally, two senators (one Democrat, one Republican) and three representatives (one Democrat, two Republicans) took office on various dates in order to fill vacancies during the 106th Congress before it ended on January 3, 2001.