Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring Members of Congress to demonstrate competence in American civics.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 146 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. J. RES. 146

    Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
  requiring Members of Congress to demonstrate competence in American 
                                civics.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2026

 Mr. Hunt submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
    Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
  requiring Members of Congress to demonstrate competence in American 
                                civics.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled   (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures or conventions of three-fourths of the 
several States:

                              ``Article--

    ``Section 1. The Congress shall establish, for each term of ten 
years for which a census or enumeration is conducted for the 
apportionment of the Representatives in the Congress, an examination 
for the demonstration of competence, to a standard expected for a 
citizen of the United States, on the system of government under the 
Constitution of the United States, and each House of the Congress shall 
publish the questions and answers for the examination in the Journal of 
its proceedings and choose such Officers who shall from time to time 
jointly and regularly administer the examination, which shall be 
without any cost to any person who takes the examination, and provide 
to any such person who demonstrates competence under the examination 
such certificates necessary to prove such demonstration.
    ``Section 2. No person shall be a Representative or Senator who 
shall not have demonstrated competence on the system of government 
under the Constitution of the United States under the examination in 
effect at the time of the election or appointment, but each House of 
Congress shall afford any person elected or appointed to be a Member of 
the House, without having demonstrated competence before the election 
or appointment, the opportunity to demonstrate such competence, whether 
under the same examination or by another means approved for such 
purpose by law.
    ``Section 3. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article 
by appropriate legislation, and such legislation shall not require the 
approval of the President before taking effect.''.
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