Congress Desk
Congress Bills
41 bills in the Congress desk, ordered for current relevance and readability.
CongressHRES-20-119Latest action: Jan 7, 20250 readersIn Committee
Establishing the Select Committee on Electoral Reform.
Sponsored by Marie Perez
Congress currently operates under two major structural constraints established decades ago. The Uniform Congressional District Act of 1967 requires every state to elect House members exclusively from single-member districts—meaning each district sends one representative to Washington. The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 fixed the House at 435 members permanently, ending the historical practice of adding seats after each census as the nation's population grew. These rules shape how Americans vote and who gets elected, yet they remain largely unexamined in light of modern electoral alternatives that other democracies and some U.S. states have adopted. This resolution establishes a Select Committee on Electoral Reform within the House of Representatives, composed of 14 members appointed by the Speaker and minority leader in equal numbers. The committee will examine current congressional election methods and evaluate alternatives—including multi-member districts with proportional representation, ranked-choice voting, open primaries, and independent redistricting commissions. The committee will conduct hearings with political scientists, current and former members of Congress, state and local officials who have implemented these reforms, and international officials from countries using alternative systems. The committee will also identify federal legal barriers to state experimentation with different electoral systems. The Select Committee must hold its first meeting within 30 days of full membership and issue a final report to Congress and the President within one year, including recommendations it deems appropriate. The committee will operate under standard House committee rules but cannot take legislative action or pass bills—it functions as an investigative and advisory body only. Funding comes through interim House appropriations and existing House staff resources. After filing its final report, the committee automatically terminates 30 days later. The committee's work will not directly change election law but will provide Congress with analysis and recommendations for potential future electoral reforms.
Congress
Latest updateJan 7, 2025
Submitted in House
Congress
CongressHRES-14-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersAdopted
Electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.
Sponsored by Pete Aguilar
House standing committees are the primary forums where members deliberate on legislation, conduct oversight of federal agencies, and shape policy in their respective domains. Each committee typically has a chair who sets the agenda, schedules hearings, and directs staff. Committee assignments and leadership positions are determined through internal House procedures, often reflecting party composition and seniority. The House regularly adopts resolutions to formalize these assignments and ensure committees have the members needed to conduct business. This resolution elects 17 named members to serve as the ranking members or senior representatives of their respective standing committees. The House adopts this resolution to formally designate these individuals to their committee positions across major policy areas—including agriculture, appropriations, armed services, budget, education, energy, financial services, foreign affairs, homeland security, judiciary, natural resources, oversight, science, small business, transportation, veterans affairs, and ways and means. Each named member assumes a leadership or senior role within their assigned committee. The resolution takes effect immediately upon adoption. These committee assignments carry no direct federal spending; they are internal House organizational matters. The designated members gain authority to participate in committee deliberations, introduce amendments, and influence the legislative agenda within their assigned committees. These assignments typically reflect the minority party's representation in the House, allowing the designated members to serve as ranking members who lead their party's efforts on committee business and direct minority staff resources.
Congress
Latest updateJan 6, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection. (text: CR H49)
Congress
CongressHRES-13-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersAdopted
Electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.
Sponsored by Lisa McClain
The House of Representatives operates through standing committees that handle legislation in specific policy areas—agriculture, defense, healthcare, and others. These committees are chaired by senior members who set agendas, schedule hearings, and direct staff. Committee leadership positions are typically allocated to the majority party following each new Congress. The selection of committee chairs is a formal procedural matter that requires a House resolution to officially elect members to these leadership roles and establish the committee structure for the legislative session.
Congress
Latest updateJan 6, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection. (text: CR H48)
Congress
CongressHRES-15-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersIn Committee
Rescinding the subpoenas issued by the January 6th Select Committee on September 23, 2021, October 6, 2021, and February 9, 2022, and withdrawing the recommendations finding Stephen K. Bannon, Mark Randall Meadows, Daniel Scavino, Jr., and Peter K. Navarro in contempt of Congress.
Sponsored by Eric Burlison
In June 2021, the House of Representatives established the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol to examine the events of January 6, 2021. The committee issued subpoenas to four individuals—Stephen K. Bannon, Mark Randall Meadows, Daniel Scavino Jr., and Peter K. Navarro—on three separate dates between September 2021 and February 2022. The committee also recommended that the House find these four individuals in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with those subpoenas. Two of them, Bannon and Navarro, were subsequently prosecuted and imprisoned for contempt of Congress. This resolution directs the House of Representatives to rescind the three subpoenas issued to Bannon, Meadows, Scavino, and Navarro and to withdraw the three separate contempt recommendations that the House had adopted against them. The resolution further directs the Speaker of the House to notify the Department of Justice that the subpoenas are rescinded and shall be considered null and void under sections 192 and 194 of title 2, United States Code. The resolution expresses the sense of the House that the Select Committee was illegitimate and that its conclusions were predetermined due to its partisan composition. The practical effect of this resolution, if adopted, would be to nullify the legal basis for any ongoing enforcement actions related to these subpoenas. The Department of Justice would be formally notified that the subpoenas no longer have force. For individuals already convicted of contempt based on these subpoenas, the resolution does not directly overturn those convictions but removes the underlying legal authority that justified them. The resolution operates retroactively, treating the subpoenas as if they had never been validly issued.
Congress
Latest updateJan 6, 2025
Submitted in House
Congress
CongressHR-212-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersIn Committee
Capitol Remembrance Act
Sponsored by Jason Crow
The United States Capitol has no permanent exhibit commemorating the January 6, 2021 attack. While the Capitol has undergone repairs and restoration since that day, there is currently no dedicated space within the building that documents the event, honors those who were injured or died protecting the building, or educates visitors about what occurred. The Capitol serves as a symbol of American democracy and receives hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, yet lacks a formal mechanism to preserve the historical record of this significant attack on the institution. The Capitol Remembrance Act directs the Architect of the Capitol, in consultation with the Joint Committee on the Library, to design and install a permanent exhibit in a prominent location within the United States Capitol depicting the January 6, 2021 attack. The exhibit must include damaged Capitol property preserved from the attack, existing photographic records, and a plaque honoring the United States Capitol Police, other law enforcement agencies, and Capitol staff involved in the response and restoration. The Architect may also incorporate artwork created to depict the attack. The project must be completed within two years of the bill's enactment. The Architect of the Capitol will oversee the exhibit's design and installation, selecting the location and determining which damaged property to preserve and display. Congress has authorized whatever funding is necessary to complete the project, with appropriated amounts remaining available until spent. The exhibit will become a permanent fixture in the Capitol, serving as both a historical record and a memorial. This will affect how visitors experience the Capitol and understand its recent history, while also creating an ongoing institutional acknowledgment of the event and those affected by it.
Congress
Latest updateJan 6, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Congress
CongressHJRES-12-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersIn Committee
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve.
Sponsored by Ralph Norman
Currently, the Constitution places no limit on how many terms a member of Congress may serve. Senators and Representatives can run for reelection indefinitely, and many have served for decades. Some lawmakers have held office for 40 or more years. Proponents of term limits argue that long tenure concentrates power, reduces accountability, and discourages fresh perspectives. Critics counter that voters already impose term limits through elections and that experience provides legislative value. This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would restrict House members to three consecutive terms and Senators to two consecutive terms. The amendment defines a term as a full election cycle, though filling a vacancy counts as a term only if the member serves more than one year in the House or more than three years in the Senate. Congress must approve the amendment by a two-thirds majority in both chambers, after which it goes to the states for ratification. Three-fourths of state legislatures must ratify it within seven years for it to become part of the Constitution. If ratified, the amendment would take effect immediately but would not apply retroactively to terms served before ratification. Current members would not be grandfathered in—only future service would count toward the limit. The change would reshape congressional dynamics by forcing regular turnover and potentially reducing the influence of senior lawmakers who currently chair committees and control legislative priorities. It would also likely increase campaign activity as open seats become more frequent, though the long-term effects on legislative effectiveness, institutional knowledge, and party power structures remain contested.
Congress
Latest updateJan 6, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congress
CongressSRES-10-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20251 readersAdopted
A resolution notifying the House of Representatives of the election of a Secretary of the Senate.
Sponsored by John Thune
The Senate Secretary is a constitutional officer elected by the full Senate at the beginning of each Congress to serve as the chamber's chief administrative official. This position, established under the Senate's internal governance rules, oversees Senate operations, manages records and documents, administers oaths, and serves as custodian of the Senate seal. The election of a new Secretary typically occurs during the organizational phase of a new Congress, when the chamber establishes its leadership and administrative structure for the two-year term ahead. This resolution directs the Senate to formally notify the House of Representatives that the Honorable Jackie Barber has been elected to serve as Secretary of the Senate for the 119th Congress. The notification requirement is a procedural formality that ensures both chambers of Congress are aware of the Senate's administrative leadership. By passing this resolution, the Senate fulfills its obligation to communicate this election to the House, completing a standard constitutional courtesy between the two legislative bodies. The notification takes effect immediately upon passage of the resolution. No funding is required, as this is an administrative communication between the two chambers. The election of a new Senate Secretary does not directly affect existing programs or markets, but it does establish the administrative continuity necessary for Senate operations throughout the 119th Congress. The Secretary will assume duties related to legislative records, chamber administration, and procedural functions that support the Senate's work on legislation and oversight.
Congress
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Congress
CongressHCONRES-1-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersPassed Chamber
Regarding consent to assemble outside the seat of government.
Sponsored by Michelle Fischbach
The Constitution grants Congress the power to determine where it meets, but by long-standing practice and federal law, the House and Senate convene in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution allows Congress to adjourn to a different location, but doing so requires explicit authorization. Currently, no standing authority exists for congressional leadership to unilaterally move legislative sessions outside the District of Columbia without a separate vote or resolution for each instance. This concurrent resolution authorizes the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of the Senate—or their designated representatives—to jointly notify members to assemble at a location outside Washington, D.C., provided they consult with the House Minority Leader and Senate Minority Leader and determine that the public interest warrants the relocation. The resolution operates under Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution and applies throughout the 119th Congress. No new agency is created, and no funding mechanism is specified; the authorization relies on existing congressional administrative infrastructure. In practice, this resolution would allow congressional leadership to move legislative sessions to an alternate venue if circumstances—such as a security threat, infrastructure failure, or natural disaster affecting the Capitol—make Washington operations impracticable. The relocation would require joint action by House and Senate majority leaders and consultation with minority leaders, but no formal vote by the full membership would be required once the resolution takes effect. The resolution remains in force for the duration of the 119th Congress and does not automatically extend to future Congresses.
Congress
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection. (text: CR H23)
Congress
CongressSRES-2-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersAdopted
A resolution informing the House of Representatives that a quorum of the Senate is assembled.
Sponsored by John Thune
At the start of each new Congress, the Senate and House of Representatives must formally notify each other that they have assembled enough members to conduct official business. This procedural requirement stems from the Constitution, which mandates that each chamber maintain a quorum—a minimum number of members present—before taking legislative action. Historically, this notification has been a routine ceremonial step that occurs during the opening days of a new congressional session to establish that both chambers are ready to function. This resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to inform the House of Representatives that a quorum of the Senate is assembled and that the chamber is prepared to proceed with legislative business. The Secretary of the Senate, the chief administrative officer of the upper chamber, carries out this notification by transmitting an official message to the House. The resolution itself requires no new funding, creates no new agencies, and imposes no substantive policy changes—it is purely a procedural mechanism to satisfy constitutional and parliamentary requirements. The resolution takes effect immediately upon passage and agreement by the Senate. No implementation timeline or funding is required, as the Secretary of the Senate performs this notification as part of routine administrative duties. The effect is ceremonial and procedural: once the House receives this notification, both chambers can formally begin their legislative work for the new Congress. This resolution has no downstream effects on existing programs or markets, as it serves solely to establish the procedural foundation for the Senate's operations during the 119th Congress.
Congress
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Congress
CongressSRES-13-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersAdopted
A resolution notifying the House of Representatives of the election of a Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate.
Sponsored by John Thune
The Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper is a constitutional officer responsible for maintaining order, security, and decorum within the Senate chamber and its surrounding facilities. This position has existed since the founding of the Senate and is elected by the full chamber rather than appointed by leadership. The role carries significant responsibilities for protecting senators, staff, and visitors, as well as enforcing Senate rules and managing the chamber's day-to-day operations. When a new Sergeant at Arms is elected, the Senate must formally notify the House of Representatives of this election as a matter of institutional protocol and transparency between the two chambers. Senate Resolution 13 directs the Senate to notify the House of Representatives that the Honorable Jennifer A. Hemingway has been elected to serve as Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate. This resolution formalizes the election that occurred during the organizational session of the 119th Congress in January 2025. The notification serves as official communication between the chambers, establishing that Hemingway now holds this constitutional office and will exercise its powers and duties. The resolution requires no substantive changes to existing law or Senate operations; rather, it completes a procedural requirement tied to the election of a new officer. The resolution takes effect immediately upon passage and agreement by the Senate. No funding is required, as the position and its budget already exist within the Senate's established appropriations. The notification to the House is primarily ceremonial and administrative, ensuring both chambers maintain awareness of Senate leadership changes. Hemingway assumes the duties and authorities of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper as defined by Senate rules and historical precedent, with no downstream effects on existing programs or the broader legislative process.
Congress
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Congress
CongressSRES-5-119Latest action: Jan 6, 20250 readersAdopted
A resolution notifying the House of Representatives of the election of a President pro tempore.
Sponsored by John Thune
The Constitution designates the Vice President as President of the Senate, but when the Vice President is absent or unable to preside, the Senate elects a President pro tempore to lead chamber proceedings. This officer presides over floor debates, recognizes senators to speak, rules on parliamentary questions, and maintains order. The position is largely ceremonial but carries symbolic weight as third in the presidential line of succession. Senate rules require the chamber to elect a President pro tempore at the start of each new Congress, typically from the majority party. This resolution notifies the House of Representatives that the Senate has elected Charles E. Grassley as President pro tempore for the 119th Congress. The Senate passed this resolution on January 3, 2025, formalizing Grassley's election to the position. The notification serves as official communication between chambers and establishes Grassley's authority to preside over Senate sessions and perform the constitutional duties associated with the office. The resolution takes effect immediately upon passage and remains in force for the duration of the 119th Congress, which runs through January 2027. No funding is required, as the President pro tempore receives no additional compensation beyond regular Senate salary. The election does not affect existing Senate operations or procedures; it simply designates who will occupy the presiding officer's chair during regular sessions and establishes the line of succession should the Vice President and President become unable to serve.
Congress
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Congress
CongressSCONRES-3-119Latest action: Jan 3, 20258 readersAgreed to in Both Chambers
A concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the lying in state of the remains of the late James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States.
Sponsored by Amy Klobuchar
The Capitol rotunda is a ceremonial space reserved for honoring distinguished Americans. Historically, the rotunda has been used for lying in state ceremonies for former presidents, members of Congress, and other national figures who have rendered exceptional service to the nation. These ceremonies allow the public and members of Congress to pay respects to the deceased. The Architect of the Capitol, a federal official responsible for maintaining and operating the Capitol building, typically coordinates such events under the direction of congressional leadership. The catafalque—a decorative platform used to display a casket—is a permanent fixture maintained by the Capitol for these solemn occasions. This concurrent resolution authorizes the Architect of the Capitol to permit the remains of James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th President of the United States, to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda from January 7, 2025 through January 9, 2025. The resolution directs the Architect of the Capitol, acting under the direction of the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to take all necessary steps to accomplish this purpose. Additionally, the resolution authorizes and directs the Architect of the Capitol to transfer the catafalque from the Exhibition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center to the rotunda so it may be used during services held there for the former president. The lying in state ceremony will proceed over the three-day period specified, allowing members of Congress, government officials, and members of the public to pay their respects. The Architect of the Capitol will coordinate all logistical arrangements, including security, crowd management, and the physical setup of the rotunda space. No new funding is required, as the Architect of the Capitol operates under existing appropriations and maintains the catafalque as part of routine Capitol operations. The concurrent resolution is a legislative courtesy that formalizes congressional authorization for this ceremonial use of the Capitol building.
Congress
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.
Congress