Legislative data · Bill search

Search any bill in Congress.

Pull a bill's full text, sponsors, recent actions, and AI-powered plain-English analysis by entering its ID. Select your state to see how your own representatives voted.

HJRES220119th Congress
In Committee

Constitutional Amendment for National Referendum Process

constitutional amendmentdirect democracyreferendumvoting rights+1 more
Congress.gov·Updated daily·Introduced Oct 22, 2026·Last action Oct 22, 2026·Report a correction
AI-Powered Summary

The bill proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would establish a national referendum process, enabling the American people to directly propose and vote on federal laws. Under this amendment, citizens could submit petitions to enact new laws or repeal existing ones, except for specific areas such as declaring war, appropriations, and constitutional amendments. To qualify, a petition must gather signatures from at least 5% of voters in at least 25 states, representing 5% of the total voters nationwide from the most recent presidential election, all collected within 18 months. Once validated by designated congressional officers, the proposed law or repeal would be placed on the ballot in the next federal election held at least 120 days later. If 60% or more of voters approve the measure, it becomes law without needing the President's signature or congressional approval. Additionally, Congress would be restricted from changing or repealing such laws for two years unless by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses. This amendment aims to increase direct democratic participation in federal lawmaking, potentially making the legislative process more responsive to public opinion. However, it also introduces challenges such as ensuring the validity of petitions, managing the complexity of national ballots, and balancing direct democracy with representative governance.

How we make these summaries →

Key Points

Main Benefit

Empowers citizens to directly propose and approve federal laws

Main Concern

High signature thresholds and complex validation may limit accessibility

Who's Affected

U.S. Voters

Gain the ability to directly propose and vote on federal laws, increasing their legislative influence

Members of Congress

May see reduced control over lawmaking and face restrictions on altering laws passed by referendum

State Election Officials

Responsible for managing additional ballot measures and verifying petition signatures

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Estimated Impact

High

Probability over time

See how this bill's passage probability has trended over the last 90 days — momentum is the strongest signal that something is actually moving in Congress.

The probability number itself stays public — only the trend history is gated.