Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide that Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the number of persons in each State who are citizens of the United States.

1/3/2024, 5:45 PM

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to require that the seats in the House of Representatives be divided among the states based on their share of U.S. citizens rather than their share of the total U.S. population.

Bill 118 hjres 37 proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States that would change how Representatives are apportioned among the states. Currently, Representatives are apportioned based on the total population of each state, including both citizens and non-citizens. This bill seeks to change that by only counting the number of persons in each state who are citizens of the United States.

The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that only citizens are represented in Congress, rather than including non-citizens in the apportionment process. This could potentially impact the number of Representatives each state receives, as states with higher populations of non-citizens may see a decrease in their representation.

Supporters of the bill argue that only citizens should have a say in the political process and that counting non-citizens in the apportionment process dilutes the representation of citizens. Opponents, on the other hand, argue that all residents, regardless of citizenship status, should be counted in order to accurately reflect the population of each state. If passed, this amendment would require a significant change to the way Representatives are apportioned among the states and could have far-reaching implications for the political landscape of the United States.
Congress
118

Number
HJRES - 37

Introduced on
2023-03-01

# Amendments
0

Sponsors
+5

Cosponsors
+5

Variations and Revisions

3/1/2023

Status of Legislation

Bill Introduced
Introduced to House
House to Vote
Introduced to Senate
Senate to Vote

Purpose and Summary

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to require that the seats in the House of Representatives be divided among the states based on their share of U.S. citizens rather than their share of the total U.S. population.

Bill 118 hjres 37 proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States that would change how Representatives are apportioned among the states. Currently, Representatives are apportioned based on the total population of each state, including both citizens and non-citizens. This bill seeks to change that by only counting the number of persons in each state who are citizens of the United States.

The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that only citizens are represented in Congress, rather than including non-citizens in the apportionment process. This could potentially impact the number of Representatives each state receives, as states with higher populations of non-citizens may see a decrease in their representation.

Supporters of the bill argue that only citizens should have a say in the political process and that counting non-citizens in the apportionment process dilutes the representation of citizens. Opponents, on the other hand, argue that all residents, regardless of citizenship status, should be counted in order to accurately reflect the population of each state. If passed, this amendment would require a significant change to the way Representatives are apportioned among the states and could have far-reaching implications for the political landscape of the United States.
Alternative Names
Official Title as IntroducedProposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide that Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the number of persons in each State who are citizens of the United States.

Policy Areas
Congress

Comments

Recent Activity

Latest Summary6/6/2023

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to require that the seats in the House of Representatives be divided among the states based on their share of U.S. citizens rather than their share of the total U.S. population.


Latest Action3/1/2023
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.