[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7431 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7431
To implement the proposed constitutional amendment requiring Members of
Congress to demonstrate competence in American civics.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 9, 2026
Mr. Hunt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on
Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To implement the proposed constitutional amendment requiring Members of
Congress to demonstrate competence in American civics.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Congressional Civics Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. IMPLEMENTATION OF EVENTUAL CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT THAT
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS DEMONSTRATE COMPETENCE IN AMERICAN
CIVICS.
(a) In General.--The Congress shall establish and administer, for
each census term, the examination required for Members of Congress to
demonstrate competence on the system of government under the United
States Constitution.
(b) Examination Requirement for Members of Congress.--A House of
Congress may not seat an individual as a Member following the election
or appointment of the individual, as the case may be, unless the
individual can demonstrate, in accordance with the rules of the House
concerned, that the individual has successfully completed the
examination in effect at the time of the election or the appointment.
(c) Effect of Failure to Comply With Examination Requirement.--An
individual elected or appointed to be a Member of Congress who does not
successfully complete the examination in effect at the time of the
election or appointment may not become a Member until the individual
successfully completes the examination, and a vacancy shall arise with
respect to the election or appointment if the individual does not
successfully complete the examination before two weeks after the
election or appointment.
(d) Content of Examination.--The examination shall consist of 25
questions randomly drawn from among 100 questions approved in
accordance with this section, with 5 questions from each of the
following topics:
(1) The founding of the first colonies and factors
contributing to American independence.
(2) Events in the American Revolution.
(3) The Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the
ratification of the United States Constitution.
(4) The Civil War and Reconstruction.
(5) The First World War.
(6) The Second World War.
(7) The Declaration of Independence.
(8) The Articles of Confederation.
(9) The United States Constitution.
(10) The Bill of Rights.
(11) The constitutional amendments ratified following the
Civil War.
(12) The other amendments to the Constitution.
(13) Civil rights and civil liberties.
(14) Due process and the rule of law.
(15) Elections and the democratic process.
(16) Federalism, the relationship between the States and
the Federal Government, and the relation between the United
States and Indian Tribes.
(17) Separation of powers under the Constitution.
(18) The Congress.
(19) The President and the executive departments.
(20) The Supreme Court and the Federal judiciary.
(e) Correct Answers.--A response to a question in the examination
shall be considered correct if the response is in accordance with the
corresponding model answer to the question.
(f) Committee Report on Proposed Questions and Answers for the
Examination.--Not later than June 30 of the year preceding the start of
a census term, the appropriate congressional committees shall jointly
submit to the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the
examination for the census term which shall include--
(1) questions and corresponding model answers in accordance
with subsections (d) and (e);
(2) the number of correct responses required for an
individual taking the examination to successfully complete the
examination; and
(3) the rules to govern the proceedings for the joint
session of Congress under subsection (h)--
(A) to consider, make amendments to, or replace the
questions and corresponding model answers described in
paragraph (1) or the number of correct responses
required for successful completion of the examination
under paragraph (2); and
(B) to approve the examination after carrying out
subparagraph (A).
(g) Member Submissions of Questions and Answers.--Not later than
March 31 of the year preceding the start of a census term, a Member of
Congress may submit to the appropriate congressional committees such
questions and corresponding model answers for inclusion in the report
under subsection (f).
(h) Joint Session of Congress for Consideration and Approval of the
Examination.--Not earlier than two months after the submission of the
report under subsection (f) and not later than October 31 of the year
before the start of a census term, the House of Representatives and the
Senate shall meet in a joint session of Congress to consider the report
and approve the examination, in accordance with the rules to govern the
proceedings for the joint session included in the report.
(i) Effective Date of Examination.--The examination approved under
subsection (h) in the year preceding the start of a census term shall
be the examination in effect for the census term.
(j) Publication of the Questions and Answers for the Examination.--
On approval of the examination under subsection (h), each House of
Congress shall cause the approved questions and corresponding model
answers with respect to the examination to be published in the journal
of proceedings of the House concerned, and the appropriate
congressional committees shall make available to the public a report
containing the approved questions and corresponding model answers which
shall also include such other information reasonably necessary for an
individual to successfully complete the examination.
(k) Administration of the Examination.--The Clerk of the House of
Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate, or their respective
designees, shall--
(1) jointly administer the examination in accordance with
this section;
(2) subject to subsection (l), make the examination
available, through a platform available on the internet, for
any citizen of the United States to take at the discretion and
convenience of the citizen, without cost to the citizen;
(3) maintain a database accessible to the general public of
individuals who have successfully completed the examination;
and
(4) provide to any individual who successfully completes
the examination, on the demand of the individual, a certificate
that shall serve as conclusive proof with respect to
successfully completing the examination.
(l) Limit on Examination Sittings.--An individual may not take the
examination under this section more than 3 times each calendar year,
but an individual elected or appointed to be a Member of Congress who
does not successfully complete the examination before the election or
appointment shall have the opportunity to take the examination at least
once before a vacancy shall arise with respect to the election or
appointment, notwithstanding any attempts to take the examination
before the election or appointment.
(m) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the following:
(A) The Committee on House Administration of the
House of Representatives.
(B) The Committee on Rules and Administration of
the Senate.
(2) Census term.--The term ``census term'' means a term of
10 calendar years that begins on the first day of a calendar
year with a decennial census date under section 141 of title
13, United States Code.
(3) Member of congress.--The term ``Member of Congress''
means a Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident
Commissioner to, the Congress.
(n) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on the
ratification of the article of amendment to the Constitution of the
United States in H.J.Res. 146 of the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress,
as introduced on January 30, 2026.
SEC. 3. INTERIM IMPLEMENTATION OF EXAMINATION FOR COMMITTEE
ASSIGNMENTS.
(a) In General.--For each census term, each House of the Congress
shall establish and administer an examination in accordance with this
section, with respect to which a Member of Congress in the House
concerned may not be assigned to a committee in the House or a joint
committee of the Congress unless the Member can demonstrate, in
accordance with the rules of the House, that the Member has
successfully completed the examination in effect at the time of the
committee assignment.
(b) Exercise of Rulemaking Powers.--This section is enacted by the
Congress--
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate
and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such it
is deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, and
it supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is
inconsistent with such rules; and
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of
either House to change the rules (so far as relating to that
House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent
as in the case of any other rule of that House.
(c) Content of Examination.--The examination shall consist of 25
questions randomly drawn from among 100 questions approved by the
applicable House of Congress in accordance with this section, with 5
questions from each of the following topics:
(1) The founding of the first colonies and factors
contributing to American independence.
(2) Events in the American Revolution.
(3) The Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the
ratification of the United States Constitution.
(4) The Civil War and Reconstruction.
(5) The First World War.
(6) The Second World War.
(7) The Declaration of Independence.
(8) The Articles of Confederation.
(9) The United States Constitution.
(10) The Bill of Rights.
(11) The constitutional amendments ratified following the
Civil War.
(12) The other amendments to the Constitution.
(13) Civil rights and civil liberties.
(14) Due process and the rule of law.
(15) Elections and the democratic process.
(16) Federalism, the relationship between the States and
the Federal Government, and the relation between the United
States and Indian Tribes.
(17) Separation of powers under the Constitution.
(18) The Congress.
(19) The President and the executive departments.
(20) The Supreme Court and the Federal judiciary.
(d) Correct Answers.--A response to a question in the examination
shall be considered correct if the response is in accordance with the
corresponding model answer to the question.
(e) Committee Report on Proposed Questions and Answers for the
Examination.--Not later than June 30 of the year preceding the start of
a census term, the appropriate congressional committees shall jointly
submit to the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the
examination for the census term which shall include--
(1) questions and corresponding model answers in accordance
with subsections (d) and (e); and
(2) the number of correct responses required for an
individual taking the examination to successfully complete the
examination.
(f) Member Submissions of Questions and Answers.--Not later than
March 31 of the year preceding the start of a census term, a Member of
Congress may submit to the appropriate congressional committees such
questions and corresponding model answers for inclusion in the report
under subsection (e).
(g) Consideration and Approval of the Examination by Each House of
Congress.--Not earlier than two months after the submission of the
report under subsection (e) and not later than October 31 of the year
before the start of a census term, each House of the Congress shall
consider the report in accordance with the rules of the House concerned
and approve the examination which shall be applicable to the House.
(h) Effective Date of Examination.--The examination approved by a
House of Congress under subsection (g) in the year preceding the start
of a census term shall be the examination in effect for the census term
with respect to the House.
(i) Publication of the Questions and Answers for the Examination.--
On approval of the examination under subsection (g), each House of
Congress shall cause the approved questions and corresponding model
answers with respect to the examination to be published in the journal
of proceedings of the House concerned.
(j) Administration of the Examination.--The Clerk of the House of
Representatives, on the part of the House of Representatives, and the
Secretary of the Senate, on the part of the Senate, shall each
administer the examination applicable to the House concerned in
accordance with this section and the rules of the House.
(k) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the following:
(A) The Committee on House Administration of the
House of Representatives.
(B) The Committee on Rules and Administration of
the Senate.
(2) Census term.--The term ``census term'' means a term of
10 calendar years that begins on the first day of a calendar
year with a decennial census date under section 141 of title
13, United States Code.
(3) Member of congress.--The term ``Member of Congress''
means a Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident
Commissioner to, the Congress.
(l) Effective Date.--Subject to subsection (n), this section shall
take effect with respect to the One Hundred Twentieth Congress and each
succeeding Congress.
(m) Termination Date.--This section shall terminate on the
effective date specified in section 2.
<all>