January 7, 2025
Ms. Perez (for herself and Mr. Golden of Maine) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules
Establishing the Select Committee on Electoral Reform.
Whereas approval of Congress is unacceptably low, and this disapproval is in part caused by the structure of Congress and how it is elected;
Whereas Americans are increasingly turning to electoral reform to improve their experience of politics and elections, including by adopting proportional representation, ranked choice voting, open primaries, and various redistricting reform measures;
Whereas article I, section 4 of the Constitution of the United States gives Congress the power to enact laws governing the time, place, and manner of elections for Senators and Members of the House of Representatives;
Whereas the law commonly known as the Uniform Congressional District Act, passed in 1967, requires every State to elect its delegation to the House of Representatives exclusively from single-member districts; and
Whereas the law commonly known as the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 established that the House of Representatives would permanently have 435 representatives, a departure from the earlier practice of adding members after each census to reflect the Nation’s growing population: Now, therefore, be it
Section 1. Establishment
There is hereby established the Select Committee on Electoral Reform (hereafter referred to as the Select Committee
).
Sec. 2. Composition
(a) Appointment of members
The Speaker shall appoint 14 Members to the Select Committee, 7 of whom shall be appointed after consultation with the minority leader.
(b) Designation of co-Chairs
The Speaker shall designate one Member to serve as co-chair of the Select Committee. The minority leader shall designate one member to serve as co-chair of the Select Committee.
(c) Vacancies
Any vacancy in the Select Committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
Sec. 3. Duties
(a) In general
The duties of the Select Committee are the following:
(1)
To examine the current methods by which citizens of the United States elect Members of Congress.
(2)
To examine alternatives to these methods to determine how such alternatives would affect the responsiveness, accountability, and functionality of Congress, including—
(A)
adopting multi-member congressional districts with proportional representation;
(B)
adjusting the number of Members of the House of Representatives;
(C)
adopting alternative methods of voting, such as ranked-choice voting and cumulative voting, as well as changes to ballot design such as fusion voting, in which parties may nominate candidates also nominated by another party;
(D)
holding open and nonpartisan primaries; and
(E)
establishing independent congressional redistricting commissions.
(3)
To conduct hearings to take testimony and receive evidence from witnesses selected for their relevant expertise, including—
(A)
political scientists;
(B)
current and former Members of Congress;
(C)
officials from States and local governments that have previously adopted one or more of the alternative methods to be examined by the Select Committee; and
(D)
officials from countries which currently use one or more of the alternative methods to be examined by the Select Committee.
(4)
To examine Federal barriers to State experimentation with alternative electoral systems, including the Act entitled An Act for the relief of Doctor Ricardo Vallejo Samala and to provide for congressional redistricting
, approved December 14, 1967 (2 U.S.C. 2c), commonly known as the Uniform Congressional District Act, and its requirement that States use single-member districts.
(b) Report
Not later than 1 year after the first meeting of the Select Committee, the Select Committee shall issue a final report to Congress and the President, and shall include in the report such recommendations as it considers appropriate.
Sec. 4. Meetings
(a) Meetings
The Select Committee shall hold its first meeting not later than 30 days after all of its members have been appointed, and shall meet at the call of the co-chairs or a majority of its members.
(b) Quorum
Twelve members of the Select Committee shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
Sec. 5. Rules and procedures
(a) In general
Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Select Committee shall have the authorities and responsibilities of, and shall be subject to the same limitations and restrictions as, a standing committee of the House, and shall be deemed a committee of the House for all purposes of law or rule.
(b) Applicability of general rules for standing committees
Rules X and XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives shall apply to the Select Committee except as follows:
(1)
Service on the Select Committee shall not count against the limitations in clause 5(b)(2) of rule X.
(2)
Clause 2(m)(1)(B) of rule XI, clause 2(m)(3) of rule XI, and section 3(r) of House Resolution 5, One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, shall not apply to the Select Committee, but the Select Committee may recommend subpoenas and depositions and submit such recommendations to the relevant standing committee.
(3)
Clause 2(d) of rule X shall not apply to the Select Committee.
(c) No legislative jurisdiction
The Select Committee shall not have legislative jurisdiction and shall have no authority to take legislative action on any bill or resolution.
Sec. 6. Funding
To enable the Select Committee to carry out the purposes of this resolution—
(1)
the Select Committee may use the services of staff of the House; and
(2)
the Select Committee shall be eligible for interim funding pursuant to clause 7 of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives.
Sec. 7. Termination
The Select Committee shall terminate 30 days after filing the final report under section 3.