Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to temporarily fill vacancies in the House of Representatives to further the continuity of Congress.
Sponsor
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Cosponsors (1)
Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.
Latest Action
The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →
Committee Activity
Currently in
- House Committee on the JudiciaryReferred To · 2026-07-02
Plain-English Summary
This proposed constitutional amendment would allow states to temporarily fill vacant House seats with appointed representatives instead of waiting for special elections, ensuring Congress can continue operating during emergencies or unexpected vacancies. The temporary appointees would serve only until a special election could be held to fill the seat permanently. This change would affect how quickly Congress can respond to member deaths, resignations, or other situations that leave districts without representation.
AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.
Full Bill Text
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.J. Res. 199 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. J. RES. 199 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to temporarily fill vacancies in the House of Representatives to further the continuity of Congress. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 2, 2026 Mr. Timmons (for himself and Mr. Cleaver) submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to temporarily fill vacancies in the House of Representatives to further the continuity of Congress. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification: ``Article-- ``Section 1. Immediately after taking the oath of office, an individual who is elected to serve as a Representative in the House of Representatives shall provide the House of Representatives with a list of at least five designees to take the individual's place in the event the individual dies prior to the expiration of the individual's term of office. The individual shall ensure that the list only contains the names of designees who meet the qualifications for service as a Representative in the House of Representatives. ``Section 2. In the event of the death of a Representative, the chief executive of the State involved shall, not later than 10 days after the date of the death of the Representative, select an individual from the most recent list of designees provided by the Representative whose seat is now vacant, as provided by section 1, and the Speaker of the House shall immediately fill the vacancy with the individual selected. An individual designated to take the place of a Representative shall serve until another Member is elected to fill the vacancy pursuant to a special election. ``Section 3. During the period of an individual's service under section 2, the individual shall be treated as a Representative in the House of Representatives for purposes of all laws, rules, and regulations, including for purposes of section 1. In the event of the death of an individual designated under section 2, the chief executive of the State involved shall select an individual from the most recent list of designees provided by the individual designated under section 2, as provided by section 1, and the Speaker of the House shall immediately fill the vacancy with the individual selected.''. <all>
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