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Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring Members of Congress to demonstrate competence in American civics.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring Members of Congress to demonstrate competence in American civics.
Summary
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment requiring Members of Congress to demonstrate competence in American civics and the U.S. Constitution. Congress would establish and administer a free examination every ten years, aligned with the decennial census, and publish the exam questions and answers. Members elected or appointed to Congress would need to have demonstrated competence on the exam before taking office, though members-elect who have not yet taken the exam would be given the opportunity to demonstrate competence before or after being elected or appointed. Congress would have authority to enforce the amendment through appropriate legislation. The amendment would need ratification by three-fourths of the states to become part of the Constitution.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Hunt, Wesley [R-TX-38] (R-TX)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Wesley Hunt’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- PERMIAN RESOURCES $16,600
- ANTINA CATTLE CO $13,200
- TRANSOCEAN $11,001
- BLACKSTONE $9,900
- PEOPLES BANK $9,900
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Wesley Hunt → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Jan 30, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
- Jan 30, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 30, 2026
Mr. Hunt 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 requiring Members of Congress to demonstrate competence in American civics.
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 or conventions of three-fourths of the several States:
“Article—
“Section 1. The Congress shall establish, for each term of ten years for which a census or enumeration is conducted for the apportionment of the Representatives in the Congress, an examination for the demonstration of competence, to a standard expected for a citizen of the United States, on the system of government under the Constitution of the United States, and each House of the Congress shall publish the questions and answers for the examination in the Journal of its proceedings and choose such Officers who shall from time to time jointly and regularly administer the examination, which shall be without any cost to any person who takes the examination, and provide to any such person who demonstrates competence under the examination such certificates necessary to prove such demonstration. “Section 2. No person shall be a Representative or Senator who shall not have demonstrated competence on the system of government under the Constitution of the United States under the examination in effect at the time of the election or appointment, but each House of Congress shall afford any person elected or appointed to be a Member of the House, without having demonstrated competence before the election or appointment, the opportunity to demonstrate such competence, whether under the same examination or by another means approved for such purpose by law. “Section 3. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation, and such legislation shall not require the approval of the President before taking effect.”. <all>
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