H. J. RES. 220
October 22, 2026
Mr. Olszewski 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 relating to a national referendum process.
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article
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“section 1. The people shall have the right to enact any law which the Congress has authority to pass, except that the people shall not have the right to declare war, grant letters of marquee and reprisal, make rules concerning captures on land and water, call forth the militia, allocate appropriations or enact constitutional amendments.
“section 2. A petition proposing the enactment of a law, or the repeal of a provision of law, shall be submitted to an officer of the U.S. House of Representatives and an officer of the U.S. Senate. Each petition shall contain the text of the proposed law, or, in the case of a proposed repeal of a provision of law, the text of the provision of law that shall cease to be effective if repealed under this article. Each petition shall be signed by at least 5 percent of the whole number of people, in each of at least 25 States, who voted in the most recent election for President, or for electors for President, occurring before the date on which the petition is submitted to the officers designated by Congress, and the total number of signatures on such petition shall be at least 5 percent of the whole number of people, from all of the several States, who voted in such an election. All such signatures shall be collected within the 18-month period ending on the date the petition is submitted to the officers designated by the Congress. Not later than 90 days after the date that a petition is submitted to the officers designated by the Congress, such officers shall determine the validity of the signatures contained in the petition. If the petition is deemed constitutionally compliant and contains the required number of valid signatures, the officers shall certify the petition and shall direct the chief executive officer in each State to place a copy of the proposed law, or provision of law proposed to be repealed, contained in the petition on the ballot in the next election in accordance with of the Revised Statutes of the United States which is held at least 120 days after such certification. The Congress shall by law establish procedures for the preparation and submission of any such petition and for the validation of signatures on such petition.