A bill proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give citizens of the United States the right to enact laws by voting on legislation in a national election.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Constitutional Amendment - Allows the enactment of laws by popular vote in a national election. Excludes specified areas, including the right to: (1) declare war; (2) call forth the militia; (3) propose constitutional amendments; and (4) repeal any provision of law proposing constitutional amendments. Requires a petition signed by at least three percent of the registered voters in each of ten States who voted in the most recent election for President and that the total number of signatures on such petition be at least three percent of the number of people from all of the States who voted in such election in order to place an issue on the ballot. Requires a majority vote to enact a proposed law. Provides that no law which is adopted shall be subject to approval by the President. Declares that any law to repeal or amend a law passed by popular vote during the two years immediately following its effective date must receive an affirmative rollcall vote of two-thirds of the Members of each House of Congress.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 29, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 29, 1979: Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JAMES JONES (D-OK) introduced it on March 29, 1979, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 29, 1979, 17332 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17332 days ago, on March 29, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers