Congressional Civics Act of 2026

The Congress shall establish and administer, for each census term, the examination required for Members of Congress to demonstrate competence on the system of government under the United States Constitution.

A House of Congress may not seat an individual as a Member following the election or appointment of the individual, as the case may be, unless the individual can demonstrate, in accordance with the rules of the House concerned, that the individual has successfully completed the examination in effect at the time of the election or the appointment.

An individual elected or appointed to be a Member of Congress who does not successfully complete the examination in effect at the time of the election or appointment may not become a Member until the individual successfully completes the examination, and a vacancy shall arise with respect to the election or appointment if the individual does not successfully complete the examination before two weeks after the election or appointment.

The examination shall consist of 25 questions randomly drawn from among 100 questions approved in accordance with this section, with 5 questions from each of the following topics:

(1) The founding of the first colonies and factors contributing to American independence.

(2) Events in the American Revolution.

(3) The Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the ratification of the United States Constitution.

(4) The Civil War and Reconstruction.

(5) The First World War.

(6) The Second World War.

(7) The Declaration of Independence.

(8) The Articles of Confederation.

(9) The United States Constitution.

(10) The Bill of Rights.

(11) The constitutional amendments ratified following the Civil War.

(12) The other amendments to the Constitution.

(13) Civil rights and civil liberties.

(14) Due process and the rule of law.

(15) Elections and the democratic process.

(16) Federalism, the relationship between the States and the Federal Government, and the relation between the United States and Indian Tribes.

(17) Separation of powers under the Constitution.

(18) The Congress.

(19) The President and the executive departments.

(20) The Supreme Court and the Federal judiciary.

A response to a question in the examination shall be considered correct if the response is in accordance with the corresponding model answer to the question.

Not later than June 30 of the year preceding the start of a census term, the appropriate congressional committees shall jointly submit to the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the examination for the census term which shall include—

(1) questions and corresponding model answers in accordance with subsections (d) and (e);

(2) the number of correct responses required for an individual taking the examination to successfully complete the examination; and

(3) the rules to govern the proceedings for the joint session of Congress under subsection (h)—

(A) to consider, make amendments to, or replace the questions and corresponding model answers described in paragraph (1) or the number of correct responses required for successful completion of the examination under paragraph (2); and

(B) to approve the examination after carrying out subparagraph (A).

Not later than March 31 of the year preceding the start of a census term, a Member of Congress may submit to the appropriate congressional committees such questions and corresponding model answers for inclusion in the report under subsection (f).

Not earlier than two months after the submission of the report under subsection (f) and not later than October 31 of the year before the start of a census term, the House of Representatives and the Senate shall meet in a joint session of Congress to consider the report and approve the examination, in accordance with the rules to govern the proceedings for the joint session included in the report.

The examination approved under subsection (h) in the year preceding the start of a census term shall be the examination in effect for the census term.

On approval of the examination under subsection (h), each House of Congress shall cause the approved questions and corresponding model answers with respect to the examination to be published in the journal of proceedings of the House concerned, and the appropriate congressional committees shall make available to the public a report containing the approved questions and corresponding model answers which shall also include such other information reasonably necessary for an individual to successfully complete the examination.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate, or their respective designees, shall—

(1) jointly administer the examination in accordance with this section;

(2) subject to subsection (l), make the examination available, through a platform available on the internet, for any citizen of the United States to take at the discretion and convenience of the citizen, without cost to the citizen;

(3) maintain a database accessible to the general public of individuals who have successfully completed the examination; and

(4) provide to any individual who successfully completes the examination, on the demand of the individual, a certificate that shall serve as conclusive proof with respect to successfully completing the examination.

An individual may not take the examination under this section more than 3 times each calendar year, but an individual elected or appointed to be a Member of Congress who does not successfully complete the examination before the election or appointment shall have the opportunity to take the examination at least once before a vacancy shall arise with respect to the election or appointment, notwithstanding any attempts to take the examination before the election or appointment.

In this section:

The term appropriate congressional committees means the following:

(A) The Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives.

(B) The Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate.

The term census term means a term of 10 calendar years that begins on the first day of a calendar year with a decennial census date under section 141 of title 13, United States Code.

The term Member of Congress means a Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.

This section shall take effect on the ratification of the article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States in H.J.Res. 146 of the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, as introduced on January 30, 2026.

For each census term, each House of the Congress shall establish and administer an examination in accordance with this section, with respect to which a Member of Congress in the House concerned may not be assigned to a committee in the House or a joint committee of the Congress unless the Member can demonstrate, in accordance with the rules of the House, that the Member has successfully completed the examination in effect at the time of the committee assignment.

This section is enacted by the Congress—

(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such it is deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, and it supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is inconsistent with such rules; and

(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as relating to that House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.

The examination shall consist of 25 questions randomly drawn from among 100 questions approved by the applicable House of Congress in accordance with this section, with 5 questions from each of the following topics:

(1) The founding of the first colonies and factors contributing to American independence.

(2) Events in the American Revolution.

(3) The Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the ratification of the United States Constitution.

(4) The Civil War and Reconstruction.

(5) The First World War.

(6) The Second World War.

(7) The Declaration of Independence.

(8) The Articles of Confederation.

(9) The United States Constitution.

(10) The Bill of Rights.

(11) The constitutional amendments ratified following the Civil War.

(12) The other amendments to the Constitution.

(13) Civil rights and civil liberties.

(14) Due process and the rule of law.

(15) Elections and the democratic process.

(16) Federalism, the relationship between the States and the Federal Government, and the relation between the United States and Indian Tribes.

(17) Separation of powers under the Constitution.

(18) The Congress.

(19) The President and the executive departments.

(20) The Supreme Court and the Federal judiciary.

A response to a question in the examination shall be considered correct if the response is in accordance with the corresponding model answer to the question.

Not later than June 30 of the year preceding the start of a census term, the appropriate congressional committees shall jointly submit to the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the examination for the census term which shall include—

(1) questions and corresponding model answers in accordance with subsections (d) and (e); and

(2) the number of correct responses required for an individual taking the examination to successfully complete the examination.

Not later than March 31 of the year preceding the start of a census term, a Member of Congress may submit to the appropriate congressional committees such questions and corresponding model answers for inclusion in the report under subsection (e).

Not earlier than two months after the submission of the report under subsection (e) and not later than October 31 of the year before the start of a census term, each House of the Congress shall consider the report in accordance with the rules of the House concerned and approve the examination which shall be applicable to the House.

The examination approved by a House of Congress under subsection (g) in the year preceding the start of a census term shall be the examination in effect for the census term with respect to the House.

On approval of the examination under subsection (g), each House of Congress shall cause the approved questions and corresponding model answers with respect to the examination to be published in the journal of proceedings of the House concerned.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives, on the part of the House of Representatives, and the Secretary of the Senate, on the part of the Senate, shall each administer the examination applicable to the House concerned in accordance with this section and the rules of the House.

In this section:

The term appropriate congressional committees means the following:

(A) The Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives.

(B) The Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate.

The term census term means a term of 10 calendar years that begins on the first day of a calendar year with a decennial census date under section 141 of title 13, United States Code.

The term Member of Congress means a Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.

Subject to subsection (n), this section shall take effect with respect to the One Hundred Twentieth Congress and each succeeding Congress.

This section shall terminate on the effective date specified in section 2.