Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require the concurrence of two-thirds of both Houses of Congress for the admission of new States into the Union.
Summary
H.J. Res. 141 proposes a constitutional amendment that would change the federal process for admitting new states into the Union. Under the resolution, Congress could admit a new state only with the concurrence of two-thirds of both the House and the Senate, rather than by ordinary majority vote. The text also restates the existing constitutional rule that no new state may be formed within another state’s jurisdiction, or by combining states or parts of states, without the consent of the affected state legislatures and Congress.
The resolution includes a seven-year ratification deadline, meaning the amendment would become part of the Constitution only if approved by three-fourths of the state legislatures within seven years of submission. If ratified, it would raise the threshold for statehood admissions and could make it more difficult for Congress to admit new states, while leaving intact the requirement for state consent in cases involving the formation or division of states.
Impact
If adopted, this amendment would alter Article IV’s statehood clause by imposing a supermajority requirement in both chambers of Congress for admitting new states. It would affect Congress’s authority over state admission and could influence future proposals involving statehood for territories or other jurisdictions. The measure would not itself change state statutes, but it would directly affect the constitutional framework governing Congress, state legislatures, and any prospective new states.
Sentiment
There is limited recorded sentiment in the available materials because the bill was only referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and there are no committee transcripts or votes provided. Based on the text alone, the resolution appears to reflect a cautious or restrictive approach to state admission, favoring a higher level of congressional agreement before new states can be added. No formal support or opposition is documented in the supplied history.
Contention
The main point of contention is the proposed shift from a simple majority to a two-thirds vote in both houses for admitting new states. Supporters would likely view this as a safeguard ensuring broad national consensus before expanding the Union, while opponents could argue it makes statehood unnecessarily difficult and could be used to block admission for political reasons. A secondary issue is that the amendment would preserve existing consent requirements for state formation and division, so any debate would center on whether the added supermajority threshold is appropriate for future statehood decisions.