[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2797 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2797
To establish a commission to study and develop proposals for expanding
the House of Representatives, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 9, 2025
Ms. Stevens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a commission to study and develop proposals for expanding
the House of Representatives, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``House Expansion Commission Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) For nearly a century, the number of members of the
House of Representatives has been set at the 1929 cap of 435
members.
(2) The number of constituents represented by each member
of the House of Representatives has dramatically increased
since the number of members of the House of Representatives was
arbitrarily capped in 1929.
(3) The 1929 cap on the number of members of the House of
Representatives was instituted when the United States
population was 123 million. Since then, the United States
population has tripled to about 346 million which means the
average congressional district now represents nearly 800,000
constituents, according to data from the Bureau of the Census.
(4) With current population growth estimates, the average
congressional district could have approximately 829,000
constituents by 2050.
(5) A growing movement in Congress, and in think tanks,
seeks to increase the number of members of the House of
Representatives to increase public access to members, improve
diversity, and enhance Member ability to serve their
constituents.
(6) Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) introduced
House bill 622, the Restoring Equal and Accountable Legislators
in the House Act, in the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, which
would add 150 seats to the House of Representatives, increasing
it to 585 members.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established a commission to be known as the ``U.S. House
of Representatives Expansion Commission'' (in this Act referred to as
the ``Commission'').
SEC. 4. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.
(a) Study.--The Commission shall study--
(1) the current size of the membership of the House of
Representatives considering--
(A) the correlation between the current size of the
House and fair representation and efficacy; and
(B) whether an expanded House of Representatives
can better serve Congress' core Article 1 function;
(2) the option of a one-time expansion compared to the
feasibility of recurring expansions;
(3) the so called ``Cube Root Law'', ``Wyoming Rule'', and
other relevant methods to increase the size of the House of
Representatives;
(4) the cost implications and practical challenges to the
House of Representatives associated with expanding the number
of members of the House of Representatives including the
logistics for--
(A) offices and meeting spaces;
(B) congressional support entities;
(C) hiring congressional staff;
(D) voting by members of the House of
Representatives;
(E) House administration offices; and
(F) funding;
(5) how countries with similar legislative structures
expanded their legislative bodies and the outcomes of such
expansions;
(6) the historical context of the last time the number of
members of the House of Representatives was changed and key
motivations behind the amendments made by the Act entitled ``An
Act to provide for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial
census and to provide for apportionment of Representatives in
Congress'', approved June 18, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 2a);
(7) whether an expanded House of Representatives can better
exercise the powers vested in Article I of the Constitution;
(8) how expanding the number of members of the House of
Representatives may affect district size variance across States
and impact underrepresented constituencies; and
(9) the potential effects of an expanded House of
Representative on the ability of the House to enact laws.
(b) Consultation.--In conducting the study under subsection (a),
the Commission shall consult with the Architect of the Capitol, the
Administrator of General Services, the Sergeant at Arms of the House of
Representatives, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of
Representatives, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, and such
other persons as the Commission considers appropriate.
(c) Report and Proposals.--Not later than 2 years after the first
meeting of the Commission, the Commission shall submit to the President
and to the Congress a report of the study of the Commission, and shall
include in the report proposals based on such study for--
(1) expanding the size of the membership of the House of
Representatives;
(2) potential ways to expand the House of Representatives
to bolster the key role of the House of Representatives in
representing the American people in Congress; and
(3) solutions to any identified challenges that may arise
from such expansion.
SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP.
(a) Number and Appointment.--The Commission shall be composed of 13
members who are not Members of Congress at the time of appointment, and
who shall be appointed not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, as follows:
(1) 5 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
(2) 5 members appointed by the minority leader of the House
of Representatives.
(3) 1 individual, appointed by the majority leader of the
Senate, who previously served in the House of Representatives.
(4) 1 individual, appointed by the minority leader of the
Senate, who previously served in the House of Representatives.
(5) 1 member appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the minority leader of the House of
Representatives to serve as Chairperson of the Commission.
(b) Terms.--
(1) In general.--Each member shall be appointed for the
life of the Commission.
(2) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled
in the manner in which the original appointment was made.
(3) Priority.--In making appointments under this section,
the appointing authorities shall seek to appoint individuals
who are particularly qualified to perform the functions of the
Commission, by reason of either practical experience or
academic expertise in politics, government, mathematics, or
statistics.
(c) Basic Pay.--
(1) Rates of pay.--Except as provided in paragraph (2),
Members shall serve without pay.
(2) Travel expenses.--Each member shall receive travel
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in
accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter I of
chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
(d) Quorum.--7 members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum,
but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(e) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the
Chairperson or a majority of its members.
SEC. 6. PERSONNEL OF COMMISSION.
(a) Director.--The Commission shall have a Director who shall be
appointed by a majority vote of the Commission. To the extent or in the
amounts provided in advance in appropriation Acts, the Director shall
be paid at a rate not to exceed the rate of basic pay for level IV of
the Executive Schedule.
(b) Staff.--The Director, with the approval of the Commission, and
the Commission may appoint such personnel as may be necessary to enable
the Commission to carry out its duties, without regard to the
provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in
the competitive service, and without regard to the provisions of
chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to
classification and General Schedule pay rates, except that no rate of
pay fixed under this subsection may exceed--
(1) the equivalent of that payable to a person occupying a
position at level IV of the Executive Schedule, in the case of
an employee appointed by the Director; and
(2) the equivalent of that payable to a person occupying a
position at level V of the Executive Schedule, in the case of
an employee appointed by the Commission.
(c) Experts and Consultants.--With the approval of the Commission,
the Director may procure temporary and intermittent services under
section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code.
(d) Detail of Government Employees.--Upon the request of the
Commission, the head of any Federal agency may detail, without
reimbursement, any of the personnel of such agency to the Commission to
assist in carrying out the duties of the Commission. Any such detail
shall not interrupt or otherwise affect the civil service status or
privileges of the personnel.
SEC. 7. POWERS OF COMMISSION.
(a) Hearings and Sessions.--The Commission may, for the purpose of
carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times and places,
take testimony, and receive evidence as the Commission considers
appropriate.
(b) Powers of Members and Groups of Members.--Any member or group
of members may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action which
the Commission is authorized to take by this section.
(c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may secure directly
from any Federal agency information necessary to enable it to carry out
its duties, if the information may be disclosed under section 552 of
title 5, United States Code. Upon request of the Chairperson of the
Commission, the head of such agency shall furnish such information to
the Commission.
(d) Administrative Support Services.--Upon the request of the
Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the
Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support
services necessary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities
under this Act.
(e) Volunteer Services.--Notwithstanding 1342 of title 31, United
States Code, the Commission may accept and use voluntary and
uncompensated services as the Commission determines necessary.
(f) Postal Service.--The Commission may use the United States mails
in the same manner and under the same conditions as departments and
agencies of the United States.
(g) Contract Authority.--The Commission may enter into contracts
for the acquisition of administrative supplies and equipment for use by
the Commission, to the extent that funds are available for such
purpose.
SEC. 8. TERMINATION.
The Commission shall terminate 90 days after submitting the report
under section 4(c).
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this Act.
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