PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] · R–MI
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 26, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.J.Res.141 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.J.Res.141 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-01-21 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment requiring two-thirds agreement in each chamber of Congress to admit a new state. It also sets conditions for forming states within or from existing states. The amendment would take effect only if three-fourths of state legislatures approve it within seven years after Congress submits it.
New States may be admitted by the Congress, on the Concurrence of two thirds of both Houses, into this Union
but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress.
Congress could admit new states with agreement from two-thirds of both the House and Senate. This would permit admission when the requirement is met; it would not require Congress to admit any particular state.
New States may be admitted by the Congress, on the Concurrence of two thirds of both Houses, into this Union
The proposed article restricts forming a new state within another state's territory or by joining states or parts of states, requiring consent from the affected state legislatures and Congress.
but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
This is a proposed constitutional amendment, not an ordinary statute. It would become part of the Constitution upon ratification—formal approval—by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states, subject to its deadline.
That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress.
The ratification deadline would run seven years from congressional submission, not from introduction of the resolution. Without timely ratification, the proposed amendment would have no effect.
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated January 26, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on January 21, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-01-26T14:54:34Z. 2026-01-21: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2026-01-21: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-01-21. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the contents of other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential treatment, exemption, or carve-out was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version, not other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jan 26, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI