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. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] · D–GA
Legislative record
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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.
Source last updated: Sep 25, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.J.Res.216 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.216 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 · 2026-09-15 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 changing the U.S. Constitution to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude—compelled service—as punishment for a crime. The change would protect people facing criminal punishment from those practices. The supplied text is a proposed constitutional amendment, requiring approval by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states before becoming part of the Constitution.
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: — Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as a punishment for a crime. .
The proposed constitutional rule prohibits imposing slavery or involuntary servitude as criminal punishment. Its operative language contains no exceptions.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as a punishment for a crime.
The preamble describes the existing constitutional prohibition as dating to December 6, 1865, with an exception for criminal punishment. It attributes the return of hundreds of thousands of Black Americans to slavery to that exception. These are statements in the resolution's preamble.
Whereas the Constitution of the United States has prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude for many, but not all, people in the United States since December 6, 1865;
Whereas the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which barred slavery and involuntary servitude, included an exception that allowed for slavery and involuntary servitude to continue as punishment for a crime;
Whereas this exception resulted in hundreds of thousands of Black Americans being returned to slavery after implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment;
The preamble presents slavery and involuntary servitude as contrary to U.S. democratic values and potentially damaging to the country's moral credibility. It also states that appropriate criminal sentences are possible without those practices. These statements explain the proposal's rationale.
Whereas Congress finds the continued existence of slavery and involuntary servitude antithetical to the democratic values, norms, and mores of the United States and can undermine the moral credibility of our country on the global stage;
Whereas our criminal justice system has the means to ensure people who have committed crimes are appropriately sentenced without resorting to slavery or involuntary servitude;
The preamble recognizes the value of high-quality prison work programs and states an intent to preserve opportunities for incarcerated people to consent to work and to leave existing employment protections unchanged. This is a statement of intent, rather than an express exception in the proposed constitutional rule.
Whereas Congress recognizes the value of high-quality work programs that provide useful skills and stability for people in correctional institutions, and it is not the intent of Congress to interfere with opportunities for incarcerated people to consent to work or to modify any employment protections currently available to people in correctional institutions; and
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as a punishment for a crime.
The preamble states that the amendment is not intended to interfere with a court's discretion to offer community service instead of incarceration. The operative constitutional language does not separately spell out this qualification.
Whereas Congress additionally acknowledges the importance of sentencing alternatives, and it is not the purpose of this amendment to interfere with the discretion of a court to offer community service as an alternative to incarceration: Now, therefore, be it
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as a punishment for a crime.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 25, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on September 15, 2026. It does not establish what happened afterward.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-25T15:17:31Z. 2026-09-15: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2026-09-15: Introduced in House 2026-09-15: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-15. 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 or policy attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text dated September 15, 2026. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in 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 dated September 15, 2026. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying earmark disclosures and committee materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential treatment or special exemption was identified in the complete supplied introduced text dated September 15, 2026. The proposed general protection does not itself constitute a targeted benefit. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 25, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI