I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1000 

To direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to provide Memberselect of the House with written copies of the oath of office prior to 

the first session of a Congress and to provide that a Member-elect 

who signs such copies shall be considered to have taken the oath of 

office. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2023 

Ms. FOXX (for herself, Mr. GUTHRIE, and Mr. COLE) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration 

A BILL 

To direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to provide Members-elect of the House with written copies of 

the oath of office prior to the first session of a Congress 

and to provide that a Member-elect who signs such copies 

shall be considered to have taken the oath of office. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ordering Authentica5 tion in The House’s Swearing-in Act’’ or the ‘‘OATHS 

6 Act’’. 


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•HR 1000 IH

1 SEC. 2. USE OF SIGNED WRITTEN COPY FOR TAKING OATH 

2 OF OFFICE BY MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REP3 RESENTATIVES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 30 of the Revised Stat5 utes of the United States (2 U.S.C. 25) is amended— 

6 (1) by striking the first undesignated para7 graph; and 

8 (2) by striking the remaining paragraph and in9 serting the following: 

10 ‘‘(a) PROVISION OF WRITTEN OATH OF OFFICE BY

11 CLERK.—Prior to the first session of Congress after every 

12 general election of Representatives, the Clerk of the House 

13 of Representatives shall cause the oath of office to be 

14 printed and shall furnish 2 copies to each Representative15 elect, Delegate-elect, and Resident Commissioner-elect, 

16 who shall sign the copies and return them to the Clerk. 

17 ‘‘(b) FILING OF SIGNED COPIES.—Upon receiving a 

18 signed copy of the oath of office under subsection (a), the 

19 Clerk shall file one copy in the records of the House of 

20 Representatives, and shall cause the other copy to be re21 corded in the Journal of the House and in the Congres22 sional Record. 

23 ‘‘(c) LEGAL EFFECT OF RETURNING SIGNED COP24 IES.—The signed copy of the oath of office, or a certified 

25 copy thereof, or the copy filed or recorded under sub26 section (b), shall be admissible in evidence in any court 


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•HR 1000 IH

1 of the United States, and shall be held conclusive proof 

2 of the fact that the individual who signed the copies duly 

3 took the oath of office in accordance with law, effective— 

4 ‘‘(1) at noon on the first day of the first session 

5 of Congress, in the case of an individual who returns 

6 the signed copies to the Clerk prior to noon on the 

7 first day of the first session of the Congress; or 

8 ‘‘(2) at the time the individual returns the 

9 signed copies to the Clerk, in the case of an indi10 vidual who does not return the signed copies to the 

11 Clerk prior to noon on the first day of the first ses12 sion of the Congress.’’. 

13 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

14 this section shall apply with respect to the One Hundred 

15 Nineteenth Congress and each succeeding Congress. 

Æ 


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