I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5885 
To require the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary 
of the Senate to establish a process by which registered voters may 
sign national discharge petitions with respect to bills and joint resolutions 
introduced in or referred to the House and Senate, to require the House 
or Senate to hold a vote on the passage of any bill or joint resolution 
if a certain number of registered voters sign the national discharge 
petition for the bill or joint resolution, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 14, 2016 
Mr. RUIZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Clerk of the House of Representatives and 
the Secretary of the Senate to establish a process by 
which registered voters may sign national discharge peti-
tions with respect to bills and joint resolutions introduced 
in or referred to the House and Senate, to require the 
House or Senate to hold a vote on the passage of any 
bill or joint resolution if a certain number of registered 
voters sign the national discharge petition for the bill 
or joint resolution, and for other purposes. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Aug 01, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H5885.IH
H5885
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Right to Petition Congress Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The First Amendment of the Constitution 
of the United States establishes the right of the peo-
ple to ‘‘petition the Government’’ for redress. 
(2) Technology has dramatically expanded the 
mechanisms through which the people can effectively 
petition the Government. 
(3) Congressional leadership and individual 
Members of Congress have repeatedly blocked votes 
in the House of Representatives and Senate on mat-
ters on which a majority of the American people 
have publicly expressed the desire for redress. 
(4) The refusal to allow votes in the House and 
Senate prevents congressional deliberation on mat-
ters reflecting the will of the people, and in some in-
stances, a majority of Congress. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL DISCHARGE PETITIONS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCESS.—Not later than 
6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Aug 01, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5885.IH
H5885
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
of the Senate shall establish a process under which the 
Clerk and the Secretary— 
(1) shall develop a national discharge petition 
for a bill or joint resolution which has been intro-
duced in the House or Senate (as the case may be) 
during a Congress or which has been referred to the 
House or Senate (as the case may be) after passage 
by the other House during a Congress; 
(2) shall make each such national discharge pe-
tition available for signature by qualified individuals; 
and 
(3) shall compile the signatures provided for 
each such national discharge petition. 
(b) REQUIRING REQUEST OF SPONSOR FOR AVAIL-
ABILITY OF PETITION FOR INTRODUCED LEGISLATION.— 
In the case of a bill or joint resolution introduced in the 
House or Senate, the Clerk or the Secretary (as the case 
may be) may develop a national discharge petition under 
this section only at the request of the sponsor of the bill 
or joint resolution. 
(c) METHODS.—The Clerk and the Secretary may 
carry out this section using such methods as the Clerk 
and Secretary consider appropriate, including providing 
for the availability of national discharge petitions and the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Aug 01, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5885.IH
H5885
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
acceptance of signatures on such petitions exclusively 
through electronic means. 
SEC. 3. CONSIDERATION OF BILL OR JOINT RESOLUTION 
IN THE HOUSE OR SENATE. 
(a) VOTE IN THE HOUSE OR SENATE.—If the Speak-
er of the House of Representatives or the Majority Leader 
of the Senate receives a certification under subsection (b) 
from the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Sec-
retary of the Senate (as the case may be) that a national 
discharge petition with respect to a bill or joint resolution 
during a Congress has met the threshold for consideration 
of the bill or joint resolution, the Speaker or Majority 
Leader shall ensure that the House or Senate holds a vote 
on final passage of such bill or joint resolution not later 
than the earlier of— 
(1) the expiration of the 15-day period (exclud-
ing Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays, 
and any day on which neither House is in session 
because of an adjournment sine die, a recess of more 
than 3 days, or an adjournment of more than 3 
days) beginning on the date the Speaker or Minority 
Leader receives the certification; or 
(2) the last day of the Congress. 
(b) THRESHOLD FOR CERTIFICATION.— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Aug 01, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5885.IH
H5885
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Clerk or the Secretary 
(as the case may be) shall provide the Speaker of 
the House or the Majority Leader of the Senate with 
a certification that a national discharge petition with 
respect to a bill or joint resolution has met the 
threshold for consideration of the bill or joint resolu-
tion if the Clerk or the Secretary determines that 
the number of valid signatures on the petition is 
equal to or greater than 25 percent of all qualified 
individuals (based on the most recent information 
available from the chief State election official of each 
State). 
(2) VALIDITY OF SIGNATURES.—An individual’s 
signature shall be considered valid for purposes of a 
national discharge petition only if the individual pro-
vides with the signature— 
(A) an attestation, made under penalty of 
perjury, that the individual is a qualified indi-
vidual; and 
(B) the name of the State in which the in-
dividual is registered to vote in elections for 
Federal office. 
SEC. 4. INFORMATION ON VOTER REGISTRATION. 
As part of the process established for national dis-
charge petitions under this Act, the Clerk shall provide 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Aug 01, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5885.IH
H5885
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
on the official public website of the Office of the Clerk, 
and the Secretary shall provide on the official public 
website of the Office of the Secretary, a hyperlink through 
which an individual may obtain information on how to reg-
ister to vote in elections for Federal office in the State 
in which the individual resides. 
SEC. 5. COORDINATION WITH STATE ELECTION OFFICIALS. 
The chief State election official of each State shall 
enter into such agreements with the Clerk and the Sec-
retary as may be required to enable the Clerk and Sec-
retary to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
2016 and each succeeding fiscal year. 
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the following definitions apply: 
(1) The term ‘‘chief State election official’’ 
means, with respect to a State, the individual des-
ignated by the State under section 10 of the Na-
tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 
20509) to be responsible for the coordination of the 
State’s responsibilities under such Act. 
(2) The term ‘‘Clerk’’ means the Clerk of the 
House of Representatives. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Aug 01, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5885.IH
H5885
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
(3) The term ‘‘qualified individual’’ means an 
individual who, at the time of providing a signature 
on a national discharge petition, is registered to vote 
in elections for Federal office held in the State in 
which the individual resides. 
(4) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Senate. 
(5) The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Com-
monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
the United States Virgin Islands. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Aug 01, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H5885.IH
H5885
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS