I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 996 
To establish a commission to make recommendations on the appropriate 
size of membership of the House of Representatives and the method 
by which Members are elected. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2021 
Mr. HASTINGS (for himself, Mr. CARSON, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, and Mr. SOTO) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To establish a commission to make recommendations on the 
appropriate size of membership of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the method by which Members are elect-
ed. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Congress Commission 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT. 
There is established a commission to be known as the 
‘‘Congressional Commission to Strengthen Representative 
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Democracy’’ (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Commission’’). 
SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION. 
The Commission shall— 
(1) analyze the current size of the membership 
of the House of Representatives considering the re-
quirement for the institution to carry out its respon-
sibilities in an effective manner; 
(2) examine alternatives to the current method 
by which Representatives are elected (including 
ranked choice voting, cumulative voting, and other 
forms of proportional representation) to determine if 
such alternatives would make the House of Rep-
resentatives a more representative body and include 
more citizens in the electoral process; 
(3) examine the use of gerrymandering in the 
creation of single-member districts; 
(4) to the extent necessary, formulate proposals 
for changes in the size of the membership of, and 
the method of electing Representatives to, the House 
of Representatives; and 
(5) not later than the end of the One Hundred 
Seventeenth Congress, submit to the President and 
the Congress a report of the work of the Commis-
sion, together with a draft of legislation (including 
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technical and conforming provisions) to implement 
the proposals referred to in paragraph (5). 
SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP. 
(a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Commission 
shall be composed of 15 members as follows: 
(1) Five members appointed by the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives. 
(2) Five members appointed by the minority 
leader of the House of Representatives. 
(3) Two members appointed by the majority 
leader of the Senate. 
(4) Two members appointed by the minority 
leader of the Senate. 
(5) One member appointed by the other 14 
members to serve as Chairman of the Commission, 
by a vote in which at least 9 members approve of 
the appointment, including at least 1 member ap-
pointed by the Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, 1 member appointed by the minority leader of 
the House of Representatives, 1 member appointed 
by the majority leader of the Senate, and 1 member 
appointed by the minority leader of the Senate. 
(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—In making appointments 
under this section, the appointing authorities shall make 
a special effort to appoint individuals who are particularly 
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qualified to perform the functions of the Commission, by 
reason of either practical experience or academic expertise 
in politics or government. 
(c) TERMS AND VACANCIES.—Each member shall be 
appointed for the life of the Commission. A vacancy in 
the Commission shall be filled in the manner in which the 
original appointment was made. 
(d) PAY AND TRAVEL.—Each member of the Com-
mission, other than a full-time officer or employee of the 
United States— 
(1) shall be paid the daily equivalent of the an-
nual rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Ex-
ecutive Schedule for each day (including travel time) 
during which the member is engaged in the actual 
performance of duties vested in the Commission; and 
(2) shall receive travel expenses, including per 
diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with appli-
cable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of 
title 5, United States Code. 
(e) QUORUM.—Eight members of the Commission 
shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold 
hearings. 
(f) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at the 
call of the Chairman or a majority of its members. 
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SEC. 5. STAFF. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—With the approval of the Commis-
sion, the Chairman may appoint and fix the pay of not 
more than six individuals for the staff of the Commission. 
Such individuals may be appointed without regard to the 
provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing ap-
pointments in the competitive service, and may be paid 
without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and sub-
chapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating to classifica-
tion and General Schedule pay rates, except that an indi-
vidual so appointed may not receive pay in excess of the 
maximum annual rate of basic pay payable for grade GS– 
15 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 
5, United States Code. 
(b) EXPERTS
AND CONSULTANTS.—With the ap-
proval of the Commission, the Chairman may procure tem-
porary and intermittent services in the manner prescribed 
in section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at 
rates for individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of 
the maximum annual rate of basic pay payable for grade 
GS–15 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 
5, United States Code. 
(c) STAFF OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Upon request 
of the Commission, the head of any Federal department 
or agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the 
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transacts business. Any failure to obey the order of 
the court may be punished by the court as civil con-
tempt. 
(3) SERVICE OF SUBPOENAS.—The subpoenas 
of the Commission shall be served in the manner 
provided for subpoenas issued by a United States 
district court under the Federal Rules of Civil Pro-
cedure for the United States district courts. 
(4) SERVICE OF PROCESS.—All process of any 
court to which application is made under paragraph 
(2) may be served in the judicial district in which 
the person required to be served resides or may be 
found. 
(c) MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any member or agent 
of the Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, 
take any action which the Commission is authorized to 
take by this section. 
(d) MAILS.—The Commission may use the United 
States mails in the same manner and under the same con-
ditions as departments and agencies of the United States. 
(e) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.—Upon 
the request of the Commission, the Administrator of Gen-
eral Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reim-
bursable basis, the administrative support services nec-
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essary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities 
under this Act. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $5,000,000, to remain available until expended. 
SEC. 8. TERMINATION. 
The Commission shall terminate on the last day of 
the month in which the Commission submits the report 
required under section 3. 
Æ 
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