Equal Representation Act

Bill: 119-hr-151
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11]
Introduced: 2025-01-03
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Census and government statistics

Citizenship and naturalization

Congressional districts and representation

Government information and archives

Immigration status and procedures
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-13
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E21)

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Equal Representation Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires that the statement sent by the President to Congress after the decennial census indicating the number of persons in each state&nbsp;exclude&nbsp;noncitizens. (This&nbsp;statement is the basis for reapportionment of U.S. Representatives.)</p><p>The bill also requires&nbsp;any questionnaire used in the&nbsp;decennial census to include a checkbox or other similar option for respondents to indicate whether the respondent and each household member is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) a U.S. national but not a citizen, (3) a non-U.S. national (<em>alien </em>under federal law) lawfully residing in the United States, or (4) a non-U.S. national unlawfully residing in the United States.</p><p>The Department of Commerce must make public the number of persons in each state, disaggregated by each of these four categories.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 151 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2025 Mr. Edwards (for himself, Mr. Davidson , Mr. Bean of Florida , Mr. Rouzer , Mr. Nehls , Mr. Collins , Mrs. Cammack , Ms. Hageman , Mr. Fleischmann , Mr. Higgins of Louisiana , Mr. Bost , Mr. Palmer , Mrs. Houchin , Mr. Guest , Mr. Miller of Ohio , Mr. Fitzgerald , and Mr. Moore of Alabama ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform A BILL To require a citizenship question on the decennial census, to require reporting on certain census statistics, and to modify apportionment of Representatives to be based on United States citizens instead of all persons.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Equal Representation Act . 2. Citizenship status on decennial census (a) In general Section 141 of title 13, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h); and (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following: (g) (1) In conducting the 2030 decennial census and each decennial census thereafter, the Secretary shall include in any questionnaire distributed or otherwise used for the purpose of determining the total population by States a checkbox or other similar option for the respondent to indicate, for the respondent and for each of the members of the household of the respondent, whether that individual is— (A) a citizen of the United States; (B) a national of the United States but not a citizen of the United States; (C) an alien lawfully residing in the United States; or (D) an alien unlawfully residing in the United States. (2) Not later than 120 days after completion of a decennial census of the population under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make publicly available the number of persons per State, disaggregated by each of the 4 categories described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (1), as tabulated in accordance with this section. . 3. Exclusion of noncitizens from number of persons used to determine apportionment of representatives and number of electoral votes (a) Exclusion Section 22(a) of the Act entitled An Act to provide for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and to provide for an apportionment of Representatives in Congress , approved June 18, 1929 ( 2 U.S.C. 2a(a) ), is amended by inserting after not taxed the following: and individuals who are not citizens of the United States . (b) Effective date The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to the apportionment of Representatives carried out pursuant to the decennial census conducted during 2030 and any succeeding decennial census. 4. Severability clause If any provision of this Act or amendment made by this Act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of the provisions of this Act and amendments made by this Act, and the application of the provision or amendment to any other person or circumstance, shall not be affected.