Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide that new States may be admitted to the United States upon a concurrence of two thirds of each house of Congress.

# Summary of HJRES 99 **What the Bill Would Do** This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would change how new states are admitted to the United States. Currently, the Constitution allows Congress to admit new states by simple majority vote in both the House and Senate. This proposal would require a two-thirds majority in each chamber instead—a higher threshold that would make it harder to add new states to the union. **Who It Affects and Current Status** The change would affect any future efforts to admit new territories as states, such as Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., or other U.S. territories.

It would also impact Congress's authority over admissions. The bill was introduced by Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House of Representatives. Constitutional amendments require approval from two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures to take effect, making this a significant procedural hurdle.