,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fbic  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #bh1 #bjah,mr4 
,ruiz introduced the following bill2    
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,house ,administration1 and in addition 
to the ,committee on ,rules1 for a      
period to be subsequently determined by 
the ,speaker1 in each case for          
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         
committee 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 petitions with       
respect to bills and joint resolutions  
introduced in or referred to the ,house 
and ,senate1 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 resolution1 and for other

 purposes4  #a4 ,short title2 findings  
7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,right to ,petition ,congress   
,act4  7b7 ,findings ,congress finds the
 following3  7#a7 ,the ,first ,amendment
 of the ,constitution of the ,united    
,states establishes the right of the    
people to 8petition the ,government0 for
 redress4  7#b7 ,technology has         
dramatically expanded the mechanisms    
through which the people can effectively
 petition the ,government4  7#c7        
,congressional leadership and individual
 ,members of ,congress have repeatedly  
blocked votes in the ,house of          
,representatives and ,senate on matters 
on which a majority of the ,american    
people have publicly expressed the      
desire for redress4  7#d7 ,the refusal  
to allow votes in the ,house and ,senate
 prevents ,congressional deliberation on
 matters reflecting the will of the     
people1 and in some instances1 a        
majority of ,congress4  #b4 ,national   
discharge petitions  7a7 ,establishment 

of process ,not later than #f months    
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act1 the ,clerk of the ,house of       
,representatives and the ,secretary of  
the ,senate shall establish a process   
under which the ,clerk and the          
,secretary--  7#a7 shall develop a      
national discharge petition for a bill  
or joint resolution which has been      
introduced in the ,house or ,senate 7as 
the case may be7 during a ,congress or  
which as been referred to the ,house or 
,senate 7as the case may be7 after      
passage by the other ,house during a    
,congress2  7#b7 shall make each such   
national discharge petition available   
for signature1 including signature by   
online methods1 by qualified            
individuals2 and  7#c7 shall compile the
 signatures provided for each such      
national discharge petition4  7b7       
,requiring request of sponsor for       
availability of petition for introduced 
legislation ,in the case of a bill or   
joint resolution introduced in the      

,house of ,senate1 the ,clerk or the    
,secretary 7as the case may be7 may     
develop a national discharge petition   
under this section only at the request  
of the sponsor of the bill or joint     
resolution4  7c7 ,methods ,the ,clerk   
and the ,secretary may carry out this   
section using such methods as the ,clerk
 and ,secretary consider appropriate1   
including providing for the availability
 of national discharge petitions and the
 acceptance of signatures on such       
petitions exclusively through electronic
 means4  7d7 ,prohibiting release of    
information on signatures ,the ,clerk   
and the ,secretary may not disclose or  
transmit to any person any information  
regarding the identification of any     
individual who signs a national         
discharge petition under this section1  
including the individual's name or place
 of residence1 and shall ensure that the
 prohibition set forth in this          
subsection is displayed prominently in  
any website used to carry out this      

section4  #c4 ,consideration of bill or 
joint resolution in ,house or ,senate   
7a7 ,vote in ,house or ,senate ,if the  
,speaker of the ,house of               
,representatives or the ,majority       
,leader of the ,senate receives a       
certification under subsection 7b7 from 
the ,clerk of the ,house of             
,representatives or the ,secretary of   
the ,senate 7as the case may be7 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      
resolution1 and if the bill or joint    
resolution meets the additional         
requirements described in subsection    
7c71 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--  7#a7 the expiration of
 the #ae-;day period 7excluding         
,saturdays1 ,sundays1 and legal public  
holidays1 and any day on which neither  

,house is in session because of an      
adjournment sine die1 a recess of more  
than #c days1 or an adjournment of more 
than #c days7 beginning on the date the 
,speaker or ,minority ,leader receives  
the certification2 or  7#b7 the last day
 of the ,congress4  7b7 ,threshold for  
certification  7#a7 ,in general ,the    
,clerk or the ,secretary 7as the case   
may be7 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 resolution if the ,clerk  
or the ,secretary determines that--     
7,a7 the number of valid signatures on  
the petition is equal to or greater than
 #e1jjj1jjj 7based on the most recent   
information available from the chief    
,state election official of each        
,state72 and  7,b7 not more than #be    
percent of the number of valid          
signatures on the petition are from     

residents of a single ,state4  7#b7     
,validity of signatures ,an individual's
 signature shall be considered valid for
 purposes of a national discharge       
petition only if the individual provides
 with the signature--  7,a7 an          
attestation1 made under penalty of      
perjury1 that the individual is a       
qualified individual2 and  7,b7 the name
 of the ,state in which the individual  
is registered to vote in elections for  
,federal office4  7c7 ,additional       
requirements for consideration ,the     
additional requirements described in    
this subsection with respect to a bill  
or joint resolution are as follows3     
7#a7 ,not fewer than #ej ,members of the
 ,house of ,representatives 7including  
,delegates and the ,resident            
,commissioner7 or #aa ,senators 7as the 
case may be7 are cosponsors of the bill 
or joint resolution4  7#b7 ,the         
,congressional ,budget ,office or the   
,congressional ,research ,service has   
prepared and made available to the      

,members and ,senators an analysis of   
the bill or joint resolution4  #d4      
,information on voter registration ,as  
part of the process established for     
national discharge petitions under this 
,act1 the ,clerk shall provide on the   
official public website of the ,office  
of the ,clerk1 and the ,secretary shall 
provide on the official public website  
of the ,office of the ,secretary1 a     
hyperlink through which an individual   
may obtain information on how to        
register to vote in elections for       
,federal office in the ,state in which  
the individual resides4  #e4            
,coordination with ,state election      
officials ,the chief ,state election    
official of each ,state shall enter into
 such agreements with the ,clerk and the
 ,secretary as may be required to enable
 the ,clerk and ,secretary to carry out 
this ,act4  #f4 ,authorization of       
appropriations ,there are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this ,act  
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal

 year #bjah and each succeeding fiscal  
year4  #g4 ,definitions ,in this ,act1  
the following definitions apply3 7#a7   
,the term chief ,state election official
 means1 with respect to a ,state1 the   
individual designated by the ,state     
under section #aj of the ,national      
,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb 
,u4,s4,c4 #bjeji7 to be responsible for 
the coordination of the ,state's        
responsibilities under such ,act4  7#b7 
,the term ,clerk means the ,clerk of the
 ,house of ,representatives4  7#c7 ,the 
term qualified individual means an      
individual who1 at the time of providing
 a signature on a national discharge    
petition1 is registered to vote in      
elections for ,federal office held in   
the ,state in which the individual      
resides4  7#d7 ,the term ,secretary     
means the ,secretary of the ,senate4    
7#e7 ,the term ,state means each of the 
several ,states1 the ,district of       
,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto 
,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 the     

,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands1 and the ,united ,states       
,virgin ,islands4