Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require the concurrence of two-thirds of both Houses of Congress for the admission of new States into the Union.

Sponsor: Tom Barrett (Republican-MI)January 21, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Requires a higher vote in Congress to add new states to the U.S.

This bill would make it harder for new states to join the U.S. It proposes a change to the Constitution, requiring two-thirds of both the House and Senate to agree, instead of a simple majority. This would affect future territories hoping to become states and also change how Congress admits them.

What Would Change

Currently, Congress can admit new states with a simple majority vote in both the House and Senate. If this bill becomes law and is ratified, admitting new states would require a two-thirds vote from both the House and Senate. This would make it more difficult to add new states to the Union.

Key Provisions

Requires two-thirds of both the House and Senate to vote yes for any new state to join the U.S.
Sets a seven-year deadline for state legislatures to approve this constitutional change.
Reaffirms that new states cannot be created from existing states or parts of states without their permission.

View on Congress.gov

HJRES 141 · 119th Congress · January 21, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 10/10

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require the concurrence of two-thirds of both Houses of Congress for the admission of new States into the Union.

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity