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HR 5885 114th Congress House Congress Elections, voting, political campaign regulation Government information and archives Legislative rules and procedure

Right to Petition Congress Act

Introduced: July 14, 2016 Introduced by: Ruiz, Raul Democratic · California See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 14, 2016
Introduced in House
Jul 14, 2016
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Right to Petition Congress Act

This bill requires the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to establish a process under which they shall:

  • develop a national discharge petition for a bill or joint resolution introduced in either the House or the Senate or referred to either chamber after passage by the other chamber during a Congress,
  • make each petition available for signature by individuals registered to vote in elections for federal office held in their domiciles, and
  • compile such signatures.

The Clerk or the Secretary may: (1) develop a petition only at the request of the sponsor of the bill or joint resolution; and (2) carry out this bill using such methods as the Clerk and Secretary consider appropriate, including providing for the availability of such petitions and the acceptance of signatures on them exclusively through electronic means.

If a discharge petition is certified by the Clerk or the Secretary as having valid signatures of 25% or more of qualified voters, the leadership of the House and Senate shall ensure that a vote on the final passage of the measure takes place within a specified time period.

As part of the national discharge petition process, the Clerk and the Secretary shall provide on their public websites a hyperlink through which individuals may obtain information on how to register to vote in federal elections in their domiciles.

What's happening now July 14, 2016

Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5885: Right to Petition Congress Act. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5885/
MLA
"H.R. 5885: Right to Petition Congress Act." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5885/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5885, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5885/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5885: Right to Petition Congress Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5885/)
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