Section 4
A majority of members in each chamber shall constitute a quorum to do business. Congress has the following powers to act through legislation and the exercise of oversight.
A. Legislation
A.1. General Legislation
Congress may enact necessary and proper laws to fulfill the general federal legislative duties required by the People and this Charter, provided such laws do not infringe the Rights of the People or exceed the limits of Constitutional delegation. Similarly, no law may infringe on the Rights and duties of the States as outlined under Article V.
Any bill or law that results from a bill must meet the following requirements:
It must be written in plain language, generally understandable by a Person with a tenth-grade education.
Any technical terms must be defined in a definitions section either near the top of the bill or law, or in an easy-to-find and identified glossary in the text of the bill.
The first Section of the bill or law must include a written explanation detailing why the bill was introduced and how it serves the larger purpose of the government in securing the Rights of the People.
Laws enacted before ratification of this Charter are exempt from these requirements.
Failure of Congress to meet the requirements outlined here renders the bill unable to be presented to the President for signature, remand, or veto. Any such failure must be remedied before a bill can advance to law. In any case where a federal appellate Court finds that these requirements were not met, the Court in question is obligated to remand the law to Congress for remedy and resubmission to the Court within thirty (30) days. Failure on the part of Congress to submit a remedied bill to the Court’s satisfaction requires the Court to strike down the law as unconstitutional, without regard for severability or other considerations.
A.2 Material Interstate Legislation
Congress shall have the authority to legislate on matters that materially and necessarily concern coordination or relations among two or more States, but only when such legislation is essential to resolve a demonstrable jurisdictional conflict, ensure the uniform application of Civil or Natural Rights across State boundaries, or provide a framework for lawful intergovernmental cooperation.
This authority shall not extend to matters that States can resolve independently, nor to those that merely affect multiple States without requiring federal involvement.
B. Taxation
B.1. Congressional Authority
Congress has the sole power to levy taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.
B.2. Procedural Requirements
All bills involving taxation must be stand-alone bills and must originate in the House of Representatives. No bill may contain both taxation provisions and non-taxation provisions.
B.3. Comprehensive Reform Mandate
On or before the seventh anniversary of this Charter's ratification, Congress must submit a new, comprehensive taxation framework that is fair to the People. Every five years thereafter, Congress must revisit the taxation framework to ensure it remains fair.
B.4. Enforcement Mechanism
Failure to meet the deadlines established in Section C shall result in reversion to a simple flat percentage tax on all income and business revenues, as determined by the most recent budget requirements, until Congress enacts a compliant taxation framework.
B.5. Definitional Standard
All discussions of taxation or economic policy by government officials, in official documents, or in legislative proceedings shall use the following definition: the middle class consists of the middle seventy-five percent (75%) of income earners, as determined income data from the most recent decennial census.
C. Appropriations
Congress is responsible for authorizing appropriations on behalf of the government. All appropriations bills must originate in the House of Representatives.
C.1. Balanced Budgets and Deficit Spending
Congress shall authorize only those budgets whose projected outlays do not exceed projected revenues for the same fiscal period, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office.
Exceptions of limited scope and fixed duration may be enacted in three circumstances:
A formally declared war;
A formally declared economic emergency; or
A recession, as recognized by two consecutive quarters of negative real GDP growth.
In such cases, deficit spending may not exceed the total of the budget items specifically allocated to relieve the triggering condition and may not be automatically reauthorized for any subsequent fiscal period.
C.2. Debt Reduction
When debt held by the public exceeds sixty percent (60%) of gross domestic product (GDP), systematic reduction is required during periods of economic expansion, but must be managed to avoid extreme shocks to the broader economy.
During economic downturn, as defined by two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, automatic stabilizers may operate without constraint on deficit spending.
Congress may override these requirements only by a three-fifths (⅗) majority in both chambers for declared war, natural disaster, or economic emergency, with automatic sunset provisions not exceeding two years.
The specific implementation formula, cyclical adjustments, and enforcement mechanisms shall be established by statute within one year of this Charter’s ratification.
D. Commerce Power
Consistent with this Charter, Congress may regulate commerce, trade, and transportation.
D.1. Definition of Commerce
For purposes of this Charter, “commerce” means exchanging goods, services, labor, data, or financial value between persons or entities.
D.2. Limit on Commerce Power
This Power may not be used as a pretext to regulate non-commercial conduct or expand federal authority over private, local, or personal activity unless such activity is plainly commercial and within the definition above.
E. Institutional Authority
Congress shall have the sole authority to create or dismantle institutions of government, except where such institutions are expressly mandated or prohibited by this Charter.
F. Judicial Budget Safeguard
The Judicial Branch shall have a separate budget, not included in the general federal budget.
The Chief Justice shall send the Judicial Branch’s yearly budget to the Speaker of the House. The Speaker will make the budget request public by the end of the legislative day, provided the Chief Justice submits it before 5 p.m.; otherwise, it must be made public by noon the following day.
The budget must be voted on as submitted, with no changes or amendments allowed. The House will vote on the budget exactly eight (8) days after it is submitted. The Senate will vote the following day. The budget is approved unless both chambers vote to reject it by a two-thirds (⅔) majority of those present and voting.
If the budget is rejected, the Speaker and the Senate Leader must provide a written explanation within five (5) days.
The Chief Justice may then revise and resubmit the budget, starting the process over. This process repeats until the budget is approved.
If no budget is approved before the start of the Judicial Year, the most recent approved budget stays in effect.
G. Legislative Oversight
Congress has the power and duty to oversee the rest of the government and to investigate problems that might need new laws. But Congress cannot use this power to threaten or intimidate people or groups for political or social purposes.
Only a committee or subcommittee may conduct oversight and investigations. The Chair or Vice Chair must write a statement explaining why the investigation is happening. This statement must be made public immediately, unless it contains classified information that must be kept confidential.
The written minutes of committee and subcommittee meetings must also be made public right away, unless they are classified. No video or audio recordings are allowed. This rule is intended to prevent Members from using investigations as a platform to deliver speeches or pose questions solely for embarrassing witnesses or political opponents. Performative politics is not an appropriate tool for Congress, and investigations must not be used for that purpose.
H. Emergency Powers
In certain circumstances, it may become necessary for Congress to act outside regular order to ensure continuity of government.
H.1. Declaration of Emergency
Congress may invoke emergency procedures when necessary, but only after formally declaring an emergency. That declaration must:
Be issued jointly by the Speaker of the House and the Leader of the Senate;
Be accompanied by a public statement that describes the emergency and why ordinary procedures cannot be reasonably followed;
Specify a start date and, if possible, an estimated duration of the emergency;
Be transmitted to the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of State, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; and
Be made publicly accessible within four (4) hours of issuance.
A declaration of this type expires after sixty (60) days, unless both the Senate and the House vote by simple majority to renew for another sixty (60) days. Renewals must state the conditions that continue to justify the continuation of emergency status.
H.2. Modified Quorum and Temporary Delegation
In an emergency that the Speaker and Senate Leader have properly declared, each chamber can operate under a modified quorum requirement, as long as:
At least one-third (1/3) of the current Members are present physically or by verified secured remote participation; and
The Parliamentarian certifies that each Member has been afforded a reasonable opportunity to attend or connect, except where doing so would endanger life or liberty.
Suppose a quorum cannot be met due to death, injury, or dislocation. In that case, each chamber may, by majority vote of those present, adopt a temporary delegation protocol, allowing any present Member to cast votes on behalf of up to two (2) absent Members, but only:
If those Members have provided written and signed directives authorizing the delegation, and
If the Parliamentarian certifies the authenticity of each delegation directive.
I. Declarations of War
Congress shall have the sole power to declare war, which they may only do upon the request of the President. No use of sustained military force beyond lawful emergency defense shall be undertaken without such a Declaration. A Declaration of War shall require a simple majority vote in each chamber of Congress.
I.1. Permissible Enemies
A Declaration of War may be made against either a sovereign State or a non-state entity that: (a) has engaged in or is preparing to engage in sustained acts of armed aggression, terrorism, or coercion against the United States, its Citizens, or its lawful allies; and (b) possesses organized command structure and the capacity to carry out such acts.
Congress shall also have the power to declare war, upon request of the President, against any organized group or coalition that has engaged in coordinated acts of violent armed rebellion against the United States. Such a Declaration may be made only in response to actual attacks, not in anticipation of them. Once declared, the full powers of war may be exercised to suppress and defeat the rebellion.
I.2. Requirements for a Declaration
All Declarations of War must:
Identify the entity or entities against whom war is declared;
Set forth the constitutional justification, including the nature and severity of the threat;
Describe the intended objectives of the conflict in clear terms, even if full restoration or victory cannot be immediately defined; and
Establish fixed conditions and intervals for congressional review, with renewal required for any continuation beyond twelve (12) months.
The full text of any proposed Declaration of War must be published no less than seventy-two (72) hours prior to a final vote, except in cases where delay would produce imminent, irreparable harm, in which case the justification must still be made public within forty-eight (48) hours of the vote.
A Declaration of War does not alter, suspend, or diminish any Right guaranteed by this Charter.
J. Foreign Information Warfare
The United States shall treat coordinated foreign disinformation campaigns, digital influence operations, and algorithmic manipulation of public discourse as forms of hostile interference when such actions are intended to undermine Civic processes, disrupt public understanding, or impair the ability of Citizens to exercise their Rights under this Charter.
Congress shall have the Power to enact laws authorizing the identification, exposure, and disruption of such foreign-origin activities, provided such actions do not restrict the lawful speech of Persons under the jurisdiction of the United States.
All countermeasures taken under this section must be narrowly tailored to respond to the threat, and shall be subject to public reporting and regular review by a designated oversight body established by law.
K. Selective Service
Congress will maintain a Selective Service, requiring all Persons aged 18 through 30 to register. Those activated who conscientiously object, or whose physical health precludes military service, will be assigned alternative civilian duties with pay equivalent to that they would receive as members of the military. Service requirements must be equal, regardless of gender, economic class, race, ethnicity, belief, or other legal classifications. No deferments will be granted for educational pursuits.
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