REAL House Act

Restoring Equal and Accountable Legislators in the House Act or the REAL House Act

This bill increases the number of voting Members serving in the House of Representatives, which has been capped at 435 since 1929.

Following the 2030 census, the bill increases the number of voting Members to 585. For subsequent censuses, the bill sets out a method for determining the number of Members.

The bill also requires the Architect of the Capitol to study and make recommendations to Congress about the facility needs of and other logistical issues related to an increased number of Members.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 622 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 622

To increase the number of Members of the House of Representatives, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2023

 Mr. Blumenauer (for himself and Mr. Casten) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in 
addition to the Committees on House Administration, and Transportation 
 and Infrastructure, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To increase the number of Members of the House of Representatives, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Restoring Equal and Accountable 
Legislators in the House Act'' or the ``REAL House Act''.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    (a) In General.--Section 22 of the Act entitled ``An Act to provide 
for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial census and to provide for 
apportionment of Representatives in Congress'', approved June 18, 1929 
(2 U.S.C. 2a), is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``the then existing 
        number of Representatives'' and inserting ``the applicable 
        number of Representatives determined under subsection (d)''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Determination of Applicable Number of Representatives.--
            ``(1) Initial number for 2030 census.--In the case of the 
        regular decennial census conducted for 2030, the applicable 
        number of Representatives determined under this subsection is 
        585.
            ``(2) Number for subsequent censuses.--In the case of the 
        regular decennial census conducted for 2040 and each subsequent 
        regular decennial census, the applicable number of 
        Representatives determined under this subsection is the number 
        equal to the sum of--
                    ``(A) the applicable number of Representatives 
                determined under this subsection for the previous 
                regular decennial census; and
                    ``(B) the hold harmless number described in 
                paragraph (3),
        rounded to the nearest odd number.
            ``(3) Hold harmless number.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                term `hold harmless number' means, with respect to a 
                regular decennial census, the number of additional 
                Representatives which would be required to ensure that, 
                after the apportionment of the applicable number of 
                Representatives determined under this subsection for 
                that regular decennial census, the number of 
                Representatives received by each State would not be 
                fewer than the number of Representatives to which that 
                State was entitled under the statement required by 
                subsection (a) for the previous decennial census.
                    ``(B) Limit.--The hold harmless number with respect 
                to a regular decennial census may not exceed 10.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subject to subsection (c), the amendments made 
by this section shall apply with respect to the regular decennial 
census conducted for 2030 and each subsequent decennial census.

SEC. 3. STUDY OF FACILITY NEEDS AND LOGISTICAL ISSUES.

    (a) Study Relating to Expansion of Number of Members.--
            (1) Study.--The Architect of the Capitol, in consultation 
        with the Administrator of General Services and such other 
        persons as the Architect considers appropriate, shall conduct a 
        study of the facility needs and other logistical issues 
        involved in expanding the number of Members of the House of 
        Representatives as determined by the regular decennial census 
        conducted for 2030, as provided in this Act and the amendments 
        made by this Act.
            (2) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2025, the 
        Architect of the Capitol shall submit a report to the Speaker 
        of the House of Representatives on the study conducted under 
        paragraph (1), and shall include in the report such 
        recommendations as the Architect considers appropriate.
    (b) Study Prior to Each Subsequent Reapportionment.--
            (1) Study.--After each regular decennial census, the 
        Architect of the Capitol, in consultation with the 
        Administrator of General Services and such other persons as the 
        Architect considers appropriate, shall conduct a study of the 
        facility needs and other logistical issues involved in setting 
        the number of Members of the House of Representatives, as 
        determined by such census, at the applicable number of 
        Representatives under section 22(d) of the Act entitled ``An 
        Act to provide for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial 
        census and to provide for apportionment of Representatives in 
        Congress'', approved June 18, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 2a(d)), as amended 
        by this Act.
            (2) Report.--Not later than January 1 of the year 
        immediately preceding the first year of a Congress for which 
        the number of Representatives is set at the applicable number 
        of Representatives under section 22(d) of such Act, as 
        determined by the regular decennial census, the Architect of 
        the Capitol shall submit a report to the Speaker of the House 
        of Representatives on the study conducted under paragraph (1), 
        and shall include in the report such recommendations as the 
        Architect considers appropriate.
            (3) Effective date.--This subsection shall apply with 
        respect to the regular decennial census conducted for 2030 and 
        each subsequent regular decennial census.
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