The Alternate Times

By Rhonda Robinson Taylor

October 23, 2029

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives gave its two-thirds approval to 11 constitutional amendments today, following days of debate and the unexpected addition of an amendment to the original package of 10.

Just prior to the debate, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., introduced a further amendment that would transition the U.S. government to a parliamentary system. She argued it was “worth having a national conversation about,” and that states should have an opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of the structural change alongside the other proposed measures.

The 10 original amendments, which the House approved with slight modifications, would do the following:

• Require Congress to refer future amendments for a national popular vote
• Recognize a right to reproductive freedom
• Replace the Senate with a larger, appointed body with limited legislative and investigatory powers
• Establish the right to clean air and water
• Require a minimum tax rate for the wealthy
• Enlarge the House of Representatives and cap district sizes at 300,000 residents
• Enact the Equal Rights Amendment, with added protections for the LGBTQ+ population
• Expand the rights of noncitizens to due process and equal protection in immigration proceedings
• Require federal and state governments to consider climate change impacts of major policy decisions
• End qualified immunity for federal employees

Jayapal’s amendment, which passed with a slimmer margin, would call for the establishment of a governmental commission with members of the legislative branch, executive branch, and ordinary citizens. If ratified, the commission would redraft the Constitution and all applicable laws to create a parliament, a framework for operating existing executive agencies, and a corresponding electoral process.

The amendment would require the drafts to be proposed and published by December 31, 2031. Congress would then need to pass the measure again as a constitutional amendment. Depending on the outcome of the other amendments’ ratification, a national popular vote may be called to definitively enact the parliamentary system.