On January 6, 2011 House Republicans stood before their colleagues, constituents, and the American people to participate in the reading of the U.S. Constitution. Led by the Speaker and Majority Leader, select lawmakers took turns reciting the document.  The historical event was coordinated by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and was the first time in Congress’s 221-year history that the Constitution has been read aloud on the House Floor.

“One of the resounding themes I have heard from my constituents is that Congress should adhere to the Constitution and the finite list of powers it granted to the federal government,” said Congressman Goodlatte.

House Republicans have also approved reforms requiring every piece of legislation cite the Constitutional authority in which it was created. Republicans outlined this reform in their ongoing Pledge to America- Please see the following excerpt:

"With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America."

"We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.