Constitution Index · H.J.Res. 20 · 2025-01-15
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters".
Latest official status (2025-05-09): Became Public Law No: 119-6.
Constitutional grade
A
Constitutional
HJRES 20 repeals a Department of Energy efficiency mandate on consumer gas water heaters through congressional disapproval, restoring purchasing choice. It exercises legitimate congressional oversight, infringes no rights, expands individual sovereignty over property, and decentralizes power away from the federal level. Fully constitutional.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 Article I, Section 1 Article II, Section 3 Amendment IX Amendment X Amendment V
SI-generated grade · passed automated checks (real Constitution citation, language rules) · not individually reviewed by a person · methodology · Report an error: hello@valuesforamerica.com
The five checks
Enumerated powers · passes
Congress acts within explicit authority: Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 (Necessary and Proper Clause) to execute its legislative power and oversee the executive, combined with Article I, Section 1 vesting legislative power in Congress and Article II, Section 3 oversight of faithful execution. Disapproving an executive agency rule under chapter 8 of title 5 corrects executive overreach rather than asserting new unenumerated federal power.
Bill of Rights · passes
Nullification removes a federal restriction on consumer product choice and does not itself abridge speech, religion, press, arms, search protections, or other guarantees. It tends to protect Ninth Amendment retained rights and Tenth Amendment reserved powers by withdrawing a federal mandate on household appliances rather than imposing one.
Individual liberty · passes
The action expands individual sovereignty by removing federal limits on what models of gas-fired instantaneous water heaters a person may buy, own, and use on their own property. No personal conduct, speech, labor, or belief is restricted; the burden the prior rule placed on consumers is lifted without substitute restriction.
Decentralization · passes
Water-heater selection can be handled by individuals and families through market choice, and any residual efficiency or building-code concerns can be handled locally or at the state level. This joint resolution moves decision-making downward by removing a federal mandate, so it does not consolidate upward and satisfies the Tenth Amendment subsidiarity principle.
Due process and takings · passes
The resolution imposes no penalty, seizure, or property taking and requires no notice-and-hearing procedure because it grants relief from regulation. It restores ordinary Fifth Amendment liberty and property use by eliminating compliance costs and product restrictions imposed by the underlying rule.
Provenance
- Congress.gov: HJRES 20 summary · fetched 2026-10-08 · official page ↗
Version history · never overwritten
| Grade | Graded | Rubric | Source hash | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A · #213 | 2026-10-08 | vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0 | 9471705d7a63 | current |
Cite this
Values for America. “Constitutional grade: H.J.Res. 20, Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters"..” VFA Constitution Index, grade 213 (rubric vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0), graded October 8, 2026. https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/213. Accessed 2026-10-19.
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