Constitution Index · H.Res. 1490 · 2026-08-27

Providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes.

Latest official status (2026-09-01): Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Official source ↗

Constitutional grade

A

Constitutional

HRES 1490 is non-binding House speech condemning socialism and affirming election principles. It creates no law, penalty, mandate, surveillance, or taking, and leaves individual rights and state powers intact under the First, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments. Minor rhetorical tension around a named association does not become a constitutional violation without enforcement.

Article I, Section 5 Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 Article I, Section 8 Amendment I 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

A simple House resolution denouncing an ideology and affirming support for the Constitution is not legislation and exercises no coercive regulatory power. Under Article I, Section 5, Clauses 2-3, each House may determine its own proceedings and express its sense. Protected further by the Speech or Debate Clause in Article I, Section 6, Clause 1, it does not invoke or exceed the enumerated legislative powers in Article I, Section 8.

Bill of Rights · passes · severity: minor

This is a non-binding House resolution expressing opinion. It imposes no criminal penalty, civil liability, prohibition on speech, press, assembly, or petition, and no search, seizure, or arms restriction. Under the First Amendment, mere government speech condemning an ideology, without compulsion or sanction, does not infringe private speech or association rights, though hostile rhetoric toward a named political association bears watching for chilling effects.

Individual liberty · passes

No individual conduct is restricted. Persons remain free to believe, speak, assemble, vote, labor, and hold property as before, consistent with the First Amendment and the Ninth Amendment retention of unenumerated rights. The burden test is satisfied because the government imposes no burden requiring justification; condemnation without coercion is government speech, not government control.

Decentralization · passes

The Four-Question Test applies to regulatory power, not to non-binding expression. (1) Individuals can hold political views without government help, but this resolution does not regulate them. (2) Local communities do not need federal permission to debate ideology. (3) States retain full authority under the Tenth Amendment to hold different views. (4) The resolution consolidates no decision-making upward, creates no federal program, mandate, or preemption, and leaves all governing power where it was.

Due process and takings · passes

No person is deprived of life, liberty, or property under the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause, and no property is taken under the Fifth Amendment Takings Clause. There is no notice-and-hearing obligation because there is no adjudication, no presumption of innocence issue, and no fine, forfeiture, or seizure. The election-integrity statements are aspirational and create no enforcement mechanism.

Provenance

Grade ID
248
Rubric version
vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0
Graded
2026-10-08 10:57 UTC
Engine
primary SI engine
Source fetched
2026-10-07 11:00 UTC
Source SHA-256
4ab11590e785abb6d6ed60bcf6a9aeb4b4be138f781a3fadc82077ad09f164b0
Checks
si-editorial-standard/1.0: real Constitution citation, language rules

Version history · never overwritten

GradeGradedRubric Source hashStatus
A · #248 2026-10-08 vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0 4ab11590e785 current

Cite this

Values for America. “Constitutional grade: H.Res. 1490, Providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes..” VFA Constitution Index, grade 248 (rubric vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0), graded October 8, 2026. https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/248. Accessed 2026-10-19.

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