HRES 53119th CongressIntroduced

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 471) to expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes, and providing for consideration of the bill (S. 5) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.

Introduced: Jan 21, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

H. Res. 53 is a House-of-Representatives resolution that provides the procedure for considering two separate bills: H.R. 471 and S. 5. It does not change the policy content of those bills; instead, it lays out how the House will debate, amend, and proceed to final passage in a way that speeds up consideration. Specifically, it authorizes the Speaker to bring H.R. 471 into the Committee of the Whole for streamlined debate on forest management and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reforms, with tightly limited debate and amendments. It also sets the rules for considering S. 5, a bill dealing with Homeland Security custody of aliens charged with theft, ensuring expedited treatment and limiting points of order and debate. The resolution operates as a procedural framework to accelerate passage of these two bills.

Key Points

1For H.R. 471: The Speaker may declare the House into the Committee of the Whole to consider the bill, dispense with the first-reading, allow general debate limited to one hour (evenly divided between the chair and ranking minority member or their designees), and then proceed to amendments under a five-minute rule. Amendments may only be those printed in the Rules Committee report, offered by designated Members, read as adopted, and not subject to further amendment or division of the question; all points of order against amendments are waived.
2Amendment process for H.R. 471: Amendments are considered in the order printed in the Rules report, debatable only for the time specified in the report, and must be offered by Members designated in the report; they cannot be amended, and there is no division of the question for these amendments.
3Finalizing H.R. 471: After consideration, the Committee rises and reports the bill to the House with the amendments adopted; the “previous question” on the bill and amendments is considered to be ordered to final passage, except a motion to recommit is allowed.
4For S. 5: It shall be in order to consider the bill in the House with all points of order waived. The bill is considered as read, and the previous question is ordered to final passage with two limits: (1) one hour of debate equally divided between the chair and ranking minority member or their designees, and (2) one motion to commit.
5Overall effect: The resolution is a procedural tool designed to accelerate the floor consideration of both bills, limit debate time, restrict eligible amendments, and minimize procedural delays.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Members of the House of Representatives and the legislative process itself, specifically the way H.R. 471 and S. 5 are debated and voted on.Secondary group/area affected: Stakeholders related to the substantive content of the bills—forest management advocates, environmental groups, tribal communities, public lands users, and homeland security stakeholders—who may experience faster frontline consideration and potential changes in the scope of debate and amendments, though not directly changing policy in this resolution.Additional impacts: By waiving certain points of order and limiting amendments, the resolution reduces procedural hurdles and could speed passage, but it also narrows the opportunity for extensive debate or alternative amendments to these bills. It does not alter the substantive provisions of H.R. 471 or S. 5 themselves; it only governs how they are brought to a vote.

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