Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, and for other purposes.
This measure is a House Resolution that adopts the Rules of the House for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, principally preserving the 118th Congress rules but making a broad set of amendments and additions. It changes how certain motions and procedures operate (for example, how a Speaker vacancy resolution may be privileged), expands or alters committee practices (including electronic voting, deposition authority, and remote testimony), reorganizes and renames certain committees, and adds numerous transparency, ethics, and administrative provisions affecting Members, staff, Congressional offices, and House operations. It also creates or modifies processes around budget and spending, reporting requirements, and the handling of certain governance and oversight issues, while advancing several long-running priorities related to technology, accessibility of information, and accountability. In short, the bill acts as a comprehensive Rules package for the 119th Congress, reshaping how the House conducts business, manages its committees and staff, enforces ethics and anti-harassment norms, and handles urgent or politically charged legislative and investigative actions. Many provisions are administrative or procedural, but several have material implications for how quickly measures can move, how spending and accountability are scrutinized, and how Members and offices interact with the public, the press, and federal agencies.
Key Points
- 1Speaker vacancy and committee voting changes
- 2- A resolution to vacate the Office of Speaker becomes privileged only if offered by a majority member and has at least eight cosponsors from the majority at the time of filing.
- 3- A new allowance for electronic voting in committees, with regulations printed in the Congressional Record, enabling certain committee votes to be conducted electronically.
- 4Committee structure and administrative reforms
- 5- Replacing references to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- 6- Renaming and reorganizing the Education and Workforce Committee language to reflect current naming, and moving toward restoring traditional office support and oversight functions.
- 7Elimination of certain offices and other organizational changes
- 8- The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is struck, with related references to the Inspector General updated accordingly.
- 9- Many long-standing orders are codified or adjusted, including memorial handling and district work periods, with new language governing district work periods and related calendar and procedural effects.
- 10Ethical, transparency, and workplace reforms
- 11- Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs) face new transparency and oversight rules, including how employees can be assigned to CMOs, how funds may be used, and shared-employee provisions.
- 12- Mandated anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies for House offices; regulations due by April 1, 2025.
- 13- NDA considerations clarified to allow whistleblower or ethics communications without prior notice/approval, and to limit NDA restrictions on disclosures to ethics and accountability offices.
- 14- Requiring settlement reimbursements when a Member’s conduct is involved and where law requires reimbursement.
- 15Information technology, AI, and data accessibility
- 16- Provisions to advance AI use with guardrails and principles, and to explore AI to improve administrative and oversight capabilities.
- 17- Expanded machine-readable formats for legislative documents and enhanced cross-posting and comparison tools for legislative texts.
- 18- Steps to improve the electronic document repository for committees and staff access.
- 19Hearings, deposits, and enforcement authority
- 20- Remote appearances for witnesses allowed in committees (excluding executive branch representatives) with appropriate protections.
- 21- Depositions and subpoenas can be ordered by committee chairs (with rules to govern hearings and attendance).
- 22Budget, spending, and economic analysis
- 23- New rules around spending reduction amendments, including en bloc amendments to transfer funds to a “spending reduction account” and constraints on other spending amendments.
- 24- Long-term spending points of order and CBO analysis on proposed legislation, with thresholds for when spending increases or changes are considered.
- 25- Provisions related to inflationary impact reporting for certain legislation and for major trust funds (Medicare and Social Security/OASDI).
- 26Expedited floor actions and limited debate on certain bills
- 27- A set of specified bills (14 items listed) may be considered under special expedited procedures with limited debate, waiving some typical points of order.
- 28Contested elections and continuing litigation
- 29- Additional funds for resolving contested elections and explicit, time-limited regulatory and procedural provisions for related activities.
- 30- Continuing litigation authority for specified subpoenas or civil enforcement actions by the Judiciary Committee.