Authorizing the Speaker to appoint a committee to notify the President of the assembly of the Congress.
This is a procedural House resolution establishing a small joint notification team to inform the President that both houses of Congress have a quorum and are ready to receive any communication the President may wish to send. Specifically, the Speaker of the House will appoint a two-member committee to join with a Senate committee to deliver this notification. The measure is largely ceremonial and routine, serving to formally announce Congress’s readiness at the start of a session rather than creating new policy or enforceable authority. The text does not authorize new powers, allocate funds, or create substantive requirements beyond the ceremonial act of notifying the President. It reflects a traditional, procedural step in inaugurating a Congress and facilitates formal communication between the legislative and executive branches.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a joint notification process: a two-member House committee, appointed by the Speaker, will join with a Senate committee to notify the President that both Houses have a quorum and are ready to receive communications.
- 2Purpose: to formally inform the President of the assembled Congress and its readiness to receive any communications he may choose to deliver (e.g., messages, addresses).
- 3Procedural/ceremonial nature: Intended to facilitate formal gestures between the legislative and executive branches; no substantive policy changes or new authorities are created.
- 4National scope: Applies to the opening or ongoing session activities of the 119th Congress; part of standard legislative procedure at the start of a Congress.
- 5No funding or policy provisions: The text focuses solely on appointment and notification, not on budgets, programs, or regulatory activity.