[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 686 Introduced in House (IH)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 686

       Amending the Rules of the House to restore transparency, 
         accountability, and oversight, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 16, 2006

Ms. Slaughter (for herself, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Hastings of Florida, and 
 Ms. Matsui) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on Standards 
of Official Conduct, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Amending the Rules of the House to restore transparency, 
         accountability, and oversight, and for other purposes.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. CHANGES AFFECTING THE SCOPE RULE FOR CONFERENCE REPORTS.

    Clause 9 of rule XXII of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is amended by inserting ``(a)'' after ``9.'' and by adding at the end 
the following new paragraphs:
    ``(b) A rule or order providing for the consideration of a 
conference report to the House shall contain an itemized list of any 
provisions in such conference report that would be in violation of 
paragraph (a).
    ``(c)(1) It shall not be in order to consider a rule or order that 
provides for the consideration of a conference report to the House in 
violation of paragraph (a).
    ``(2) As disposition of a point of order under paragraph (a), the 
Chair shall put the question of consideration with respect to the 
proposition that is the subject of the point of order. A question of 
consideration under this clause shall be debatable for 10 minutes by 
the Member initiating the point of order and for 10 minutes by an 
opponent of the point of order, but shall otherwise be decided without 
intervening motion except one that the House adjourn or that the 
Committee of the Whole rise, as the case may be.
    ``(3) The disposition of the question of consideration under this 
clause with respect to a bill or joint resolution shall be considered 
also to determine the question of consideration under this clause with 
respect to an amendment made in order as original text.
    ``(d) A motion proposing only to strike a provision in a conference 
report in violation of paragraph (a), if otherwise in order, may be 
precluded from consideration only by specific terms of a special order 
of the House.''.

SEC. 2. WAIVER OF 3-DAY LAYOVERS AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORTS.

    Clause 8(a) of rule XXII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
    ``(3)(A) It shall not be in order to consider a rule or order that 
provides for the waiver of subparagraph (1).
    ``(B) As disposition of a point of order under subparagraph (1), 
the Chair shall put the question of consideration with respect to the 
proposition that is the subject of the point of order. A question of 
consideration under this clause shall be debatable for 10 minutes by 
the Member initiating the point of order and for 10 minutes by an 
opponent of the point of order, but shall otherwise be decided without 
intervening motion except one that the House adjourn or that the 
Committee of the Whole rise, as the case may be.
    ``(C) The disposition of the question of consideration under this 
clause with respect to a bill or joint resolution shall be considered 
also to determine the question of consideration under this clause with 
respect to an amendment made in order as original text.''.

SEC. 3. INTEGRITY OF A CONFERENCE.

    Clause 8 of rule XXII of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(f)(1) It shall not be in order to consider a conference report 
if--
            ``(A) it contained a serious violation of clause 9(a);
            ``(B) it contained changes (including additions or 
        deletions) made after the managers had reached a final 
        agreement;
            ``(C) the managers on the part of the House who are 
        minority party members were not allowed to fully participate in 
        the conference; or
            ``(D) there were any other serious violation of the Rules 
        of the House in events surrounding the conference report or any 
        conference committee meetings.
    ``(2) A point of order may only be made pursuant to this paragraph 
by majority leader or minority leader of the House.''.
    ``(3)(A) As disposition of a point of order under subparagraph (1), 
the Chair shall put the question of consideration with respect to the 
proposition that is the subject of the point of order. A question of 
consideration under this clause shall be debatable for 10 minutes by 
the Member initiating the point of order and for 10 minutes by an 
opponent of the point of order, but shall otherwise be decided without 
intervening motion except one that the House adjourn or that the 
Committee of the Whole rise, as the case may be.
    ``(B) The disposition of the question of consideration under this 
clause with respect to a bill or joint resolution shall be considered 
also to determine the question of consideration under this clause with 
respect to an amendment made in order as original text.''.

SEC. 4. ROLL CALL VOTE IN CONFERENCE COMMITTEES

    Clause 8 of rule XXII of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
(as amended by section 3) is further amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph--
    ``(g) Each conference report to the House may only be considered if 
a roll call vote, in an open meeting, was held on the final version of 
the conference report and the result of such vote was included in the 
joint explanatory statement of managers accompanying such conference 
report.''.

SEC. 5. FILING OF REPORTS BY THE COMMITTEE ON RULES.

    Clause 6(a) of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended 
by striking ''on the same day'' and inserting ``within 24 hours of 
when''.

SEC. 6. DISCLOSURE RESPECTING EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME FOR VOTING.

    Clause 2(a) of rule XX of the House of Representatives is amended 
by adding at the end the following new sentences: ``Whenever the 
maximum time exceeds be 30 minutes, the Speaker shall have published in 
the Congressional Record for that legislative day a log of all voting 
activity occurring after the first 30 minutes of the recorded vote. The 
log shall set forth the names of any Members who changed their votes or 
first voted after such 30-minute period.''.

SEC. 7. POST-EMPLOYMENT RESTRICTIONS FOR MEMBERS.

    Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended 
by redesignating clause 14 as clause 15 and by adding after clause 13 
the following new clause:
    ``14. No Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may negotiate 
for future employment with any person who has a direct interest in 
legislation referred to any committee during this or the preceding 
Congress while that Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner serves 
on that committee.''.

SEC. 8. SUSPENSION OF THE RULES.

    Clause 1 of rule XV of the Rules of the House of Representatives is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Any bill or joint resolution that authorizes or appropriates 
more than $100,000,000 may not be considered under suspension.
    ``(e) The Speaker shall endeavor to the maximum extent possible to 
allow an equal number of bills and resolutions sponsored by majority 
party members and minority party members under suspension during any 
session of Congress.''.

SEC. 9. VOTING TO CHANGE THE STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE DEBT.

    The Rules of the House of Representatives are amended by repealing 
rule XXVII.

SEC. 10. PRIVILEGED REPORTS BY THE COMMITTEE ON RULES.

    Clause 6(c) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ``; or'' and by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
            ``(3) a rule or order unless at least one minority party 
        member of the committee is allowed to offer an amendment to the 
        rule or order.''.

SEC. 11. UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENTS.

    Clause 6 of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is amended by inserting at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(h) Following adoption of an order of business, the Speaker may 
not entertain a unanimous consent request that modifies such order of 
business unless the text of such modification has been available to 
Members, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner for at least 24 
hours.''.
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