[Deschler's Precedents, Volume 5, Chapters 18 - 20]
[Chapter 18. Discharging Matters From Committees]
[Appendix - Recent History of Discharge Motions]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[Page 3241-3242]
 
                               CHAPTER 18
 
                  Discharging Matters From Committees
 
                                APPENDIX


                                       Recent History of Discharge Motions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                       Motions
                                                                                         Number of    signed by
                                       Congress                                           motions     requisite
                                                                                           filed      number of
                                                                                                       Members
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
73d (1933 to 1934)....................................................................           31            6
74th (1935 to 1936)...................................................................           33            3
75th (1937 to 1938)...................................................................           43            4
76th (1939 to 1940)...................................................................           37            2
77th (1941 to 1942)...................................................................           15            1
78th (1943 to 1944)...................................................................           21            3
79th (1945 to 1946)...................................................................           35            3
80th (1947 to 1948)...................................................................           20            1
81st (1949 to 1950)...................................................................           34            3
82d (1951 to 1952)....................................................................           14            0
83d (1953 to 1954)....................................................................           10            1
84th (1955 to 1956)...................................................................            6            1
85th (1957 to 1958)...................................................................            7            1
86th (1959 to 1960)...................................................................            7            1
87th (1961 to 1962) ..................................................................            6            0
88th (1963 to 1964)...................................................................            5            0
89th (1965 to 1966)...................................................................            6            1
90th (1967 to 1968)...................................................................            4            0
91st (1969 to 1970)...................................................................           12            1
92d (1971 to 1972)....................................................................           15            1
93d (1973 to 1974)....................................................................           10            0
94th (1975 to 1976)...................................................................           15            0
95th (1977 to 1978)...................................................................           11            0
96th (1979 to 1980)...................................................................           14            2
                                                                                       -------------------------
    Total.............................................................................          411           35
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 3242]]

From the beginning of the 73d Congress through the end of the 96th (a 
period of 47 years), 411 motions to discharge committees have been filed. 
In that time, two bills have become law through the use of the complete 
discharge process: S. 2475, Public Law No. 75-718 (Labor Standards, Wages 
and House); and H.R. 9883, Public Law No. 86-586 (Federal Employees Pay 
Bill). The latter bill, which was vetoed, became law when Congress overrode 
the veto on July 1, 1960. The following is a further numerical analysis of 
the outcome of proceedings related to the 411 motions to discharge 
committees referred to above:

35 motions received a sufficient number of signatures for 
discharge.(1)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     1. The number of signatures required has normally been 218, except 
        that 219 were required in the 86th and 87th Congresses, and 145 
        were required in the 73d Congress.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

18 motions that were fully signed were agreed to.

1 motion failed when called up.

2 bills were defeated on passage in the House.

1 bill was recommitted after adoption of the motion to discharge and the 
resolution providing for consideration of the bill.

3 bills passed the House but were not reported in the Senate.

8 bills passed to the stage of being reported in the Senate.

1 simple resolution was agreed to after discharge of the committee.

3 bills (all of which became law) and one resolution were reported after 
discharge petitions were fully signed, but the motions to discharge in 
these instances were not called up.

1 bill was reported after the discharge motion was filed but before the 
motion was eligible to be called up; the bill passed the House under 
suspension of the rules, but the proceedings were subsequently vacated and 
a Senate bill passed in lieu of the House bill.

2 bills, as noted above, became law through use of the complete discharge 
procedure.

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