Title: VOTE Resolution
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Vote Overtime Tarnishes Everyone Resolution or the VOTE Resolution
This resolution amends the House rules to cap the time permitted for a record vote or quorum call at twice the time directed by the Speaker of the House for that record vote or quorum call.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 819 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 819

   Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish a 
        maximum time for certain record votes and quorum calls.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2021

   Ms. Tenney (for herself, Mr. Perry, and Mr. Guest) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish a 
        maximum time for certain record votes and quorum calls.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Vote Overtime Tarnishes 
Everyone Resolution'' or the ``VOTE Resolution''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The House of Representatives finds the following:
            (1) On November 5, 2021, at 8:12 a.m., a 15-minute vote on 
        a motion to adjourn was called that Speaker of the House of 
        Representatives Nancy Pelosi kept open for 7 hours and 6 
        minutes, the longest in the modern history of the House of 
        Representatives.
            (2) On November 5, 2021, at 3:43 p.m., a 15-minute vote on 
        a question of consideration of the resolution was called that 
        Speaker Nancy Pelosi kept open for 4 hours and 35 minutes.
            (3) While flexibility is important, the practice of keeping 
        the House of Representatives tied up in a single vote 
        indefinitely is unnecessary and prevents Members of the House 
        from effectively meeting their multiple daily obligations to 
        serve their constituents.
            (4) For the House of Representatives to function well, the 
        vote schedule and length of votes must be clearly and 
        accurately communicated to all Members of the House to the 
        furthest extent possible.
            (5) The ability to keep a vote open indefinitely is an 
        enormous power grab by the Speaker, allowing the Speaker to 
        halt all work on the House floor for as long as the Speaker 
        wishes. It takes further power away from the Members of the 
        House and centralizes it with House leadership.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO TIME FOR CERTAIN RECORD VOTES AND 
              QUORUM CALLS.

    Rule XX of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended--
            (1) in clause 2(a), by striking ``the minimum time for a 
        record vote or quorum call by electronic device shall be 15 
        minutes'' and inserting ``the time permitted for a record vote 
        or quorum call by electronic device shall be not less than 15 
        minutes and not more than the number of minutes equal to two 
        times the number of minutes directed by the Speaker for such 
        record vote or quorum call'';
            (2) in clause 3, by adding at the end the following: ``The 
        time permitted for a record vote or quorum call by call of the 
        roll shall be not more than the number of minutes equal to two 
        times the number of minutes directed by the Speaker for such 
        record vote or quorum call.''; and
            (3) in clause 4(a), by striking ``The minimum time for a 
        record vote or quorum call by tellers shall be 15 minutes'' and 
        inserting ``The time permitted for a record vote or quorum call 
        by tellers shall be not less than 15 minutes and not more than 
        the number of minutes equal to two times the number of minutes 
        directed by the Speaker for such record vote or quorum call''.
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