Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require parity and transparency in the earmark process.

Bill: 109-hres-674
Sponsor: Rep. Lewis, Ron [R-KY-2]
Introduced: 2006-02-14 in the House
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Appropriations
Congressional committees (House)
Congressional conference committees
Congressional districts
Congressional publicity
Congressional reporting requirements
Congressional voting
Economics and Public Finance
Federally-guaranteed loans
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Grants-in-aid
House Appropriations
House rules and procedure
Legislation
Members of Congress

Summary:
action_date: 2006-02-14
text: 
Amends rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the House of Representatives to require any subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, before reporting a general appropriation bill to the full committee, to: (1) report to the House of Representatives the total amount of funds available for funding recommendations and project requests from all Members for such bill; and (2) divide such total amount by the total number of Members, allocate that subdivided amount for funding requests for each congressional district from the Member representing that district, and indicate such amount in the report.
 
 
Provides that if a Member requests less funding for his or her district than the subdivided amount, or fails to request such funding for the applicable fiscal year, then the suballocation made to the pertinent subcommittee under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 shall automatically be reduced by the amount of the shortfall, and shall not be available for reallocation.
 

 
Prohibits a federal agency from obligating any funds made available in an appropriation Act to implement an earmark that is included in a congressional report accompanying the appropriation Act, unless the earmark is also included in such Act.
 

 
Requires the accompanying report for each earmark set forth in any general appropriation bill to disclose the name and district of the Member sponsoring the requesting earmark.
 
Amends rule XXII (House and Senate Relations) to prohibit call up for consideration, over the objection of any Member, of any report by the Committee on Rules that would waive the germaneness requirement for consideration of conference reports, except when so determined by a vote of three-fifths of the Members voting.
 
Amends rule XIII (Calendars and Committee Reports) to prohibit the Committee on Rules from reporting a rule or order proposing a waiver of this prohibition.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-02-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, 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.
action_date: 2006-02-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, 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.
action_date: 2006-02-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, 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.
action_date: 2006-02-14
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-02-14
text: Introduced in House