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

Bill: 109-hres-686
Sponsor: Rep. Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [D-NY-28]
Introduced: 2006-02-16 in the House
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Appropriations
Authorization
Conflict of interests
Congressional Record
Congressional committee membership
Congressional committees (House)
Congressional conference committees
Congressional ethics
Congressional reporting requirements
Congressional voting
Debt limit
Economics and Public Finance
Government Operations and Politics
House Rules
House of Representatives
House rules and procedure
Job hunting
Labor and Employment
Legislation
Legislative amendments
Legislative resolutions
Lobbying
Members of Congress
Political parties
Record votes

Summary:
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: 
Amends rule XXII (House and Senate Relations) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a rule or order for the consideration of a conference report to contain an itemized list of any provisions in violation of the scope rule.
 
Makes it out of order to consider a rule or order: (1) waiving the three-day layover availability requirement before consideration of a conference report; or (2) containing a serious violation of the scope rule, or additions or deletions made after final agreement. Requires that minority party managers of the House be allowed to fully participate in a conference.
 
Permits consideration of a conference report only if a roll call vote, in open meeting, was held on its final version and the result included in the accompanying joint explanatory statement of managers.
 
Amends rule XIII (Privileged Reports by the Committee on Rules) to prohibit call up of a report by the Committee on Rules within 24 hours of presentation to the House (currently, on the same day).
 
Amends rule XX (Voting and Quorum Calls) to require the Speaker of the House to publish in the Congressional Record a log of all voting activity occurring after the first 30 minutes of any recorded vote whose maximum time for voting exceeds 30 minutes.
 
Amends rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit a Member from negotiating 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 serves on that committee.
 
Amends rule XV (Business in Order on Special Days) to prohibit consideration under suspension of any bill or joint resolution authorizing or appropriating more than $100 million.
 
Requires the Speaker of the House to endeavor to allow an equal number of bills and resolutions sponsored by majority and minority party members under suspension during any session of Congress.
 
Repeals rule XXVII (Statutory Limit on Public Debt).
 
Amends Rule XIII to prohibit the Committee on Rules from reporting a rule or order unless at least one minority party member of the committee is allowed to offer an amendment to it.
 
Provides that, following adoption of an order of business, the Speaker of the House may not entertain a unanimous consent request to modify such order unless its text has been available to Members for at least 24 hours.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: 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.
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: 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.
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: 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.
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: Introduced in House