Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to protect the integrity of the institution.

Bill: 109-hres-659
Sponsor: Rep. Obey, David R. [D-WI-7]
Introduced: 2006-01-31 in the House
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Appropriations
Budget deficits
Budget reconciliation
Budget resolutions
Budget surpluses
Cabinet officers
Capitol (Washington, D.C.)
Charter airlines
Congressional Record
Congressional conference committees
Congressional districts
Congressional employees
Congressional ethics
Congressional joint committees
Congressional officers
Congressional privileges and immunities
Congressional publicity
Congressional sessions
Congressional travel
Congressional voting
Economics and Public Finance
Ex-Members of Congress
Federal budgets
Government Operations and Politics
Government ethics
Government paperwork
Governors
House of Representatives
House rules and procedure
Legislation
Legislative amendments
Legislative resolutions
Lobbying
Members of Congress
Private aviation
Record votes
Tax expenditures
Taxation
Transportation and Public Works
Travel costs
Valuation
Waste in government spending

Summary:
action_date: 2006-01-31
text: 
Amends rule XXV (Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require Members, Delegates, Resident Commissioners, officers, or employees of the House, before accepting payment of travel expenses, to obtain a written certification from the sponsoring organization or person: (1) stating that no registered lobbyist has been invited to participate in the transportation, lodging, or any associated meetings; and (2) disclaiming specified lobbying activities and connections.
 
Amends rule IV (The Hall of the House) to deny floor privileges to any former Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, former Parliamentarian, former elected officer or former minority employee of the House, and to heads of departments and state governors, unless the individual signs a lobbying disclaimer each time he or she is admitted to such location.
 

 
Amends rule XVIII (The Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union) to make it out of order to consider any reconciliation legislation which has the net effect of reducing the surplus or increasing the deficit compared to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate for any fiscal year.
 

 
Amends rule XX (Voting and Quorum Calls) to limit recorded electronic votes to 20 minutes, except that the time may be extended with the consent of both the majority and minority floor managers of the legislation involved or both the majority and minority leaders.
 
Amends rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner from conditioning the inclusion of language to provide funding for a district-oriented earmark, a particular project which will be carried out in a Member's congressional district, or a limited tax benefit in any bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report) or in any conference report on such measure (or accompanying joint statement of managers) on any vote such individual casts.
 
Requires a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner to disclose in writing to the chairman and ranking member of the relevant committee certain information about any district-oriented earmark such individual advocates in any measure or accompanying report or managers' joint statement.
 
Requires each committee to make such information available to the general public for any earmark included in any reported measure.
 
Requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to review any revenue measure, reconciliation bill, or joint resolution for limited tax benefits, and identify them and their beneficiaries, including their sponsors.
 

 
Amends rule XV (Business in Order on Special Days) to make it out of order to consider a resolution providing for adjournment sine die unless, during at least 20 weeks of the session, a quorum call or recorded vote was taken on at least four of the weekdays (excluding legal public holidays).
 
Amends rule XIII (Calendars and Committee Reports) to make it out of order, with certain exceptions, for the House to consider a bill or joint resolution until 24 hours, or in the case of legislation containing a district-oriented earmark or limited tax benefit, until three days after copies of such measure (and any accompanying report) are available (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays when the House is not in session).
 

 

 
Makes a motion to request or agree to a conference on a general appropriation bill in order only if the Senate expresses its disagreements with the House in the form of numbered amendments.
 
Requires all provisions on which the two chambers disagree to be open to discussion at any meeting of a conference committee.
 

 
Amends rule XXV (Limitation on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) to exempt from the restrictions on gifts to Members of Congress or Senators, officers, or employees of the House the market value for a flight taken in connection with official duties (charter flight fair market value) on an airplane not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate for compensation or hire. Requires the individual to publish certain flight related information in the Congressional Record within 10 days of such a flight.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-01-31
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: 2006-01-31
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: 2006-01-31
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: 2006-01-31
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-01-31
text: Introduced in House