All Roll Calls
Yes: 640 • No: 633
HRES5119th CongressWALLET
Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, and for other purposes.
Sponsored By: Representative Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7]
Passed House
Summary
How the House runs its business is reset for the 119th Congress with new limits on floor maneuvers, tighter rules for committees, and changed rules for House offices and staff. These changes aim to tighten leadership control, expand digital transparency, and shift staff and workplace rules.
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- Makes procedural changes for Members and the floor. It requires any privileged motion to vacate the Speaker be offered by a majority-party sponsor joined at offering by eight majority cosponsors, limits motions to suspend the rules to Mondays through Wednesdays, and bans waivers of the germaneness rule. It also creates a long-term budgetary point of order tied to CBO analysis when net direct spending would rise by more than $2.5 billion in any of four 10-year windows.
- Changes committee operations and transparency. Committees may use electronic voting and allow remote appearances by non-executive witnesses and their counsel, while House officers must expand machine-readable legislative documents, improve the Committee Electronic Document Repository, and build AI integration with specified guardrails.
- Alters House offices and employee rules. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is removed, certain collective bargaining rights are curtailed, and offices must adopt anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies with rules requiring Members to personally reimburse some discrimination settlements. The resolution also formalizes rules for Congressional Member Organizations to employ shared staff using portions of Members' Representational Allowance and reauthorizes several select commissions and partnerships.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
8 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 2 costs, 3 mixed.
New long-term budget guardrails and analysis
The House bars consideration of a bill that CBO estimates raises direct spending by more than $2.5 billion in any of four consecutive 10-year periods starting 10 years from now. The Budget Committee chair’s estimates are used to enforce this rule. If a bill changes Medicare’s Hospital Insurance or Social Security’s OASDI trust funds, or large mandatory spending, by at least 0.25% of projected GDP in any year, CBO must add longer solvency projections and net present value. CBO also must include a short statement on expected inflation effects.
Tougher cutting tools in appropriations
During this Congress, the Holman Rule can be used after a bill is read to cut money, reduce the number and salary of federal officers, or reduce compensation paid from the Treasury. The House lets group amendments move funds into a spending reduction account placed at the end of a general appropriations bill; the account shows the difference from the allocation or $0 if none. For House scoring this Congress, federal land conveyances to states, local governments, or tribes are treated as having no new budget authority, no revenue loss, and no increase in mandatory spending or outlays.
Shared-staff program for House offices
A Member and an eligible Congressional Member Organization (CMO) can agree to assign a staffer to the CMO for official work. The Member moves that staffer’s salary and related funds to a dedicated CMO account under CHA rules. Assigned staff count as shared employees for personnel limits. CMOs can use the funds for normal MRA purposes, but not for franked mail, official travel, or leases of space or vehicles. Student loan repayment funds for assigned staff move to the CMO account and follow the same terms as if the Member’s office were the employer.
Stronger House workplace protections and accountability
Each House office must have an anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policy. The Committee on House Administration issues implementing rules by April 1, 2025. Any House NDA must state employees can contact the Ethics Committee, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, or other offices named by CHA without asking permission; any requirement to give notice is not binding. Settlements of certain personal misconduct claims by a Member are only approved if the Member repays the Treasury when not otherwise required by law.
War Powers discharge motions protected
A motion to discharge a War Powers Resolution measure cannot be tabled during this Congress. This protects the House’s ability to debate and vote on these measures.
Funds to review contested House elections
The House pays whatever is needed from its accounts for Committee on House Administration costs to resolve contested elections. Funds cover expenses from noon Jan 3, 2025, until just before noon Jan 3, 2026. Payments require Committee-approved vouchers signed by the chair and follow Committee regulations.
No gym access for lobbyists
The House denies access to Members-only exercise facilities to any former Member, former officer, or spouse who is a registered lobbyist or an agent of a foreign principal. The Committee on House Administration will issue rules to carry this out.
Stronger House subpoena and deposition powers
Committee chairs (except Rules) and the Intelligence chair may order depositions, including by subpoena, after consulting the ranking member. Depositions follow Rules Committee regulations. A witness may bring two personal, nongovernment attorneys; only members, designated staff, the reporter, the witness, and the two attorneys may attend. The Judiciary chair may issue specific subpoenas to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DOJ employees Mark Daly and Jack Morgan about Special Counsel audio and Hunter Biden matters until the Committee adopts rules. The chair and the House Office of General Counsel may continue related civil enforcement actions authorized in the prior Congress.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7]
MN • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
house vote • 1/3/2025
On Agreeing to the Resolution
Yes: 215 • No: 209
house vote • 1/3/2025
On Motion to Commit with Instructions
Yes: 209 • No: 214
house vote • 1/3/2025
On Ordering the Previous Question
Yes: 216 • No: 210