Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HR5

Caption

Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, and for other purposes.

Impact

The introduction of specific amendments related to appropriations also seeks to limit increases in direct spending and mandates strict accountability for budgetary decisions. This could lead to heightened scrutiny of proposed spending measures, which may have far-reaching implications on funding for various government programs and initiatives. In discussions surrounding this resolution, there were notable points of contention on issues like oversight responsibilities for authorized expenditures and the ethical obligations of members. These discussions highlight the balancing act between government efficiency and the need for legislative oversight.

Summary

House Resolution 5 (HR5) establishes the rules and procedures governing the operation of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress. The resolution lays down a framework that details how bills and resolutions can be introduced, debated, and voted upon, promoting a structured legislative process. One significant aspect of this resolution is its stipulation that federal income tax rate increases cannot pass unless approved by a three-fifths majority, thereby tightening legislative controls on taxation. This rule aims to ensure that any attempt to raise taxes requires significant consensus among legislators, reflecting broader fiscal conservatism.

Contention

One point of contention is the establishment of a Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, whose composition and investigative authority have sparked debates regarding governmental accountability and the management of COVID-19 response measures. Critics of this subcommittee express concerns over partisanship and its potential impact on unbiased investigations. Additionally, the resolution introduces new frameworks for reporting and investigating ethics within the House, signaling an ambition to increase transparency and accountability in legislative conduct. However, critics question whether these measures will be sufficient to counteract ingrained issues associated with congressional ethics and representational integrity.

Companion Bills

US HB26

Related Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Specifically, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. Additionally, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with the degree-of-care requirements must immediately report such failure to law enforcement. A health care practitioner who fails to provide the required degree of care, or a health care practitioner or other employee who fails to report such failure, is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive under this bill and allows her to bring a civil action against a health care practitioner or other employee for violations.

US HB22

Related Protecting America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act This bill prohibits the sale and export of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to China. Specifically, the bill prohibits the Department of Energy (DOE) from selling petroleum products (e.g., crude oil) from the SPR to any entity that is under the ownership, control, or influence of the Chinese Communist Party. Further, DOE must require as a condition of any sale of crude oil from the SPR that the oil not be exported to China.

US HR12

Related Establishing a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government as a select investigative subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary.

US HB21

Related Strategic Production Response Act This bill limits the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Department of Energy develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.

US HR11

Related Establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

US HB23

Related Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act This bill rescinds certain unobligated amounts made available to the Internal Revenue Service by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for its enforcement activities and for funding certain Department of the Treasury tax agencies.

US HCR3

Related Expressing the sense of Congress condemning the recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches.

US HR1486

Related Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3334) to provide for the imposition of sanctions on members of the National Communist Party Congress of the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8205) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that Byrne grant funds may be used for public safety report systems, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8790) to expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 1469) ensuring accountability for key officials in the Biden-Harris administration responsible for decisionmaking and execution failures throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan; and for other purposes.

Similar Bills

US HR5

This resolution establishes rules for the House of Representatives for the 119th Congress.The resolution adopts the rules from the 118th Congress with specified changes, includingproviding that a resolution vacating the Office of Speaker is only privileged (takes precedence over all matters other than motions to adjourn) if it is offered by a sponsor of the majority party joined by eight cosponsors from the majority party; providing that the Speaker may only entertain a motion to suspend the rules on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays; prohibiting waiver (by rule or by order) of the germaneness rule (which requires amendments to be of the same subject matter as the measure under consideration); and prohibiting consideration of measures that exceed a specified long-term budget impact according to the Congressional Budget Office.Additional changes includeauthorizing the use of electronic voting within a committee;authorizing remote appearances by non-executive branch witnesses and their counsel in committee proceedings; eliminating the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion; eliminating certain collective bargaining rights for employees of the House of Representatives; reauthorizing the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party; reauthorizing the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission; and reauthorizing the House Democracy Assistance Commission (an entity that advises democratic parliaments in other countries) and renaming it the House Democracy Partnership. The resolution provides for the consideration of H.R. 21, H.R. 22, H.R. 23, H.R. 26, H.R. 27, H.R. 28, H.R. 29, H.R. 30, H.R. 31, H.R. 32, H.R. 33, and H.R. 35.

US HB5301

Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2024

US HR12

Establishing a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government as a select investigative subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary.

US HB111

Budget Process Enhancement Act This bill modifies the federal budget process to withhold the salaries of Members of Congress and cancel the salaries of certain employees of the Office of Management and Budget when certain budget process requirements are not met. The bill also changes the assumptions that the Congressional Budget Office uses to calculate its baseline for discretionary spending to eliminate certain adjustments for inflation and other factors. (A baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during a fiscal year under current law.)

US HB507

HUMBLE Act Halt Unchecked Member Benefits with Lobbying Elimination Act

US HB13

Budget Process Enhancement Act This bill modifies the federal budget process to withhold the salaries of Members of Congress and cancel the salaries of certain employees of the Office of Management and Budget when certain budget process requirements are not met. The bill also changes the assumptions that the Congressional Budget Office uses to calculate its baseline for discretionary spending to eliminate certain adjustments for inflation and other factors. (A baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during a fiscal year under current law.)

US HB7888

Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act

US HB6513

Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2024 COCOA Act of 2024