What is a discharge petition?
The House’s difficult escape hatch around a committee chair.
The short version
A discharge petition lets a House majority try to pull a measure out of committee and force floor consideration. It normally requires 218 signatures.
Why it matters
Signing defies committee and party leadership, so successful petitions are rare. A growing signature count can still create leverage before the threshold is reached.
Current examples
- HRES 1363: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 7007) to govern on behalf of the American people.
- HRES 830: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 999) to protect an individual's ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception and to protect a health care providers ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception.
- HRES 1247: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2102) to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for concurrent receipt of veterans' disability compensation and retired pay for disability retirees with combat-related disabilities, and for other purposes.
- HR 4889: To prohibit States from carrying out more than one Congressional redistricting after a decennial census and apportionment.
- HRES 1055: Providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 7378) to amend the Calder Act to permanently adjust American time, and for other purposes.
- HRES 1140: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5408) to accelerate workplace time-to-contract under the National Labor Relations Act.