Providing for the consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 997) enabling the House of Representatives to be responsive to its membership.

Bill Number

H.Res. 999

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 2

Policy Area

Congress

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-01-14: Referred to the House Committee on Rules.

Last Updated

2026-04-03T22:15:42Z

AI-Generated Summary

Summary of H. Res. 999

Purpose

This resolution sets procedures for the House of Representatives to consider another measure, H. Res. 997, which aims to make the House more responsive to its members. It allows immediate debate on H. Res. 997 under special rules.

Key Provisions

• Immediate consideration: Upon adoption of H. Res. 999, the House moves directly to debate H. Res. 997 without points of order or other interruptions.
• Amendment process: An amendment in the nature of a substitute (a full replacement version) submitted by the ranking minority member of the Rules Committee and printed in the Congressional Record at least one day in advance is treated as adopted. If multiple such amendments are submitted, only the most recent one applies.
• Reading and debate rules: The amended version of H. Res. 997 is considered as already read. Debate is limited to one hour, split equally between the majority leader and minority leader or their designees.
• Previous question: This is automatically ordered on the final vote, preventing further motions or demands for separate votes on parts of the measure.
• Rule waivers: Certain standard House rules (clause 1(c) of rule XIX and clause 8 of rule XX) do not apply during consideration of H. Res. 997.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This measure introduces temporary procedural adjustments for handling H. Res. 997. It bypasses normal points of order and allows a specific minority-submitted substitute amendment to be adopted automatically, altering the typical amendment and debate process under House rules.

Potential Impacts

• On government agencies: Limited direct effects, as this focuses on internal House procedures rather than agencies.
• On citizens: Indirect, through changes in how House members can influence legislative priorities.
• On international relations: No apparent effects based on the text.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Members of the House of Representatives, particularly those involved in the Rules Committee.
• House leadership, including the majority and minority leaders.
• The broader House membership, as the underlying resolution (H. Res. 997) relates to responsiveness to members.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

This is a procedural resolution under the House's authority to set its own rules, consistent with Article I of the Constitution. It streamlines debate on internal House operations, potentially affecting how minority views are incorporated into resolutions about House responsiveness. No constitutional conflicts are evident in the text.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]

Recent Actions

• 2026-01-14: Referred to the House Committee on Rules.
• 2026-01-14: Submitted in House
• 2026-01-14: Submitted in House

Bill Versions

• Providing for the consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 997) enabling the House of Representatives to be responsive to its membership. — issued 2026-01-14 — PDF (2 pages)