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This bill changes the House rules to stop members from voting to take an August recess if the chamber has not finished approving all of the regular annual spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year. In plain terms, if by July 31 the House has not passed every one of the standard appropriations bills that fund government programs starting October 1, the House may not consider a concurrent resolution that would send members home during any day in August. The change is limited to a rule about when the House can adjourn for August and does not alter the content of the spending bills themselves. The stated goal is to keep the House working on yearly spending measures instead of breaking for August before those bills are completed.
- When it applies: If by July 31 the House has not passed every regular appropriation bill for the fiscal year that begins October 1, the House may not consider a resolution to adjourn for any day in August until those bills are passed.
- What counts as a regular appropriation bill: Each annual spending bill that is handled by a single subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.
- How it works: The rule adds a new clause to Rule XXI of the House Rules, creating a procedural bar on recess resolutions for August under the stated condition.
- Main effect: It pressures the House to finish or continue work on annual spending bills before an August break, potentially reducing the use of late temporary funding measures or delaying the recess.
Official Summaries
Stay on Schedule (S.O.S.) Resolution
This resolution prevents the House of Representatives from adjourning in August until it has passed regular appropriations legislation for the fiscal year beginning in October.
The resolution specifies that it is out of order for the House to consider a concurrent resolution for its adjournment during any day in August until the House has passed all of the regular appropriations bills.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 12 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 12
Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit the
consideration of a concurrent resolution to provide for a recess of the
House after July 31 of any year unless the House has approved each
regular appropriation bill for the next fiscal year.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2025
Mr. Wittman submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Rules
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit the
consideration of a concurrent resolution to provide for a recess of the
House after July 31 of any year unless the House has approved each
regular appropriation bill for the next fiscal year.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the ``Stay on Schedule (S.O.S.)
Resolution''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITING RECESS DURING AUGUST UNTIL APPROVAL OF ALL REGULAR
APPROPRIATION BILLS.
Rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by
adding at the end the following new clause:
``Concurrent resolution providing for adjournment during August
``13. If by July 31 of any calendar year the House has not passed
each of the regular appropriation bills for the fiscal year which
begins on October 1 of that calendar year, it shall not be in order to
consider a concurrent resolution to provide that the House stand
adjourned during any day occurring during August of that calendar year
until the House has passed each such bill. For purposes of this clause,
term `regular appropriation bill' means any annual appropriation bill
which is under the jurisdiction of a single subcommittee of the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives (as may be
provided under the Rules for the fiscal year involved).''.
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