This resolution expedites the House consideration and final vote on H.R. 7007, allowing for an automatic adoption of a minority substitute amendment and waiving certain procedural objections.
Jamie Raskin
Representative
MD-8
This resolution immediately brings H.R. 7007, a bill intended to govern on behalf of the American people, to the House floor for consideration. It streamlines the process by waiving procedural objections and automatically adopting a specific substitute amendment offered by the minority party. Following a brief, equally divided debate, the House will proceed directly to a final vote on the amended bill.
House Sets Fast-Track Rules for H.R. 7007: One Hour of Debate and Automatic Amendments Triggered
This resolution acts as the rulebook for how the House of Representatives will handle H.R. 7007. Instead of the usual long-winded procedural hurdles, this measure clears the deck by waiving all "points of order"—basically legislative objections—that could stall the bill. It mandates that the House move immediately to consideration, ensuring that the bill doesn't sit in a pile of paperwork but gets straight to the floor for a decision.
The Fast Pass to a Vote
To keep things moving, the resolution limits debate to exactly one hour, split evenly between the leaders of the Judiciary Committee. Think of it as a timed presentation where every minute counts; there’s no room for the usual back-and-forth that can drag on for days. It also bypasses the standard reading of the bill, treating it as already read to save time. For a busy person watching from home, this means the window for public discussion on the House floor is narrow, and the path to a final vote is essentially a straight line.
The Automatic Upgrade Feature
One of the most interesting parts of this resolution is the "automatic adoption" of a specific amendment. If the ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee submits a full replacement of the bill (an amendment in the nature of a substitute) at least one day in advance, that version is automatically folded into the bill before the final vote even happens. This is a bit like a software update that installs itself before you even open the app. It ensures that a specific alternative version gets its day in court without needing a separate, messy voting process for every individual change.
Clearing the Path to the Senate
Once the one-hour clock runs out and the House holds its final vote, the resolution doesn't leave any room for delay. It specifically waives two procedural rules (Clause 1(c) of Rule XIX and Clause 8 of Rule XX) that might otherwise pause the proceedings. Finally, it puts the House Clerk on a strict three-day deadline to notify the Senate that the bill has passed. For anyone tracking this legislation, this means once the gears start turning, the bill could land on the Senate’s desk in less than a business week.