This week, the Congressional Research Service updated four
publications that deal with legislative processes in the House. They describe
the process included in the rules of the House and they ways that the
leadership can revise or avoid those processes. The reports include:
• Availability of
Legislative Measures in the House of Representatives (The “72-Hour Rule”),
• Considering
Legislation on the House Floor: Common Practices in Brief,
• Suspension of the
Rules in the House: Principal Features, and
• Resolutions of
Inquiry in the House
Resolutions of Inquiry have not been really common until the
last couple of weeks in the current session. In the last week alone, there have
been fifteen resolutions of inquiry introduced in the House:
• H
Res 1236 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide
certain documents in his possession to the House of Representatives relating to
the Disinformation Governance Board. Rep.
Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5] ,
• H
Res 1237 Of inquiry requesting the President to provide certain documents
to the House of Representatives relating to online censorship of political
speech. Rep. Bishop, Dan [R-NC-9],
• H
Res 1238 Of inquiry requesting the President to provide certain documents
to the House of Representatives relating to the October 4, 2021 memorandum
issued by the Attorney General entitled "Partnership Among Federal, State,
Local, Tribal, and Territorial Law Enforcement to Address Threats Against
School Administrators, Board Members, Teachers, and Staff". Rep.
Fitzgerald, Scott [R-WI-5],
• H
Res 1239 Of inquiry directing the Attorney General to provide certain
documents in his possession to the House of Representatives relating to the October
4, 2021 memorandum issued by the Attorney General entitled "Partnership
Among Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Law Enforcement to Address
Threats Against School Administrators, Board Members, Teachers, and
Staff". Rep. Johnson, Mike [R-LA-4],
• H
Res 1241 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide
certain documents in his possession to the House of Representatives relating to
immigration enforcement and border security. Rep.
McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4],
• H
Res 1243 Of inquiry requesting the President transmit certain documents in
his possession to the House of Representatives relating to the Biden family's
international business schemes and related information. Rep.
Comer, James [R-KY-1] ,
• H
Res 1244 Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to transmit, respectively, certain documents to the
House of Representatives relating to any COVID-19 vaccine. Rep.
Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-4],
• H
Res 1246 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Treasury to provide
certain documents in the Secretary's possession to the House of Representatives
relating to recovery rebates under section 6428B of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986. Rep. Smith, Jason [R-MO-8],
• H
Res 1247 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit certain
documents to the House of Representatives relating to the 2023-2028 five-year
program for offshore oil and gas leasing. Rep.
Graves, Garret [R-LA-6],
• H
Res 1248 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit certain
documents to the House of Representatives relating to the compliance with the
obligations of the Mineral Leasing Act. Rep.
Herrell, Yvette [R-NM-2],
• H
Res 1249 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit
certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the impact of
illegal immigration on federal or tribal lands. Rep.
Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1],
• H
Res 1250 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to
transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the
impact of illegal immigration on Federal or Tribal lands. Rep.
Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1],
• H
Res 1251 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of Agriculture to transmit
certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the mineral
withdrawal within the Superior National Forest. Rep.
Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8],
• H
Res 1252 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit
certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the mineral
withdrawal within the Superior National Forest. Rep.
Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8], and
• H
Res 1253 Of inquiry directing the Secretary of the Interior to transmit
certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the actions of
the Department of the Interior's Departmental Ethics Office. Rep.
Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4]
A quick look at the subjects makes it obvious that these requests
stem from basic disagreements between the more conservative wing of the
Republican Party and the current Biden Administration. It is also clear that
there is little to no chance that any of these resolutions would be expected to
be adopted in Committee or passed on the floor of the House.
It would seem that this is another attempt to delay
operations of the House in the lead up to the end of the fiscal year, both in Committee
and potentially on the floor of the House. This is because resolutions of
inquiry are privileged and require action in Committee within 14 days of
introduction, or it may be called to the floor by person who introduced the resolution.