[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 802 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 802
Requiring the House of Representatives to convene and hold recorded
quorum calls during a Government shutdown, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 10, 2025
Mr. Moskowitz (for himself, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, Mr. Whitesides, Mr.
Horsford, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mrs. McClain Delaney, Mr. Frost, Ms.
McBride, Ms. Friedman, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Min, Ms.
Tokuda, and Mr. Landsman) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on
House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
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RESOLUTION
Requiring the House of Representatives to convene and hold recorded
quorum calls during a Government shutdown, and for other purposes.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. REQUIRING HOUSE TO CONVENE DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
(a) In General.--Except as provided under subsection (b), on each
day on which a Government shutdown is in effect, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives shall convene a meeting of the House.
(b) Restrictions on Recess or Adjournment.--During a meeting of the
House on a day on which a Government shutdown is in effect, it shall
not be in order for the House to consider a motion to adjourn or for
the Speaker to declare a recess unless--
(1) the House met for each of the first 5 consecutive
calendar days on which the Government shutdown is in effect;
(2) the proposed period of adjournment or recess does not
last for more than 2 consecutive calendar days; and
(3) the House has met for at least 5 consecutive calendar
days since the expiration of the most recent period of
adjournment or recess under this subsection.
SEC. 2. MANDATORY RECORDED QUORUM CALLS.
(a) Requirement.--On each day on which the House is in session
while a Government shutdown is in effect, there shall be one or more
recorded quorum calls under which each Member of the House shall record
the Member's presence by electronic device.
(b) Imposition of Fines for Failure To Record Presence.--
(1) Imposition by sergeant-at-arms.--(A) The Sergeant-at-
Arms is authorized and directed to impose a fine against a
Member for failure to record the presence of the Member on a
quorum call under subsection (a) on 2 or more consecutive days,
except that the Sergeant-at-Arms may not impose a fine against
a Member who notifies the Speaker that the reason for the
failure is the illness of the Member or the illness of a member
of the Member's family.
(B) A fine imposed pursuant to this resolution shall be
$500 for a first offense and $2,500 for any subsequent offense.
(C) The Sergeant-at-Arms shall promptly notify in writing
the Member, the Speaker, the Minority Leader, the Committee on
Ethics, and the Chief Administrative Officer of any fine under
this subsection. Such notification shall include findings
detailing the violation and shall also be made publicly
available by the chair of the Committee on Ethics.
(2) Appeal to committee on ethics.--(A) The Member may
appeal the fine imposed under subsection (a) in writing to the
Committee on Ethics not later than 30 calendar days or five
legislative days, whichever is later, after notification
pursuant to paragraph (1)(C). Such appeal shall include a
response to the findings issued by the Sergeant-at-Arms
pursuant to such paragraph.
(B) Upon receipt of an appeal pursuant to subparagraph (A),
the Committee on Ethics shall have a period of 30 calendar days
or five legislative days, whichever is later, to consider the
appeal. The fine will be upheld unless the appeal is agreed to
by a majority of the Committee. Upon a determination regarding
the appeal or if no appeal has been filed at the expiration of
the period specified in subparagraph (A), the chair of the
Committee on Ethics shall promptly notify the Member, the
Speaker, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chief Administrative
Officer, and shall make such notification publicly available.
The Speaker shall promptly lay such notification before the
House.
(C) If a Member files an appeal under subparagraph (A)
prior to the date on which the Committee on Ethics has adopted
written rules, the period for the Committee's consideration of
the appeal under subparagraph (B) shall begin on the date on
which the chair of the Committee notifies the Member that the
Committee has adopted such rules.
(3) Deducting fine from pay.--(A) If a Member against whom
a fine is imposed by the Sergeant-at-Arms under paragraph (1)
has not paid the fine prior to the expiration of the 90-
calendar day period which begins on the date described in
subparagraph (B), the Chief Administrative Officer shall deduct
the amount of the fine from the net salary otherwise due the
Member, in accordance with timetables and procedures
established by the Committee on House Administration for
purposes of carrying out this subsection.
(B) The date described in this subparagraph is, with
respect to a fine imposed on a Member--
(i) the date of the determination of the Committee
on Ethics under paragraph (2)(B); or
(ii) if the Member does not file an appeal with the
Committee on Ethics prior to the expiration of the
period specified in paragraph (2)(B), the first day
after the expiration of such period.
(4) Prohibiting use of campaign or official funds to pay
fines.--A Member may not use campaign funds or official funds,
including amounts in the Members' Representational Allowance,
to pay a fine imposed under this section.
(5) Policies and procedures.--The Sergeant-at-Arms,
Committee on Ethics, Committee on House Administration, and
Chief Administrative Officer are authorized to establish
policies and procedures for the implementation of this section.
SEC. 3. NO EFFECT ON OTHER BUSINESS.
Nothing in this resolution may be construed to prohibit or
otherwise affect the authority of the House of Representatives to
conduct any business on a day on which a Government shutdown is in
effect which is consistent with the Rules of the House.
SEC. 4. PERIOD OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
For purposes of this resolution, a Government shutdown shall be
considered to be in effect if there is a lapse in appropriations for
any Federal agency or department as a result of a failure to enact a
regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution.
SEC. 5. APPLICATION TO DELEGATES AND RESIDENT COMMISSIONER.
In this resolution, the term ``Member of the House of
Representatives'' includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the
Congress.
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