Conference Rules of the 118th Congress

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CONFERENCE RESOLUTION

Resolved, that the following shall be the rules of the House Republican Conference for the 118th Congress:

Rule 1—Conference Membership

(a) Inclusion.—All Republican Members of the House of Representatives (including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner) and other Members of the House as determined by the Republican Conference of the House of Representatives (“the Conference”) shall be Members of the Conference.

(b) Expulsion.—A ⅔ vote of the entire membership shall be necessary to expel a Member of the Conference. Proceedings for expulsion shall follow the rules of the House of Representatives, as nearly as practicable.

Rule 2—Republican Leadership

(a) Elected Leadership.—The Elected Republican Leaders of the House of Representatives are—

(1) the Speaker;

(2) the Republican Leader;

(3) the Republican Whip;

(4) the Chair of the Republican Conference;

(5) the Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee;

(6) the Chair of the Committee on Policy;

(7) the Vice-Chair of the Republican Conference; and,

(8) the Secretary of the Republican Conference.

(b) Designated Leadership.—The designated Republican Leaders of the House of Representatives are—

(1) the Chair of the House Committee on Rules;

(2) the Chief Deputy Whip;

(3) one member of the sophomore class elected by the sophomore class;

(4) one member of the freshman class elected by the freshman class; and

(5) the Chair of the Elected Leadership Committee, if appointed by the Speaker.

(1) The Speaker, Republican Leader, Whip, and the Chairs of the Republican Conference and the National Republican Congressional Committee shall not serve on more than one standing committee or subcommittee of the House of Representatives and in no case shall any of these individuals serve as chair of a standing committee of the House of Representatives. Upon the recommendation of the Steering Committee and the approval of the Conference this provision may be waived.

(2) If a Member shall, at any time, cease to serve in any of the Leadership positions named above, he or she may resume his or her position on the standing committee on which he or she previously served.

(3) If a member of Elected Republican Leadership as described in rule 2(a) publicly announces his or her intention to seek other elected office in Federal, state, or local government, that Member shall resign from such leadership position. That position shall be filled pursuant to rule 2(e) of the Conference rules.

(d) Authority and Responsibilities in the Minority.—

(1) The Speaker and Republican Leader.—During any time that the Republican Party is not the majority party of the House of Representatives, the office of Speaker shall be considered as vacant, and any reference to, or authority vested in, the Speaker under these rules shall be considered references to and authority vested in the Republican Leader.

(2) Committee Chairs and Ranking Republican Members.—During any time that the Republican Party is not the majority party of the House of Representatives, any reference to, responsibility of, or authority vested in, the chair of a committee of the House in these rules shall be considered a reference to, responsibility of, or authority vested in the Ranking Republican Member of such committee.

(e) Vacancies in Elected Leadership.—In the event of a vacancy in an office described in paragraph (a) (other than a vacancy addressed by rule 26), that vacancy shall be filled in the manner described in rules 3 and 4 as though as a continuation of the organizational meeting under rule 3(a).

Rule 3—Organizing Conference

(a) Organizing Conference.—The organizational meeting of the Conference shall be called by the Speaker, except as otherwise provided by law. The meeting shall be held not later than the 20th day of December.

(b) Order of Elections.—At the organizational meeting of the Republican Conference, the Conference shall nominate and elect the Elected Leadership for that Congress in the following order—

(1) the Speaker;

(2) the Republican Leader;

(3) the Republican Whip;

(4) the Chair of the Republican Conference;

(5) the Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee;

(6) the Chair of the Committee on Policy;

(7) the Vice-Chair of the Republican Conference; and,

(8) the Secretary of the Republican Conference.

Except that during any time that the Republican Party is not the majority party of the House of Representatives, there shall be no election held for the office of Speaker.

(c) Prior to the convening of the organizational meeting called pursuant to paragraph (a), the current Chair of the Republican Conference shall call a meeting to provide each of the announced candidates for Elected Leadership time to make an oral presentation and entertain questions from Members of the Conference. In establishing the time, date, and format of such meeting, the Chair shall consult with all announced candidates for Elected Leadership and a cross-section of Members of the Conference.

Rule 4—Conference Election Procedures

(a) Votes by Secret Ballot.—All contested elections shall be decided by secret ballot, and no proxy voting shall be allowed.

(b) Nominations.—

(1) Candidates for office shall be nominated in alphabetical surname order.

(2) For each Leadership nomination there shall be one nominating speech (not to exceed three minutes in length), and there may be two seconding speeches (each not to exceed one minute in length).

(c) Balloting Procedures.—When there are more than two candidates for any office and none receives a majority of the votes on the first ballot, a quorum being present, the candidate with the lowest number of votes on that and each succeeding ballot will be dropped from the ballot until one candidate receives a majority of the votes, a quorum being present.

Rule 5—Conference Meetings

(a) Call and Notice.— Meetings of the Republican Conference may be called at any time by the chair of the Conference, after consultation with the Speaker.

(b) Speaker’s Annual Meeting.—The Speaker shall hold an annual Meeting at the beginning of each session of Congress at which the Republican Leadership shall report to the Membership on their plans for the upcoming session.

(c) With respect to a meeting called under this rule, whenever possible, at least 24 hours notice of the time, place, and agenda of a meeting shall be given to Members of the Conference.

(d) Decorum.—Meetings of the Republican Conference shall be conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Rules of the House of Representatives, including rule XVII, that govern decorum and the personal behavior of the Members of the Conference.

(e) Speakers.—

(1) Elected Leadership shall aim to limit their allotted time at the start of the meeting to twenty minutes but shall not exceed thirty minutes to update the Membership.

(2) If Elected Leadership requires additional time, they shall wait until all Members of the Republican Conference wishing to be heard have spoken.

(3) 30 Members of the Conference may designate a single Member to address the Conference for three minutes at the start of open mic.

(A) A signed letter designating a Member to claim this time must be submitted to the Chair prior to the start of the meeting.

(B) Members signing the designation letter may not participate in open mic.

Rule 6—Rules of Procedure and Order of Business

(a) Rules of the House.—The Rules of the House of Representatives, insofar as they are applicable, shall govern the proceedings of the Republican Conference.

(b) Motions.—

(1) No motion shall be available other than those described in clause 4 of rule XVI (relating to the precedence of motions) or rule XIX (relating to motions after the amendment stage) of the Rules of the House of Representatives.

(2) When a motion has been made and carried or lost, it shall be in order for any member of the prevailing side, in the same or succeeding meeting of the Republican Conference, to move for the reconsideration thereof. The procedures for reconsideration shall be consistent with the Rules of the House.

(1) Any matter to be considered by the Republican Conference shall be in the form of a resolution.

(2)(A) Referral of resolutions, generally.—Except as provided in subparagraphs (3) and (4), all resolutions brought before the Republican Conference shall be referred by the Chair to the appropriate committee for consideration.

(B) Resolutions proposing a change in Republican Conference rules.—

(i) A resolution proposing a change to the rules of the Republican Conference shall be referred to an ad hoc committee for the purpose of consideration of that measure except as provided for in subparagraph 4.

(ii) The committee shall be appointed by the Speaker and chaired by the senior Republican member of the Committee on Rules of the House.

(iii) In making the appointments under this subparagraph, the Speaker shall appoint at least one Member who is a proponent of the resolution.

(3) Precedence of resolutions offered by the Speaker.—The Speaker, or a designee, may present any resolution to the Conference for its immediate consideration.

(4) Privileged resolutions offered by any Member.—Any Member may present a resolution to the Conference for its expedited consideration if—

(A) The resolution proposes a change to the rules of the Republican Conference which would be referred pursuant to subparagraph (2)(B)(i) of this rule, or pertains to expulsion, pursuant to rule 1(b).

(B) The resolution is submitted with the signatures of at least 25 percent of the Republican Conference.

(C) Consideration of a resolution under this subparagraph shall occur no later than the next Conference meeting pursuant to the layover requirements of clause 2(a)(1) of House Rule IX.

(d) Petitions.—

(1) Discharge of committee of the Republican Conference.—

(A) A resolution which has 25 or more signatures of Members shall be considered by the appropriate committee of the Republican Conference as soon as practicable, but not later than 7 legislative days, and reported back to the Conference.

(B) If the resolution is not acted on by the committee to which it was referred as soon as practicable, but not later than 7 legislative days, a petition of 50 or more Members will discharge the resolution for consideration before the Conference.

(2) Petition for a special meeting.—

(A) If 20 percent of the Members of the Republican Conference petition the Chair for a special meeting of the Conference, the Chair shall schedule such special meeting as soon as practicable, but not later than 10 legislative days.

(B) If 50 Members of the Republican Conference petition the Chair for a special meeting of the Conference on a major piece of legislation, the Chair shall schedule such special meeting prior to a House vote on the legislation. The petition must be submitted to the Chair prior to the start of the Committee on Rules meeting on the legislation.

(C) The Chair shall provide a means by which Members may submit such petitions or other evidence of support electronically.

(e) Suspension Procedure.—Two-thirds of the Members voting, a quorum being present, may suspend the Conference rules. All motions to suspend the rules shall be seconded by a majority, if demanded. The consideration of a motion to suspend the rules, to the extent practicable, shall follow the rules of the House.

Rule 7—Conference Meetings: Quorum

A majority of the Members of the Conference shall constitute a quorum.

Rule 8—Conference Meetings: Secret Ballot

On demand of one Member, with the support of five others, the vote on any matter properly pending before the Conference shall be taken by secret ballot.

Rule 9—Conference Meetings: Admittance

(a) The Chair may decide whether meetings of the Conference shall be open or closed to the public, subject to an appeal by any Member.

(b) The Chair may designate Leadership staff or other eligible persons to attend Conference meetings which are closed to the public. Those individuals shall be excused at the discretion of the Chair.

(c) Upon timely notice from the Chair, an executive session of the Conference may be called. This meeting shall be closed to all persons except Members of the Conference.

(d) On the demand of one Member, with the support of 25 others, a Conference meeting shall be taken into executive session.

Rule 10—Conference Meetings: Journal

The Secretary of the Conference shall keep a journal of the Conference proceedings and each journal entry shall be signed by the Conference Secretary and the Conference Chair. The journal shall be open for inspection at the request of any Member of the Conference.

Rule 11—Republican Steering Committee

(a) Establishment and Purpose.—

(1) There is hereby established a Republican Steering Committee which shall recommend to the Republican Conference—

(i) the membership of the standing committees; and

(ii) the chairs of the standing committees.

(2) The Republican Steering Committee shall interview each Member seeking election as chair of a standing committee before making its recommendation, even if that Member served as chair of such standing committee in the prior congress.

(3) This subsection shall not apply to a standing committee listed in rule 12.

(b) Composition.—The Republican Steering Committee shall be comprised of—

(1) the Speaker, who shall serve as its chair;

(2) the Republican Leader;

(3) the Republican Whip;

(4) the Chief Deputy Whip;

(5) the Chair of the Republican Conference;

(6) the Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee;

(7) the Chair of the Committee on Policy;

(8) the Vice-Chair of the Republican Conference;

(9) the Secretary of the Republican Conference;

(10) the Chair of the Elected Leadership Committee, if appointed by the Speaker;

(11) the chair of a standing committee when the Steering Committee is considering members for election to or removal from such standing committee;

(12) a Member designated by the Speaker;

(13) Members elected by geographic regions of the conference;

(14) a Member elected by the sophomore class;

(15) a Member elected by the freshman class; and

(16) the Dean of the House, when the Dean is a member of the House Republican Conference.

(1)(A) Prior to the election of the Members elected pursuant to subsection (b)(13) of this rule, the Republican Conference shall adopt a resolution establishing the structure of such regions.

(B)(i) The Speaker shall appoint a task force of Members to recommend a regional plan.

(ii) If the task force is unable to recommend a regional plan to the Speaker, the Speaker shall recommend a regional plan to the Republican Conference.

(C) It shall not be in order to consider the regional plan until the third calendar day (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, unless the House is in session on such day) on which the regional plan has been available to Members.

(D) Any proposed amendments to the regional plan shall be submitted to the Republican Conference not later than the calendar day prior to consideration of the regional plan by the Republican Conference. The Chair of the Republican Conference shall make all such amendments available to the Members of the Republican Conference prior to consideration of any such amendment.

(2) It shall not be in order to elect regional and class representatives to the Republican Steering Committee until the second calendar day (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, unless the House is in session on such day) after adoption of the regional plan. Any such election shall be conducted by secret ballot.

(d) Voting Strength.—Each member of the Republican Steering Committee shall have a single vote, except the Speaker, who shall have 4, and the Republican Leader, who shall have 2. During any time that the Republican Party is not the majority party of the House of Representatives, the Republican Leader shall have 4 votes and the Republican Whip shall have 2 votes.

(e) Definition.— For purposes of this rule, the term “regional plan” shall mean a plan establishing geographic regions for purposes of electing representatives under subsection (b)(13) of this rule.

Rule 12—Election Procedures for Standing Committees

(a) In General.—

(1) The Republican Steering Committee shall recommend to the Republican Conference the Republican Members of the standing committees of the House of Representatives, except as otherwise provided in this rule.

(2) In those cases where the Steering Committee nominated Members for membership on standing committees, the Steering Committee shall recommend directly to the House of Representatives the Republican Members to fill vacancies on standing committees which occur following the organization of a Congress. Whenever possible, a vacancy shall be filled within thirty days while Congress is in session.

(b) Election of Members of the Committee on Rules.—

(1) Nomination.—The Speaker shall nominate the Republican Members of the Committee on Rules, including the chair. These nominations shall be submitted to the Conference along with the other nominees from the Steering Committee.

(2) Rejection and New Nomination.—If the Republican Conference rejects the nominee for Chair of the Committee on Rules, the Speaker shall again submit a nomination to the Conference.

(3) Retention of Seniority Rights.—A Member newly assigned to the Rules Committee shall have the option of being “on leave with seniority” from one standing committee on which he or she served previously. At such time as service on the Rules Committee shall cease, such member shall have the right to return to active membership on that standing committee with the relative seating and seniority accumulated during his or her tenure on the Rules Committee.

(1) Chair.—The Republican Steering Committee shall nominate the Member to serve as the Chair of the Committee on the Budget. Limits on the term of service for the Chair shall be determined by the Rules of the House.

(2) Leadership Member.—The Speaker shall appoint one member to serve on the committee. That Member will serve as the second highest-ranking Republican on the committee.

(3) Nomination of other Members.—The Steering Committee shall recommend members from the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Rules for service on the Committee on the Budget in such numbers as may be consistent with the Rules of the House. Chairs and Leadership Members are considered towards these requirements if that member also happens to serve on the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Ways and Means, or the Committee on Rules.

(d) Election of the Members of the Committee on House Administration.—

(1) Nomination.—The Speaker shall nominate the Republican Members of the Committee on House Administration, including the Chair. These nominations shall be submitted to the Conference along with the other nominees from the Steering Committee.

(2) Rejection and New Nomination.—If the Republican Conference rejects the nominee for Chair to the Committee on House Administration, the Speaker shall again submit a nomination to the Conference.

Rule 13—Appointments to Joint and Select Committees

The Speaker shall recommend to the House all Republican Members of such joint, select, and ad hoc committees as shall be created by the House, in accordance with law.

Rule 14—Nomination and Election of Committee Chairs

(a) Nominations by the Steering Committee.—

(1) The Republican Steering Committee shall nominate the Republican Members who shall serve as chairs, except as provided in rules 12 and 13. The Member nominated by the Steering Committee for this position need not be the Member with the longest consecutive service on the Committee, and such nominations shall be out of order except as recommended in the report of the Steering Committee.

(2) The Republican Steering Committee may also designate the Republican Members who shall serve as Vice Chair. The Member designated by the Steering Committee for this position need not be the Member with the longest consecutive service on the Committee.

(b) Voting Procedure.—The Conference shall vote on the recommendation of the House Republican Steering Committee for the position of Chair. The call of the Conference at which such voting will take place shall name and list the individuals recommended by the Committee. Nothing in this rule shall be construed to limit the ability of any member to request a secret ballot under Rule 8.

(c) Rejection and new nominations.—If the Republican Conference fails to approve a recommendation of the Steering Committee with respect to a nomination for the position of Chair, the matter shall be automatically recommitted without instructions to that Committee.

(d) Obligation of committee chairs.—

(1) The Republican Chair of each committee has an obligation to ensure that each measure on which the Republican Conference has taken a position is managed in accordance with such position on the Floor of the House of Representatives.

(2)(A) If the chair of a committee receives a written request from the sponsor of a measure requesting a hearing on that measure and the measure is—

(i) primarily referred to such committee;

(ii) cosponsored by a majority of the members of the Republican Conference; and

(iii) cosponsored by not fewer than 1/3 of the Republican members of such committee;

then the chair of such committee shall schedule a hearing on the measure within 15 legislative days and hold such hearing not later than 30 legislative days after receipt of such request or prior to the sine die adjournment of the congress in which such request is made, whichever occurs first.

(B) This provision shall not apply to a measure directing the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and issue a commemorative coin or strike a Congressional Gold Medal, or a measure naming a postal facility.

(e) Term limitation.—No individual shall serve more than three consecutive terms as chair or Ranking Member of a standing, select, joint, or ad hoc Committee or Subcommittee.

(f) Candidates for other offices.—If a Chair of a committee addressed by rule 14 or a subcommittee addressed by rule 19(b) publicly announces his or her intention to seek other elected office in Federal, State, or local government, that Member shall resign as chair of such committee or subcommittee and the next ranking Republican Member shall serve as acting chair until such time as the Committee on Steering nominates a replacement consistent with this rule. This paragraph may be waived by an affirmative vote of the Steering Committee.

Rule 15—Limitation on Number of Committee Chairs and Subcommittee Chairs

No individual shall serve as chair of more than one standing Committee or Subcommittee except for the Committee on Ethics; or the Committee on House Administration; or any joint, select, or ad hoc Committee; or any subcommittee thereof. Provided, however, that upon recommendation of the Steering Committee and approval of the Conference this provision shall be waived.

Rule 16—Vacancies in Committee Chair Positions

A vacancy which occurs during a session of Congress for the position of Chair shall be filled in accordance with rule 14. Whenever possible, a vacancy shall be filled within thirty days while Congress is in session.

Rule 17—Committee Organizing Caucuses

(a) Each Committee shall have an organizing caucus of the Republican Members before the organizing meeting of the full Committee. The committee chair shall call the meeting, giving at least three days written notice to all Republican Members of the committee.

(b) During any time in which the Republican Party is the majority party in the House of Representatives, the chair of a committee shall seek to the maximum extent possible to avoid overlapping scheduling of subcommittee meetings in order to assure maximum Member participation.

Rule 18—Periodic Committee Caucuses

Meetings of a committee caucus shall be called if requested by a majority of the Republican Members of the Committee or at any time by the chair. A majority of the Members may request a meeting provided the request to the chair is in writing and states the subject matter to be discussed at the meeting. A meeting so requested must be called by the chair within ten days after receipt of the written request, and after notice to all committee caucus Members.

Rule 19—Election of Subcommittee Chairs

(a) In General.—

(1) In accordance with rule 15, the method for the selection of chairs of the Committee’s subcommittees shall be at the discretion of the full Committee chair, unless a majority of the Republican Members of the full Committee disapprove the action of the chair.

(2) The chair shall formalize in writing for the other Republican Members of the Committee the procedures to be followed in selecting subcommittee chairs and individual subcommittee assignments and shall do so in advance of the Committee’s organization. The procedures may be modified by a majority vote of the Republican Members of the full Committee.

(b) Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs.—The Chair of the Committee on Appropriations shall bring his or her nominations for the subcommittee chairs to the Republican Steering Committee for approval. If any nomination is rejected by the Steering Committee, the Chair shall submit the new nomination(s) in a timely fashion.

Rule 20—Vacancies in the Position of Subcommittee Chairs

Vacancies in the position of subcommittee chairs shall be filled according to the procedures established by the various Committees in accordance with rule 19.

Rule 21—Committee on Ethics

No Member shall serve on the Committee on Ethics for more than three consecutive terms.

Rule 22—Committee on Policy

(a) In general.—

(1) The Committee on Policy shall be an advisory Committee to the Membership of the House Republican Conference. The Committee on Policy shall meet at the call of the Chair of the Committee on Policy or the Speaker and shall discuss legislative proposals with Republican Members of the appropriate standing and special committees and with such other Republican Members as the Chair may invite to meetings.

(2) The Committee on Policy shall report its suggestions for Republican action and policy to the Republican Members of the House. The Chair of the Committee on Policy may appoint, in consultation with the Speaker, such subcommittees from the Republican Members of the House for such purposes as may be deemed appropriate.

(b) Composition.—The Committee on Policy shall be composed of—

(1) One Member elected from each region, State, or group of States under the Steering Committee structure;

(2) Two Members elected by the sophomore class and one Member elected by the freshman class;

(3) The House Republican Leadership, as designated by rule 2;

(4) One Member from each standing committee of the House appointed by the Speaker; and,

(5) Such Members-at-large as may be appointed by the Speaker.

(c) Seniority.—The traditions and privileges of seniority shall not apply to membership of the Committee on Policy and the Committee may, at its direction, make such rules as are necessary for conduct of its business.

Rule 23—The National Republican Congressional Committee

(a) Composition.—The National Republican Congressional Committee (“NRCC”) shall be composed of an executive committee of 38 members, to be composed of—

(1) the Speaker;

(2) the Republican Leader;

(3) the Republican Whip;

(4) the Chair of the Republican Conference;

(5) the Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee;

(6) the Chair of the Committee on Policy;

(7) the Vice Chair of the Republican Conference;

(8) the Secretary of the Republican Conference; and,

(9) Thirty members appointed to serve on the executive committee by the Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

(A) Appointments pursuant to this subparagraph shall be reported to the Conference for its approval, and the executive committee roster shall be made publicly available upon approval.

(B) The Conference shall vote on such recommendation. Nothing in this rule shall be construed to limit the ability of any member to request a secret ballot under Rule 8.

(C) If the Republican Conference fails to approve a recommendation of the Chair of the NRCC with respect to a nomination, the matter shall be automatically recommitted to the Chair of the NRCC without instructions.

(D) No Member of the Republican Steering Committee, with the exception of Elected Leadership, is eligible to be appointed to serve on the executive committee.

(b) Duties.—The duties of the National Republican Congressional Committee shall be to—

(1) act as counsel and advisor to the Members of the House Republican Conference;

(2) furnish support services to the extent consistent with the Rules of the House; and,

(3) have oversight in election campaigns in all general and special elections for membership in the House of Representatives.

Rule 24—Republican Personnel

(a) The House Republican Conference hereby vests in the Speaker supervisory authority over all Republican employees of the House of Representatives, and direct authority over the Republican Floor Assistants and Republican Cloakroom.

(b) The Speaker is hereby empowered to offer recommendations and advise the Republican Conference as to the location and use of all personnel and funds, appropriated or otherwise, of the Republican Conference or any committee or officer thereof including but not limited to: the Republican Whip, the Republican Committee on Policy and the National Republican Congressional Committee, to avoid duplication and improve coordination and best utilization of those assets.

(c) The funds appropriated for the offices of the Republican Leader, the Republican Whip, and the Republican Conference may be allocated and utilized by the Republican Leader, the Republican Whip and the Chair of the Republican Conference, respectively, only after a budget, prepared in consultation with the Speaker, detailing the proposed use of such funds has been established.

(d) The Speaker shall provide general personnel referral services to Republican Members and such other services as he or she deems necessary.

(e) The staff employed by the elected Republican Leadership as defined under rule 2, or under the direct authority of the Speaker, will be considered a unified staff, although directly responsible to the employing office, will work for all others of the Leadership as directed by the Speaker in consultation with the employing office.

Rule 25—Temporary Step Aside of a Member who is Indicted

(a) A member of a standing, select, joint or ad hoc committee, or any subcommittee thereof, who is indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed, shall submit his or her resignation from any such committees to the House promptly. Vacancies created by this paragraph shall be filled pursuant to rule 12.

(b) In the case of the resignation of a chair pursuant to this rule, the next ranking Republican member of the committee or subcommittee concerned shall serve as acting chair for the remainder of the Congress, unless the Steering Committee nominates a Member consistent with rule 14, or unless the chair resumes his or her position in accordance with paragraphs (c) or (d) of this rule.

(c) If a committee member or chair resigns pursuant to this rule, and subsequently during that Congress is acquitted or the charges are dismissed or reduced to less than a felony as described in paragraph (a), the Chair of the Republican Conference shall take such steps as may be necessary to promptly reinstate the Member to such committees at the same seniority as when the Member resigned, including the position of chair if applicable, unless the Republican Conference decides otherwise within 10 legislative days.

(d) The Conference may waive the provisions of this rule at any time by majority vote.

Rule 26—Temporary Step Aside of a Member of Leadership who is Indicted

(a) A member of the Republican Leadership shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed.

(b) If a member of the Republican Elected Leadership is indicted, the Republican Conference shall meet and elect a Member to temporarily serve in that position.

(c) If a member of the Republican Leadership resigns pursuant to this rule, and subsequently during that Congress is acquitted or the charges are dismissed or reduced to less than a felony as described in paragraph (a), such Member shall resume the position from which they resigned, unless the Republican Conference decides otherwise within 10 legislative days.

Rule 27—Removal of a Committee Member who is Convicted

A member of a standing, select, joint or ad hoc committee, or any subcommittee thereof, who is convicted of a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment is imposed, shall be removed from any such committee within 10 legislative days. The Chair of the Republican Conference shall take such steps as may be necessary to facilitate the removal from committees of such Member in the House. Vacancies created by this paragraph shall be filled pursuant to rule 12.

Rule 28—Automatic Replacement of a Chair who is Censured

(a) The chair of a standing, select, joint or ad hoc committee, or subcommittee thereof, who is censured by a vote of the House when the Republican Party is the majority party in the House of Representatives, shall cease to exercise the powers of such position. The Chair of the Republican Conference shall take such steps as may be necessary to facilitate the removal from the position of chair in the House. Vacancies created by this paragraph shall be filled pursuant to the applicable rule.

(b) The Conference may waive the provisions of this rule at any time by majority vote.

Rule 29—Guidelines on Suspension of House Rules

(a) The Republican Leader shall not schedule, or request to have scheduled, any bill or resolution for consideration under suspension of the Rules which—

(1) fails to include a cost estimate, or for which the cost estimate exceeds $100,000,000, unless fully offset by at least an equal reduction in current spending;

(2) has not been the subject of a notification to the minority;

(3) creates a new program, unless it also eliminates or reduces a program of equal or greater size;

(4) authorizes appropriations without including a sunset provision;

(5) authorizes an increase in authorizations, appropriations, or direct spending in any given year, unless fully offset by at least an equal reduction in current spending;

(6) expresses appreciation, commends, congratulates, celebrates, recognizes the accomplishments of, or celebrates the anniversary of, an entity, event, group, individual, institution, team or government program; or acknowledges or recognizes a period of time for such purposes; or

(7) directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike a Congressional Gold Medal unless—

(A) the recipient is a natural person;

(B) the recipient has performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient’s field long after the achievement;

(D) the recipient is living or, if deceased, has not been deceased for less than five years or more than twenty-five years;

(E) the achievements were performed in the recipient’s field of endeavor, and represent either a lifetime of continuous superior achievements or a single achievement so significant that the recipient is recognized and acclaimed by others in the same field, as evidenced by the recipient having received the highest honors in the field; and

(F) adoption of such measure does not cause the total number of measures authorizing the striking of such medals in that congress to substantially exceed the average number of such measures enacted in prior congresses.

(8) fails to be noticed to Members of the Republican Conference at least 5 days prior to floor consideration (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, unless the House is in session on such day).

(b) A waiver of this rule can be granted by the majority of the Elected Leadership as defined under rule 2.

(1) Any measure receiving a waiver under this paragraph shall be subject to a recorded vote on the House floor.

Rule 30—Transparency

(a) To the maximum extent practicable, the Chair shall make the text of matters adopted during the organizational conference held pursuant to rule 3 publicly available in electronic form.

(b) Not later than January 31 of each odd-numbered year, the Chair shall make available in electronic form to all Members of the Conference a listing of the various boards, commissions, and committees that include appointees by the Speaker or the Majority Leader.

Standing Orders for the 118th Congress

Article I Funding Requests

(a) In order to responsibly execute Congress’ Article I authority to control the power of the purse, it is the policy of the House Republican Conference that no Member shall request a congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit, as such terms have been described in the Rules of the House, unless the following accountability criteria are met—

(1) the request is publicly disclosed at the time the request is made, including a written justification for why the project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds and the name of the requesting Member;

(2) neither the Member nor his or her immediate family has a financial interest in the request; and

(3) the request comports with any further regulations and guidance the Republican Chairs or Ranking Members of the committees of jurisdiction shall promulgate.

(b) It is further the policy of the Republican Conference that Republican Chairs or Ranking Members shall not give consideration to a Member’s seniority, committee assignments, or position in the elected leadership when facilitating a request made pursuant to this order.

Policy Statements on Article I Powers

(a) It is the policy of the Republican Conference that all Members of the Republican Conference shall, to the maximum extent practicable, draft legislation so as to preserve Congress’ authorities under Article I of the Constitution. It is further the policy of the Republican Conference that authorizing committees shall, as agencies and programs are reauthorized—

(1) seek opportunities to move, where appropriate, mandatory programs with automatic funding streams to the annual appropriations process to increase oversight and accountability; and

(2) limit agency discretion in implementing statutes and rulemaking through more effective drafting practices for bills and committee reports, including, to the maximum extent practicable, provisions to allow congressional review of new major regulations as defined in the Congressional Review Act, so as to limit executive overreach.

(b) It is further the policy of the Republican Conference that—

(1) the Majority Leader shall prioritize measures that seek to preserve Congress’ authorities under Article I of the Constitution when scheduling the House Floor, which should periodically include, after receiving concurrence from the appropriate committee chairs of primary jurisdiction, designated floor time for consideration of single-issue bills related to exercising such authorities; and

(2) the Republican Conference shall periodically schedule Planning Conferences to include the topic of preserving and exercising Article I of the Constitution.

Guideline on Appropriations

The Republican Leadership should, to the extent practicable, prioritize the consideration of individual appropriations bills reported by the Committee on Appropriations.

Government-to-Government Land Conveyances

It shall not be a violation of House Republican Conference rules, House rules, or any general protocols to enact a government-to-government land conveyance.

Policy on Capitol Grounds and House Chamber Access

(a) It is the policy of the Republican Conference that any restriction of Member or public access to the House, House Office Buildings, or the Capitol Grounds due to a health concern should only be done in extraordinary circumstances—

(1) Guidance from the Attending Physician, or House Officers, should inform but not necessitate action by the Speaker.

(2) The Speaker should consult with the Conference before any restrictions are put in place.

(b) It is further the policy of the Republican Conference that the Speaker should not restrict or delay, including through the use of infrastructure, Member access to the House Chamber while the House is in session.

Policy Statement on the Motion to Vacate the Chair

It is the policy of the Republican Conference that the privilege under House Rule IX Clause 2(a)(3) should only be available with the agreement of the Republican Conference so as to not allow Democrats to choose the Speaker.

Encouraging Floor Consideration of Amendments

(a) It is the policy of the Republican Conference that ample floor time should be provided for the consideration of amendments.

(b) It is further the policy of the Republican Conference that—

(1) The Republican Committee Chairs should, to the extent practicable, request the Committee on Rules provide an open or structured rule for consideration of legislation.

(2) The Committee on Rules should, in consultation with the Leadership and relevant committee chair(s), give priority consideration to amendments that—

(A) Are offered by a Member of the Republican Conference.

(B) Have at least 20 percent of the Republican Conference named as cosponsors of the amendment.

(i) Be received by the Committee on Rules before the posted amendment deadline.

(ii) Be accompanied at the time of submission with a co-sponsorship letter, drafted on the official letterhead of the primary sponsoring Member, listing all required co-sponsoring Members.

(iii) Comply with all applicable House and budgetary rules and any applicable Majority Leader protocols.

Conference Rules of the 118th Congress

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