[Deschler's Precedents, Volume 5, Chapters 18 - 20]
[Chapter 18. Discharging Matters From Committees]
[Appendix - Recent History of Discharge Motions]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
[Page 3241-3242]
CHAPTER 18
Discharging Matters From Committees
APPENDIX
Recent History of Discharge Motions
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Motions
Number of signed by
Congress motions requisite
filed number of
Members
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73d (1933 to 1934).................................................................... 31 6
74th (1935 to 1936)................................................................... 33 3
75th (1937 to 1938)................................................................... 43 4
76th (1939 to 1940)................................................................... 37 2
77th (1941 to 1942)................................................................... 15 1
78th (1943 to 1944)................................................................... 21 3
79th (1945 to 1946)................................................................... 35 3
80th (1947 to 1948)................................................................... 20 1
81st (1949 to 1950)................................................................... 34 3
82d (1951 to 1952).................................................................... 14 0
83d (1953 to 1954).................................................................... 10 1
84th (1955 to 1956)................................................................... 6 1
85th (1957 to 1958)................................................................... 7 1
86th (1959 to 1960)................................................................... 7 1
87th (1961 to 1962) .................................................................. 6 0
88th (1963 to 1964)................................................................... 5 0
89th (1965 to 1966)................................................................... 6 1
90th (1967 to 1968)................................................................... 4 0
91st (1969 to 1970)................................................................... 12 1
92d (1971 to 1972).................................................................... 15 1
93d (1973 to 1974).................................................................... 10 0
94th (1975 to 1976)................................................................... 15 0
95th (1977 to 1978)................................................................... 11 0
96th (1979 to 1980)................................................................... 14 2
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Total............................................................................. 411 35
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[[Page 3242]]
From the beginning of the 73d Congress through the end of the 96th (a
period of 47 years), 411 motions to discharge committees have been filed.
In that time, two bills have become law through the use of the complete
discharge process: S. 2475, Public Law No. 75-718 (Labor Standards, Wages
and House); and H.R. 9883, Public Law No. 86-586 (Federal Employees Pay
Bill). The latter bill, which was vetoed, became law when Congress overrode
the veto on July 1, 1960. The following is a further numerical analysis of
the outcome of proceedings related to the 411 motions to discharge
committees referred to above:
35 motions received a sufficient number of signatures for
discharge.(1)
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1. The number of signatures required has normally been 218, except
that 219 were required in the 86th and 87th Congresses, and 145
were required in the 73d Congress.
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18 motions that were fully signed were agreed to.
1 motion failed when called up.
2 bills were defeated on passage in the House.
1 bill was recommitted after adoption of the motion to discharge and the
resolution providing for consideration of the bill.
3 bills passed the House but were not reported in the Senate.
8 bills passed to the stage of being reported in the Senate.
1 simple resolution was agreed to after discharge of the committee.
3 bills (all of which became law) and one resolution were reported after
discharge petitions were fully signed, but the motions to discharge in
these instances were not called up.
1 bill was reported after the discharge motion was filed but before the
motion was eligible to be called up; the bill passed the House under
suspension of the rules, but the proceedings were subsequently vacated and
a Senate bill passed in lieu of the House bill.
2 bills, as noted above, became law through use of the complete discharge
procedure.
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