Overview
Title
Providing for the announcement of pairs from a written list furnished to the Clerk, and for other purposes.
ELI5 AI
H. RES. 293 is about a rule for sharing when two members of Congress decide not to vote, so their choices cancel each other out. Someone called the Clerk will announce this before any voting results are told, and it will only happen once each day.
Summary AI
H. RES. 293 establishes a procedure during the 119th Congress for announcing pairs in the House of Representatives. Pairs, a practice where two members agree not to vote on a specific issue to cancel out each other’s vote, will be announced by the Clerk before the vote result is announced by the Chair. The list of pairs must be signed by the member and will be published in the Congressional Record, but pairs are announced only once per legislative day.
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AnalysisAI
General Summary of the Bill
The bill under consideration is a resolution from the House of Representatives in the United States, labeled H. RES. 293, dated April 8, 2025. During the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress session, it authorizes the Clerk of the House to announce voting "pairs" — agreements between members who agree not to vote on a matter — before the vote results are officially declared by the Chair. A pair is used when members cannot attend the vote but want to reflect their intended vote. The announcement will be based on a list signed by a Member that will then be published in the Congressional Record. However, these pairs will only be announced once during a legislative day.
Summary of Significant Issues
One of the main issues identified is the ambiguity surrounding the timing and frequency of the pair announcements. Specifically, there is confusion about what should happen if updates are needed during the same legislative day since the resolution allows only one announcement.
Another significant issue is the lack of transparency regarding any financial costs associated with this process. The resolution does not specify if this will incur additional expenses, potentially obscuring the fiscal implications for taxpayers.
Additionally, the complexity of the language used in the text could make it difficult for members of Congress, as well as the general public, to fully understand the procedures and implications of the resolution. This could undermine the transparency and efficacy of the legislative process.
Lastly, there is a lack of details regarding how and when the list of pairs will be published within the Congressional Record, leaving ambiguity that could affect the availability and accuracy of public records.
Impact on the Public Broadly
For the general public, the resolution could improve accountability in legislative voting processes by ensuring that the intentions of absent Members are documented and made public. However, the lack of clarity in how often announcements can be updated may lead to inaccuracies in representing Members' positions on key votes. Without transparency in potential costs, there could also be concern about public resources being utilized effectively.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
Members of Congress who frequently make use of the pairing system could benefit from a structured and recognized procedure for announcing their pairs. This could bolster their accountability without having to be physically present.
On the other hand, congressional clerks could face operational challenges trying to implement the resolution's provisions without causing disruptions, especially if the rules about timing are not clear. Clerks would need to handle intricately timed announcements while coping with incomplete procedural guidance on publication timing.
Additionally, the public's trust could be impacted if the procedure leads to perceived inaccuracies and discrepancies in legislative records. Lack of clarity and potential hidden financial implications might also result in skepticism regarding government transparency and efficiency.
Overall, while the intent of this resolution seems to be to streamline the legislative process and maintain accurate records, its ambiguities might lead to confusion and operational challenges, affecting how various stakeholders perceive and interact with these procedures.
Issues
The clarification on the timing and frequency of announcing pairs could lead to significant confusion and potentially disrupt the legislative process. This issue relates to Section 1, which mentions 'announcement by the Clerk immediately before the announcement by the Chair' and 'pairs shall be announced but once during the same legislative day'. Both provisions need clearer guidelines to avoid misunderstandings, especially in critical voting scenarios.
The section overlooks any explicit reference to financial spending or procedural costs associated with this legislative task. By not addressing potential financial implications, there could be hidden costs or inefficient resource allocation, impacting taxpayers. This relates to the general observation in Section 1 that no financial spending details are provided.
The complexity of the sentence structure in Section 1 could impede comprehension by members of Congress, clerks, and the public. This could hinder transparency and the effective enactment of the described processes, which may affect trust and efficiency in legislative proceedings.
There is a lack of detail on the publication process of the pairs list in the Congressional Record, such as the exact timing and handling of potential delays, which is crucial for maintaining accurate and timely public records. This ambiguity in Section 1 could lead to issues in documentation and record-keeping.
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Announcement of pairs from a written list furnished to the Clerk Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
During the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, the Clerk will announce voting pairs from a list signed by a Member, before the voting results are revealed. This list, including those not voting, will be published in the Congressional Record, but pairs will only be announced once per legislative day.