Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, and for other…

This resolution establishes the rules of the House of Representatives for the 117th Congress by adopting and modifying the House rules from the 116th Congress. Changes from the rules for the previous Congress include measures to facilitate the operation of Congress during the ongoing COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.

The resolution makes the Office of Diversity and Inclusion permanent, revises language in the rules to be gender-inclusive, and continues requirements to protect congressional employees from harassment and discrimination. The resolution also implements measures to protect whistle-blowers and increase congressional transparency.

The resolution authorizes necessary amounts for the Committee on House Administration to resolve contested elections. Additionally, the Clerk of the House of Representative must establish a process for House Members to indicate their support for Senate-passed measures that have been received by the House, including maintaining a publicly available list of Members supporting each measure.

The chair of the Committee on the Budget may adjust an estimate concerning the fiscal impact of legislation to exempt the budgetary effects of measures to prevent, prepare for, or respond to economic or public health consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as measures to prevent, prepare for, or respond to economic, environmental, or public health consequences resulting from climate change.

Until the Committee on Oversight and Reform has adopted rules, the chair of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis may issue subpoenas related to its investigation into political interference in the response to the coronavirus pandemic at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The resolution also reauthorizes specified commissions, offices, and committees, and establishes a Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov