The new House rules unveiled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are completely gender neutral, eliminate the Republican Party’s opportunities to force strange votes and preserve lawmakers’ ability to carry firearms on Capitol Hill.
The 45-page House Rules package that will be voted on Monday after the start of the new Congress would also continue to vote by proxy during the coronavirus pandemic, prohibit lawmakers convicted of certain crimes from visiting the House floor again, and change payment rules in virus and climate change legislation that previously required lawmakers to identify new sources of revenue or cut spending to finance their priorities.
Pelosi announced the “visionary rules package” with Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., On Friday and said it reflects the values of his diverse Democratic majority.
“Democrats have designed an unprecedented bold reform package that will make the House more accountable, transparent and effective in our work to meet the needs of the American people,” said Pelosi.
“These forward-looking proposals reflect our priorities as a caucus and as a country – including crushing the coronavirus, addressing economic disparity, tackling the climate crisis, promoting inclusion and promoting integrity in government.”
ARCHIVE: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Takes Other House Democrats to Discuss HR 1, the For the People Act, which passed the House, but is being held in the Senate, on the Capitol in Washington, Friday, September 27, 2019. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
In an effort to be inclusive for those who do not identify themselves as a specific gender, the rule pack removes any mention of gender-specific pronouns and terms, such as “man”, “woman”, “mother” and “son”.
The Informant’s Ombudsman’s Office, for example, is renamed in the rules for “Informant’s Ombudsman’s Office”.
There is nothing in the rules that prohibits members from using gender-specific terms when speaking on the floor of the Chamber or conducting business.
Republican House leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Ridiculed the inclusive effort as “stupid”.
However, progressive leaders in the Chamber applauded the new rules. Deputy Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Said the changes will allow Democrats to “push for a bolder agenda”.
Progressives fought for exceptions from budget rules to open the door to their expensive legislation, like Medicare-for-All and the Green New Deal. Omar also praised the new rule that restricts the ability of the minority party, in this case the Republican Party, to present a “Motion to Recompress” to the House plenary with language changes in the legislation that is about to be approved by the majority.
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These motions have frustrated Democrats because Republicans have filed “catches” motions on bills they oppose in an effort to force Democrats to vote on some items they would like to avoid, a Democratic source said.
For example, Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, R-Arizona, offered a motion to commit again at the House floor in December to the landmark legislation that was about to be passed to legalize marijuana. Lesko wanted to add the language that private sector employers retain the right to test employees for marijuana use. She was able to choose 11 Democrats for her motion, but she still failed. The general legislation was approved by the Chamber.
While the Motions to Reconfirm (MTRs) usually fail and serve primarily for message purposes to show divisions in the Democratic Party, some have been successful.
In one instance in 2019, the House was on its way to approve a bipartisan weapons background check bill. Deputy Doug Collins, R-Ga., Offered a motion to reconmit before the final pass to demand reports from the US Department of Immigration and Customs (ICE) when an undocumented immigrant tries to buy a weapon, setting up a potential for deportation.
A sufficient number of Democrats agreed with the Republican Party’s provision to be included in the final bill. Collins even voted “no” to the legislation, which was never made into a law.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Talks about House Republicans and the election, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, November 12, 2020. (AP Photo / J Scott Applewhite)
The new rules would prevent Republicans from forcing a vote on specific language changes. They would only allow Republicans to file a motion to repurchase a bill back to the committee without instructions on the text.
McCarthy criticized the changes as a way to silence the minority.
“Democrats have just destroyed over 100 years of representation in Congress,” McCarthy said in a statement. “Nancy Pelosi wants to silence her voice and consolidate what little power she has left. Her time is limited.”
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The new House rules also authorize funding from the House Administration Committee to investigate ongoing electoral disputes in Iowa’s 2nd District, where Democrat Rita Hart is contesting Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ six-vote victory.
In a victory for elected Representative Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, the new rules do not include a Democratic proposal to ban gun ownership lawmakers on Capitol Hill, just as visitors are prohibited from bringing firearms.
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Members of Congress may have firearms on Capitol grounds, although there are certain places they cannot carry such as the Chamber of Deputies, the Speaker’s Hall, the locker room and the Rayburn Room. Boebert, a Second Amendment enthusiast, has been looking for an expansion of where it can lead – raising concern among some Democrats.
RIFLE, CO – MAY 29: Lauren Boebert, owner of Shooters Grill, gained national attention for her decision to encourage her team to carry a firearm while working on May 29, 2018 in Rifle, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti / The Denver Post via Getty Images)
A group of Democrats tried to insert a text in the package of rules to completely ban firearms by lawmakers, but the proposal did not reach the final draft.
The new Congress will be installed on Sunday. The Chamber will vote whether Pelosi will remain president. Most are much thinner, in part because of a record number of Republican women elected in November.