What is a motion to recommit?
A motion to recommit asks the House to send a bill back to committee before final passage. It gives the minority a final chance to stop the bill from advancing to that vote.
A vote to recommit is not a vote to pass the bill. Under current House rules, the motion cannot include instructions to change the bill.
Who can offer a motion to recommit?
The Speaker gives priority to a member who opposes the bill, usually from the minority party. The House protects this minority opportunity when it first considers a bill under a special rule.
The opportunity does not apply to every bill. The House does not allow a motion to recommit when it considers a bill under suspension of the rules.
The Congressional Research Service guide to the motion to recommit explains this minority right and its limits.
How does the House vote on it?
- Before final passage, an eligible member offers the motion to recommit.
- The House votes on the motion without debate.
- If the motion passes, the bill returns to committee instead of advancing to final passage.
- If the motion fails, the House can proceed to the final passage vote.
Adoption requires a majority of members voting yes or no, with a quorum present. A tie vote defeats the motion. There is no fixed requirement of 218 yes votes.
A return to committee can delay or derail the bill. It does not permanently bar the House from considering the bill again. A vote against the motion does not pass the bill either.
Can the motion change the bill?
The current motion cannot change the bill. Since 2021, the House has allowed only a motion to recommit without instructions. The motion sends the bill back to committee but does not amend its text.
Older accounts may describe a motion with instructions that directed the committee to report an amendment immediately. That option no longer exists. A member may discuss a proposed change, but the current motion does not adopt that change.
Rule XIX, clause 2 of the 119th Congress House rules sets out the current procedure.
How does it differ from a discharge petition?
The two procedures move in opposite directions. A motion to recommit sends a bill from the floor back to committee. A discharge petition seeks to bring legislation out of committee for House consideration.
A discharge petition needs 218 signatures to advance through that process. A motion to recommit needs a House vote, not petition signatures. Neither action makes a bill law.
Read the motion vote separately from final passage
On a recommit vote, a yea supports sending the bill back to committee. A nay opposes sending it back. Neither tells you how the member voted on final passage.
Use the representative vote guide to find official roll-call records. Look for “On Motion to Recommit” in the question field. Compare it with the final passage vote, if one occurred.
Cappy Pillow sends alerts about recorded votes on major bills, not motion to recommit votes. Check the official record for the motion, then follow the bill through vote alerts.
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