Could you tell us how that works (discharge petition) an d what it takes to push for that?
thanks
If the House rules remain the same or similar to what they have been in the past, then House Members have the option of circulating a petition to discharge a bill from a committee. Its a kind of check against runaway/rogue committees.
Any House Member can initiate a discharge petition. If they can get the signatures of two thirds of the House delegation, the bill is forced out of committee and onto the floor.
The difficult part about a discharge petition is the politics involved. It can be seen by many as going against the wishes of the Speaker and the rest of the House leadership.
Thanks.
So we need a pro OC house member to start the discharge petition, and then urge each and everyone of our house members to vote for it....correct me if I am off base.
Looks like next step is for some very pro OC house member to do the discharge petition.
A discharge petition wouldn't likely get circulated until the latter half of the session. Even then, the members know that they are essentially signing their name on a document that says that they want to go around their "superiors" (intentionally in quotes).
I'm not sure if a discharge petition has ever succeeded, but it definitely is an available tool.
