When House Members agree not to vote because they're on opposite sides of an issue, the Clerk must now announce those pairs from a signed written list before each vote result. The list gets printed in the Congressional Record so the public can see it.
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Providing for the announcement of pairs from a written list furnished to the Clerk, and for other purposes. is a House bill passed by the House. The latest recorded action: Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 294, H. Res. 293 is considered passed House. (consideration: CR H1481; text: CR H1481).
Latest action on H.Res. 293: Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 294, H. Res. 293 is considered passed House. (consideration: CR H1481; text: CR H1481)
Who this affects: This resolution is entirely internal to the House of Representatives. It affects how Members document their non-voting arrangements and how the Clerk processes that information. The broader public is affected only in the sense that the Congressional Record becomes a clearer source of information about why some Members did not vote.
Why this matters: While this resolution is procedural and narrow, it adds transparency to a part of House voting that can be confusing to outsiders. When Members do not vote, it is not always clear whether they were simply absent or had a deliberate pairing arrangement. By requiring a signed list and publishing it in the official record, this rule gives the public a clearer picture of where non-voting Members stood on an issue.
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