Making laws
discharge petition
A House maneuver that forces a bill out of a committee that refuses to act, if 218 members, a majority, sign on publicly.
In full
When a committee (or leadership) bottles up a bill, any member may file a discharge petition. If a majority of the full House signs, the bill is discharged from committee and gets a floor vote whether leadership likes it or not. Signatures are public, which makes signing against your own party's leadership a visible act, and successful discharges rare.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.