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Afederal judge on Tuesday ruled that the Nancy Pelosi-led House of Representatives acted unconstitutionally in December 2022 when it passed a $1.7 trillion federal budget. U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled that Pelosi, then speaker of the House, violated the Constitution by allowing members to vote without actually being at the Capitol for the Dec. 23 session at which the budget was adopted, according to Reuters. At the time of the budget’s passing, CNBC referred to the action as “the final major achievement” of Pelosi’s term as speaker of the House. The budget passed 225-201. At the time...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Wednesday against President Biden for what he describes as the “unlawful” signing of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 bill, supported by just nine House Republicans, was passed days before Christmas with more than half of the members absent and voting by proxy. Paxton’s case contends that the U.S. Constitution mandates a quorum be present to vote on legislation, without which the House can only “adjourn from day to day” and “compel the attendance of absent Members,” making the bill’s passage illegitimate. “Though President Biden signed...

'Outnumbered' panel reacts to the news of the Texas House voting 76-4 in favor of arresting the Democratic members if they don't return.

Just making sure I’ve got this straight:People in Cuba are risking imprisonment, and worse, for demonstrating against a Communist regime and demanding freedom and democracy in their elections.Meanwhile, in Texas, duly elected representatives - who are required to show up for the jobs they ran for and were elected to do - boarded a privately chartered jet… and jovially headed to Washington D.Cin order to avoid a quorum for the vote on a Texas election bill that would – horrors! - ban drive-thru and 24 hour voting options and restrict the state’s voting-by-mail rules. They say that such restrictions would...

@RepThomasMassieNDAA Veto override will likely happen on Dec. 28th with 50+ Democrats voting by proxy (from home). If constitutionality of proxy voting is going to be challenged, this could be the vote to do it on. Members could deprive Pelosi of a physical quorum by refusing to vote that day.

The House of Representatives on Friday passed a historic piece of legislation , allowing members to vote by proxy and conduct hearings remotely for the next 45 days because of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Under the new rules, which passed mostly along party lines, congressmen and women can give written instructions to another member in the chamber to vote on their behalf. One representative can serve as a proxy voter for up to 10 other members at any given time. Those who choose to work remotely can still participate in open hearings and cast committee votes. Closed hearings, however, will...

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are voicing their displeasure at the idea of returning to Capitol Hill next week, when lawmakers are scheduled to come back following a nearly monthlong coronavirus-caused recess. “I have no interest in going back now. How do you get there? Train? Plane?” House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey told C-SPAN Monday of returning to Congress on April 20. Lowey (D-NY) told the network that she “certainly” did not expect the House of Representatives to return next Monday, saying, “I don’t think it’s possible.”

Salem, Ore. - Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday authorized Oregon State Police to round up GOP senators who have staged a walkout in protest of the cap-and-trade energy conservation bill. "The Senate Republicans have decided to abandon their duty to serve their constituents and walk out," Brown said in a statement.

Officials and visitors assembled for an Illinois tollway board meeting Thursday morning were out in record time. That wasn't because of a light agenda. Rather, the absence of board directors meant the agency didn't have enough for a quorum. Six directors are required, and only four were there at 9 a.m. when the meeting was supposed to start. Board members present were Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, the Rev. Corey Brooks of Chicago, David Gonzalez, the mayor of Chicago Heights, and Craig Johnson, Elk Grove Village mayor. Director Earl Dotson arrived shortly after the meeting was canceled. The board has been short...

Given the billions of dollars in new spending and tax cuts Congress approved Friday morning, it is surprising just how few lawmakers had a hand in the final denouement. All told, with such momentous issues at stake, only a dozen lawmakers were present for the action, which happened in an amazing 2½ minutes of total floor time. The Senate went first, gaveling into session at 9:30 with just Majority Leader Harry Reid on the floor and Sen. Mark Warner presiding. Mr. Reid read out a preapproved agreement that automatically gave Senate approval to a two-month payroll tax cut once the...

Article VII, §8 of the Wisconsin Constitution requires a three-fifths quorum only for statutes that are fiscal, that is, statutes that actually appropriate money, impose taxes, create a debt, or release a claim owed to the state. Even then, these categories have consistently been interpreted in the most limited form conceivable. The Wisconsin attorney general in 1971 gave a formal opinion to the legislature that a bill that changed collective bargaining rights substantially was not fiscal in nature and was not subject to the three-fifths super quorum provision. Because collective bargaining rights and that very statutory chapter (ch. 111) are...

The Republican majority of the Wisconsin State Senate has at hand the tools to end its stalemate now. The Wisconsin Constitution requires that to vote on a law dealing with taxing or spending or borrowing, a "quorum" is needed, and the minimum number to constitute a "quorum" is sixty percent of the elected members of the legislature: ARTICLE VIII FINANCE Vote on fiscal bills; quorum. SECTION 8. On the passage in either house of the legislature of any law which imposes, continues or renews a tax, or creates a debt or charge, or makes, continues or renews an appropriation of...

The rules of the Senate require that a quorum be present to transact business. A quorum is 51 Senators. In most instances, outside of roll call votes, there are no more than 4 Senators on the Senate floor. If a Republican Senator suggested the absence of a quorum, Democrats could not transact business on the bill. It is a common courtesy to allow the quorum call to be dispensed with, without requiring 51 members to show up on the Senate floor (to get 51 Senators to appear without a roll call vote is very time consuming). When the Democrats ask...

If you have been following the Senate Finance Committee meeting on the amendments to the Health Care Bill you know that every single Republican amendment is defeated with unanimous vote by the Democrats and every Democrat amendment is passed by unanimous vote by the Democrats. This is a waste of time and money and America will suffer. However, there is a way to stop this dead in its tracks. Rule 4 of the Rules of Procedure for the Senate Finance Committee reads: "Rule 4. Quorums. - (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) one-third of the membership of the committee,...

Updated: 06/30/09 01:48 PM State Senate Democrats use bizarre maneuver to start passing bills ALBANY — In a bizarre twist, Senate Democrats claimed this afternoon they have established a quorum when a Republican senator — on his way to a lounge adjacent to the chamber — was counted as present for the purposes of holding a legal session. The Democrats quickly gaveled in and started passing a long list of stalled bills submitted by Gov. David A. Paterson. "I think it's fraud," said Sen. Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican, who the Democrats counted as present for the noon-time session. Padavan...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Rep. Dan Branch of the Texas House was just on Gary McNamara's show on WBAP and he mentioned that Rep. Chris Harris is looking into lowering the quorum requirement(with the blessing of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.) Said that currently only a simple majority is required for a quorum in 45 states. The change would be put into an amendment to the TX constitution, which must first be ratified by the voters(simple majority), just like Saturday's election.

Whitmire gives Senate a quorum for third special session By R.G. RATCLIFFE Sept. 15, 2003, 8:58PM AUSTIN - The third special session on redistricting opened at noon with Sen. John Whitmire of Houston giving Republicans something they have lacked since July 28 -- a Senate quorum. The presence of Whitmire, D-Houston, cleared the path for Republicans to push a redistricting bill through the Senate. Eleven Democrats, including Whitmire, had blocked the bill through two special sessions by breaking the quorum. Senate Secretary Patsy Spaw called the roll with Whitmire present. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst immediately announced: "A quorum is present."...

Demos threaten court action to block sanctions; Republicans stand firm Associated Press AUSTIN (AP) — Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Tuesday dismissed as baseless and frivolous legal threats by 11 Texas Democrats boycotting the Senate chamber over how congressional voting districts are drawn. He indicated Senate Republicans would not impose further sanctions on the Democrats, who went to Albuquerque, N.M., three weeks ago to avoid a second special session on redistricting. "We've done what we can and we expect our senators to come back," Dewhurst said. Republican senators last week adopted a resolution that denies their Democratic colleagues and...

Perry signals firm stand on redistricting Associated Press AUSTIN (AP) — A day after Senate Republicans voted to impose fines on their Democratic colleagues who are boycotting the chamber over congressional redistricting, Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday indicated he would call another special session on redistricting and other issues. "If there is work to be done, I expect the Legislature to be here conducting" it, Perry said, when asked if he would call another special session. "You could surmise that if they want to stay in Albuquerque, that's their choice, but there is work to be done in this state."...