Congressional approval procedure for major Executive Orders

(a) In general (1) Joint resolution described For purposes of this section, the term joint resolution means only a joint resolution addressing a report classifying an Executive Order as major pursuant to section 2(a)(1) that— (A) bears no preamble; (B) bears the following title (with the blank filled as appropriate): Approving the Executive Order submitted by the President relating to ____.; (C) includes after its resolving clause only the following (with the blank filled as appropriate): That Congress approves the Executive Order submitted by the President relating to ___.; and (D) is introduced pursuant to paragraph (2). (2) Period for introduction After a House of Congress receives a report classifying an Executive Order as major pursuant to section 2(a)(1), the majority leader of that House (or his or her respective designee) shall introduce (by request, if appropriate) a joint resolution described in paragraph (1)— (A) in the case of the House of Representatives, within 3 legislative days; and (B) in the case of the Senate, within 3 session days. (3) Not amendable A joint resolution described in paragraph (1) shall not be subject to amendment at any stage of proceeding. (b) Referral A joint resolution described in subsection (a) shall be referred in each House of Congress to the committees having jurisdiction over the provision of law under which the Executive Order is issued. (c) Discharge from committee in the Senate In the Senate, if the committee or committees to which a joint resolution described in subsection (a) has been referred have not reported it at the end of 15 session days after its introduction, such committee or committees shall be automatically discharged from further consideration of the resolution and it shall be placed on the calendar. A vote on final passage of the resolution shall be taken on or before the close of the 15th session day after the resolution is reported by the committee or committees to which it was referred, or after such committee or committees have been discharged from further consideration of the resolution. (d) Consideration in the Senate (1) In general In the Senate, when the committee or committees to which a joint resolution is referred have reported, or when a committee or committees are discharged (under subsection (c)) from further consideration of a joint resolution described in subsection (a), it is at any time thereafter in order (even though a previous motion to the same effect has been disagreed to) for a motion to proceed to the consideration of the joint resolution, and all points of order against the joint resolution (and against consideration of the joint resolution) are waived. The motion is not subject to amendment, or to a motion to postpone, or to a motion to proceed to the consideration of other business. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order. If a motion to proceed to the consideration of the joint resolution is agreed to, the joint resolution shall remain the unfinished business of the Senate until disposed of. (2) Motions In the Senate, debate on the joint resolution, and on all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be limited to not more than 2 hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the joint resolution. A motion to further limit debate is in order and not debatable. An amendment to, or a motion to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the consideration of other business, or a motion to recommit the joint resolution is not in order. (3) Vote on final passage In the Senate, immediately following the conclusion of the debate on a joint resolution described in subsection (a), and a single quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested in accordance with the rules of the Senate, the vote on final passage of the joint resolution shall occur. (4) Appeals from the decisions of the Chair Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating to the application of the rules of the Senate to the procedure relating to a joint resolution described in subsection (a) shall be decided without debate. (e) Consideration in the House of Representatives In the House of Representatives, if any committee to which a joint resolution described in subsection (a) has been referred has not reported it to the House at the end of 15 legislative days after its introduction, such committee shall be discharged from further consideration of the joint resolution, and it shall be placed on the appropriate calendar. On the second and fourth Thursdays of each month it shall be in order at any time for the Speaker to recognize a Member who favors passage of a joint resolution that has appeared on the calendar for at least 5 legislative days to call up that joint resolution for immediate consideration in the House without intervention of any point of order. When so called up a joint resolution shall be considered as read and shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and the previous question shall be considered as ordered to its passage without intervening motion. It shall not be in order to reconsider the vote on passage. If a vote on final passage of the joint resolution has not been taken by the third Thursday on which the Speaker may recognize a Member under this subsection, such vote shall be taken on that day. (f) Receipt from other House (1) In general If, before passing a joint resolution described in subsection (a), one House receives from the other a joint resolution having the same text, then— (A) the joint resolution of the other House shall not be referred to a committee; and (B) the procedure in the receiving House shall be the same as if no joint resolution had been received from the other House until the vote on passage, when the joint resolution received from the other House shall supplant the joint resolution of the receiving House. (2) Revenue measures This subsection shall not apply to the House of Representatives if the joint resolution received from the Senate is a revenue measure. (g) Vote required prior to expiration of time limitation If either House has not taken a vote on final passage of the joint resolution by the last day of the period described in section 2(b)(2), then such vote shall be taken on that day. (h) Authority This section is enacted by Congress— (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, and as such are deemed to be part of the rules of each House, respectively, but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in that House in the case of a joint resolution described in subsection (a) and superseding other rules only where explicitly so; and (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as they relate to the procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.