Discharge petition — bypassing committee leadership
House Rule XV's discharge procedure lets a majority of the House (218 signatures) force a bill out of committee onto the floor. It's how rank-and-file members override committee leadership. Successful discharge petitions are rare — usually around one per Congress — because signing a discharge petition is a direct vote against your own leadership.
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Step 1 — Bill stuck in committee
A bill has been in committee for at least 30 legislative days without action. (Or a special rule has been at the Rules Committee for at least 7 legislative days.)
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Step 2 — Petition filed
Any member can file a discharge petition at the Speaker's desk. The petition is then open for signatures.
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Step 3 — 218 signatures
Once 218 members have signed, the petition is "discharged." Signers are public; this is what makes the procedure politically risky against your party's leadership.
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Step 4 — Floor consideration
On the second and fourth Mondays of each month, any signer can move to discharge. The motion is privileged — debate is limited to 20 minutes. Simple-majority vote brings the bill to the floor.
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Why most discharge attempts fail
Signing requires public defection from leadership. Members rarely sign unless they're willing to be on record against their party's strategy. Most petitions stall at 200-215 signatures.