Search people, articles, bills, and more
A procedural attempt to send a bill protecting fracking from presidential bans back to committee failed by a narrow two-vote margin.
This vote was a procedural attempt to stop H.R. 26, the Protecting American Energy Production Act. The underlying bill would prevent the President from banning or pausing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) without an act of Congress. It also expresses the view that states should maintain the primary authority to regulate fracking on their own lands. A "motion to recommit" is a move often made by the opposition party just before a final vote on a bill. It asks the House to send the bill back to the committee that first reviewed it. Under current House rules, this is a procedural move that does not include specific changes; if it passes, the bill is effectively stalled or killed for the time being. The motion failed 205 to 207, a very close result. Both political parties were split on this vote, with a significant number of members from both sides voting against their party's majority. Because the motion failed, the House was able to move immediately to a final vote on whether to pass the bill into law.
Following the failure of this motion, the House proceeded to a final vote on the passage of H.R. 26.
OPEN BILL →Democrats. The Democratic caucus was split, with 97 members supporting the motion and 113 opposing it.
Republicans. The Republican caucus was also split, with 110 supporting the motion and 103 opposing it.
A procedural attempt to send a bill protecting fracking from presidential bans back to committee failed by a narrow two-vote margin.
A motion to recommit is a final attempt by the minority party to stall a bill before it passes. In the current House era, this motion simply sends the bill back to committee without specific instructions for changes, which usually serves to kill the bill's momentum.
Following the failure of this motion, the House proceeded to a final vote on the passage of H.R. 26.
Both parties were notably divided on this procedural step, which is unusual for a motion to recommit; it failed by a slim margin of only two votes.
The Democratic caucus was split, with 97 members supporting the motion and 113 opposing it.
The Republican caucus was also split, with 110 supporting the motion and 103 opposing it.
The single independent member voted against the motion.