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Historical outcomes of successful discharge petitions in Congress
Executive summary
Discharge petitions are a rare, difficult House procedure that requires 218 signatures and at least 30 legislative days in committee; historically only a handful reach the threshold and even fewer produce laws — for example, the Export‑Import Bank reauthorization in 2015 and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (campaign finance reform) earlier were notable successful outcomes [1] [2] [3]. Contemporary analyses stress the tool’s scarcity: CRS and other historians report that most petitions fail or are used chiefly as leverage rather than as a final path to law [1] [4] [5].
1. How the rule actually works — built to be hard
The discharge process permits any Member to file a motion to remove a bill from committee after it has sat there for 30 legislative days; to proceed, supporters must gather a majority of the full House (218 signatures) and then wait prescribed layover periods before the motion can be offered on the floor — mechanics designed to make discharge rare and deliberate [1] [6]. The Clerk maintains the petition and publishes signers; once 218 names are reached the list is frozen and the motion enters the Calendar [1].
2. Frequency and historical success — very limited numbers
Scholars and CRS counts show discharge petitions have been used often as threats but seldom converted into floor action or law. Between mid‑20th century counts and early 2000s analyses, only a small proportion of filed petitions made it to the floor and only a couple became law after the 1993 rules change that made signatures public [4] [5] [7]. CRS and other reviews report that many petitions are filed but relatively few reach the 218 threshold; the threat of a petition often pressures committees or leadership to act before a petition succeeds [4] [5].
3. Notable successful outcomes — what passed and when
Modern, frequently cited examples of successful discharge outcomes include the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (campaign finance reform) which moved through via discharge and became law, and the 2015 bipartisan discharge that forced a House vote to reauthorize the Export‑Import Bank [3] [2]. Reporting and advocacy documents mark 2002 (campaign finance) and 2015 (Export‑Import Bank) as high‑profile successes; other historical successes are scattered earlier in the 20th century but are far rarer in recent decades [8] [5].
4. Why so few become law — political and procedural dynamics
Two features explain the low conversion rate: first, the supermajority‑style hurdle of 218 signatures in a polarized, leadership‑disciplined House; second, transparency of signatures since 1993 which allows leaders to identify and pressure potential signers, often resulting in withdrawals or near‑misses [1] [5]. Analysts note the tactic often functions as leverage — prompting committee hearings or leadership concessions — more than as a straightforward route to enactment [4] [5].
5. Variations in form and strategic use — three types and the modern pattern
There are multiple forms of discharge (direct on a bill, on a special rule, etc.), and since Congress’s recent practice the special‑rule variety has become the most common. Modern users sometimes prefer threatening or initiating a petition to shape negotiations or force leadership to act rather than relying on a literal majority to carry it across the finish line [2] [1].
6. Recent context and where analysts expect it to matter
Commentators and legal briefs in 2024–2025 suggested the discharge petition could reemerge as a practical tool in closely divided Houses where a small faction can swing a majority — for instance around urgent matters like the debt ceiling or shutdown‑averting bills — but they caution success still requires bipartisan defections and faces leadership resistance [9] [10]. Coverage of specific petitions (e.g., Epstein records or immigration efforts) shows the mechanism remains available and occasionally succeeds in securing the necessary signatures to force floor timing [11] [8].
7. Interpreting outcomes — law, leverage, or symbolism?
Available sources emphasize that successful discharge petitions that produce final laws are exceptional; more often the petition serves as leverage to force committee action, publicize an issue, or extract concessions [5] [4]. When a petition does reach the floor and pass, it still may face subsequent hurdles (amendments, Senate, presidential action) — so “successful discharge” does not guarantee enactment, only floor consideration and sometimes passage in the House [10] [1].
Limitations and sourcing note: This analysis relies on the provided reporting and CRS/think‑tank summaries; available sources document key examples (BCRA/campaign finance and the 2015 Export‑Import Bank reauthorization) and broader statistics on rarity, but they do not provide a complete roll‑call list of every successful petition across all Congresses here — that granular list is not found in the current set of documents [8] [4].