H.Res. 276: To provide earmark reform in the House of Representatives.

111th Congress · introduced 2009-03-23 · Congress · Latest: Referred to House Standards of Official Conduct

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-03-23 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Nunes, Devin [R-CA-21] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to House Standards of Official Conduct Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To provide earmark reform in the House of Representatives.

Plain summary

Amends Rule XII (Receipt and Referral of Measures and Matters) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner (Members) making a request for a congressional earmark or a limited tax or tariff benefit to submit a petition with specified information to the Speaker of the House. Prohibits Members from submitting more than 10 petitions per session of Congress. Requires the Clerk of the House to make the full text of such petition publicly available within two days in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable online database, unless the subject of the petition relates to classified information. Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) to: (1) revise earmark disclosure requirements for resolutions prescribing a special order of business; and (2) eliminate separate earmark requirements for appropriations measures. Makes it out of order to consider any measure or matter (including any accompanying report or joint statement) or any amendment which contains: (1) a congressional earmark or limited tax or tariff benefit which was not the subject of a petition submitted to the Speaker and made available by the Clerk at least five legislative days before the request for it; (2) more than two congressional earmarks or limited tax or tariff benefits proposed by any Member; and (3) total new budget authority, credit authority, and other spending authority for all congressional earmarks contained in that measure (including any accompanying report or joint statement) proposed by members of each committee of initial referral that exceeds 200% of such authority as estimated by the Committee on the Budget for all earmarks contained in such measure proposed by nonmembers of those committees. Amends Rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) to prohibit Members from requesting a congressional earmark or limited tax or tariff benefit without complying with the petition requirements of Rule XII.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

A Yea supports adopting this resolution.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To provide earmark reform in the House of Representatives.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Nunes, Devin [R-CA-21] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Resolution: A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.
Roll-call vote: A vote where each member's position is recorded by name, so the public can see how every member voted. "Yea" means yes, "Nay" means no, "Present" means the member was there but did not take a side.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111hres276.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/hres>

Record fed-us-cong111-hres276 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111