H.Res. 85: Amending the Code of Official Conduct in the Rules of the House of Representatives to strengthen the reporting requirements for Members who request earmarks.

111th Congress · introduced 2009-01-26 · Congress · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-01-26 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ-6] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on 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

Amending the Code of Official Conduct in the Rules of the House of Representatives to strengthen the reporting requirements for Members who request earmarks.

Plain summary

Amends Rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) of the Rules of the House of Representatives with respect to whether a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissiorer (Member) has a financial interest in any requested congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit in any bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report), or in any related conference report (or accompanying joint statement of managers). Treats as such a financial interest any campaign contribution to such individual in excess of a de minimis amount made by or on behalf of: (1) any political, for profit, or nonprofit entity; (2) any employee or person affiliated with any such entity; or (3) any political action committee (PAC) established by, administered by, or affiliated with any such entity, by or on behalf of its registered lobbyist, or by or on behalf of such PAC during the current or previous session of Congress.

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

Amending the Code of Official Conduct in the Rules of the House of Representatives to strengthen the reporting requirements for Members who request earmarks.

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. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ-6] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

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 (6)

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).
Joint resolution: In Texas, the type of measure the Legislature uses to propose a constitutional amendment (marked HJR or SJR). The governor does not sign or veto it; the voters decide. In Congress a joint resolution can also be used like a bill. In Florida, a joint resolution passed by three-fifths of the members of each chamber puts a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Political action committee (PAC): A committee that raises and spends money to support or oppose candidates. PACs that give directly to federal candidates have contribution limits and report to the Federal Election Commission.
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-111hres85.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/hres>

Record fed-us-cong111-hres85 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111