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House weighs HR 4 to clarify committee chairs' authority to take testimony under oath
Summary
Representative Bennion said HR 4 makes technical clarifications to existing House rules, affirming that committee chairs already have discretion to take testimony under oath; he urged support and called for questions before the House voted.
Representative Bennion introduced House Rules Resolution 4 on the House floor, saying the measure makes technical corrections and clarifications to existing rules governing a committee chair's ability to take testimony under oath. Bennion described the resolution as procedural rather than substantive and said it codifies a practice already used by some chairs.
Bennion told members the resolution clarifies language in the rules book (referencing HR 12.1212 and HR 14) and aligns the written rules with the way committee chairs have exercised discretion in recent practice. He said the changes "aren't anything new, just making some technical corrections" and invited questions from members of the body.
Following brief discussion, the House opened voting on HR 4. The transcript records that voting was opened and later called; the journal entry language was read into the record prior to the vote. The Clerk announced the motion and the House moved forward to a vote. The transcript does not include a roll-call tally or final recorded vote text in the excerpt provided.
The next procedural step noted on the floor was that voting had been opened on HR 4 and members were urged to cast their votes; the Clerk read formal journal language related to the action.
