This resolution (H. Res. 936) prescribes the House floor procedures for considering six separate measures (five House bills and one Senate bill).
For each listed bill it designates debate time, identifies which committee members control debate, accepts specific substitute texts as ‘‘considered adopted,’’ and tightly restricts what further amendments may be offered.
The resolution matters because it materially shapes how each underlying substantive bill will be amended, debated, and voted upon. By waiving points of order and channeling amendments to those printed in the Rules report, the resolution accelerates floor scheduling and concentrates amendment access, affecting legislative strategy, oversight, and stakeholder input into the substantive measures themselves.
At a Glance
What It Does
The resolution authorizes the Speaker to resolve the House into the Committee of the Whole for consideration of each named bill, waives points of order, limits general debate to one hour (or other specified amounts), treats designated committee substitute texts as adopted, and permits only amendments printed in the accompanying Rules Committee report parts. Each further amendment is controlled for time, proponent, and order; the previous question is ordered to final passage with one motion to recommit allowed.
Who It Affects
Majority leadership and the Rules Committee gain firm control of floor content and timing; committee chairs (and their designees) are allocated control of debate time. Sponsors of the six underlying bills and their allied stakeholders gain predictable amendment pathways, while rank-and-file members and minority-party advocates face curtailed amendment opportunities.
Why It Matters
This resolution changes not the substantive law but the legislative pathway: by locking in substitutes and waiver terms it reduces opportunities for unexpected amendments, accelerates consideration, and raises the strategic stakes for stakeholders trying to influence the six bills during the limited window afforded on the floor.
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What This Bill Actually Does
H. Res. 936 is a Rules Committee product that lays out, in a single package, how the House will take up six separate bills.
For each bill the resolution gives the Speaker authority to put the House into the Committee of the Whole for consideration, dispenses with first readings, and expressly waives points of order that might otherwise block parts of the bills or procedures on the floor. The effect is procedural streamlining: the House can move directly to debate and amendment under the terms the resolution specifies.
The resolution sets debate time and who controls it on a per-bill basis—typically one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee of jurisdiction or their designees—and then moves each bill into amendment consideration under the five-minute rule. For two bills the resolution goes further and treats an amendment in the nature of a substitute as ‘‘considered adopted’’ (one substitute is the committee-recommended substitute printed in the bill itself; another is a Rules Committee Print referenced by number).
After that, the bill as amended is considered the base text for any additional amendments.Additional amendments are tightly constrained: only amendments printed in the accompanying Rules Committee report (divided into parts A–D and C for different bills) may be offered; each must be offered in the order printed, only by the Member designated in the report, considered as read, debatable for the time specified (equally divided between proponent and opponent), not subject to amendment, and not subject to division of the question. The resolution also orders the previous question on final passage (so the House moves to vote without intervening dilatory motions), but preserves one motion to recommit where specified.Two procedural items are unique to particular entries: the Rules print number for the substitute to be considered adopted in lieu of the committee substitute for H.R. 3383 is specifically identified, and for S. 1071 the chairs of Armed Services and Permanent Select on Intelligence are authorized to insert explanatory material into the Congressional Record by a set deadline.
Finally, the resolution contains a housekeeping provision allowing the Speaker to dispense with organizational and legislative business on legislative days before January 6, 2026, which subtly broadens scheduling flexibility in the closing weeks of the session.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The resolution treats the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s amendment in the nature of a substitute for H.R. 3898 as ‘‘considered adopted’’ for floor purposes.
For H.R. 3383, the House will consider as adopted a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119–15 in lieu of the committee-recommended substitute.
Only amendments printed in the Rules Committee report (organized into parts A–D and part C) may be offered on the floor for the listed bills; each such amendment must be offered in the printed order and only by a designated Member.
All points of order against consideration and against provisions in the bills (and against the printed further amendments) are waived throughout the resolution.
The resolution orders the previous question for final passage on each bill (subject to the single preserved motion to recommit where noted) and permits the Speaker to accept Committee of the Whole consideration at any time after adoption.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Committee of the Whole procedures for H.R. 3898 (WOTUS reforms)
Section 1 gives the Speaker the specific authority to move the House into the Committee of the Whole to consider H.R. 3898, waives the first reading and all points of order against consideration, and confines general debate to one hour split between the chair and ranking member of Transportation and Infrastructure or their designees. It makes the committee’s amendment in the nature of a substitute ‘‘considered adopted’’ and establishes the five-minute rule for subsequent amendments. Practically, this locks the base text for floor amendments and prevents points-of-order objections that could otherwise exclude provisions or trigger procedural delays.
Closed-substitute and amendment controls for H.R. 3383 (Investment Company Act changes)
Section 2 mirrors Section 1’s structure for H.R. 3383 but specifies that an alternate substitute—the text of Rules Committee Print 119–15—will be treated as adopted in place of the committee substitute. It waives points of order and confines debate to one hour controlled by the Financial Services Committee chair and ranking member or designees. It further restricts subsequent amendments to those printed in part B of the Rules report, creating a closed pathway for amendment offers and centralizing who may offer each amendment.
Assessment reports bill (H.R. 3638): debate and closed amendment list
Section 3 authorizes Committee of the Whole consideration for H.R. 3638, dispenses with the first reading and waives points of order, and grants one hour of general debate controlled by the Energy and Commerce Committee leadership or designees. After debate the bill proceeds under the five-minute rule, but only amendments printed in part C of the Rules report are in order. This combination accelerates floor consideration while protecting the majority’s negotiated amendment package.
PUHCA/State reliable generation standard bill (H.R. 3628): open debate window and single special amendment
Section 4 makes H.R. 3628 in order on the House floor, waives points of order, and considers the bill as read. It preserves one hour of debate (divided between Energy and Commerce leaders) and allows one additional amendment printed in part D of the report to be offered if presented by the report’s designated Member; that amendment is treated as read, separately debatable to the time specified, and not subject to division of the question. The section again orders the previous question for final passage with one motion to recommit available.
Natural Gas Act coordination bill (H.R. 3668): debate cap and recommit option
Section 5 places H.R. 3668 on the floor with waived points of order and one hour of general debate under Energy and Commerce control. Unlike some other entries, it allows only the set of printed amendments specified in the Rules report and preserves a single motion to recommit. For Members and stakeholders this means limited opportunities to interpose new language on interagency coordination for NGA authorizations.
S. 1071 (disinterment at Fort Sam Houston): substitute adopted and controlled debate
Section 6 makes S. 1071 in order with an amendment in the nature of a substitute drawn from Rules Committee Print 119–16 treated as adopted; it waives points of order and sets one hour of debate split between the Armed Services Committee chair and ranking member or designees. The arrangement ensures the substitute text is the operative floor text and limits amendments to those printed in the Rules report, while protecting final passage via the previous question with a single motion to commit preserved.
Congressional Record insertions for S. 1071
Section 7 authorizes the chairs of Armed Services and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to insert explanatory material about S. 1071 into the Congressional Record by a specified deadline (December 12, 2025). Practically, this allows committee chairs to provide context or classified-sensitive explanation (in redacted form if necessary) accompanying the bill’s record without altering the bill text.
Scheduling housekeeping before January 6, 2026
Section 8 permits the Speaker, on any legislative day before January 6, 2026, to dispense with organizational and legislative business and to treat the Journal as approved if applicable. That provision is a limited procedural convenience intended to provide scheduling flexibility in the second session of the 119th Congress.
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Explore Government in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- House majority leadership — Gains tight control over floor debate, amendment order, and scheduling, enabling a predictable path to final passage for the six bills.
- Sponsors and proponents of the six underlying bills — Obtain a locked-in base text (through adopted substitutes) and a limited, managed amendment environment that reduces the risk of hostile or unvetted amendments.
- Relevant committee chairs (Transportation & Infrastructure, Financial Services, Energy & Commerce, Armed Services) — Receive formal delegation of debate control and the ability to shape which amendments reach the floor through the Rules report.
- Industry and advocacy groups aligned with the bills’ sponsors — Benefit from a compressed and predictable process to advance preferred language without prolonged floor fights.
Who Bears the Cost
- Rank-and-file Members, especially in the minority — Face curtailed amendment rights because only designated, printed amendments may be offered and points of order are waived.
- Opposing stakeholders and adversarial lobby groups — Lose leverage on the floor since the closed amendment lists limit opportunities to introduce counter-proposals or negotiate in real time.
- Committees of jurisdiction for certain technical or jurisdictional objections — May see fewer opportunities to press for changes via points of order or to force additional floor debate on disputed provisions.
- House institutional safeguards — The waiver of points of order shifts responsibility for procedural compliance onto leadership and the Rules process, potentially raising enforcement and oversight costs downstream.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The bill forces a trade-off between the majority’s need to move multiple measures efficiently—and with predictable, pre-negotiated amendment packages—and the institutional value of open amendment, procedural review, and minority participation; accelerating action and avoiding floor delays reduces deliberation and the capacity to surface drafting flaws, jurisdictional disputes, or budgetary impacts before final passage.
The resolution prioritizes speed and predictability over open amendment processes and procedural checks. Waiving all points of order against consideration and against provisions in the bills removes a class of procedural safeguards that typically enforce jurisdictional boundaries, budget rules, and technical drafting standards—so defects that would otherwise be caught on procedural grounds may reach final passage.
Treating substitutes as ‘‘considered adopted’’ fixes the operative text early; that helps proponents but removes a layer of deliberation where members could propose alternative policy approaches that might better reflect compromise or correct drafting errors.
Operationally, splitting amendment authority into report parts and designating individual offering Members creates a logistical bottleneck: if a printed amendment contains drafting errors or unforeseen consequences, there is limited in-floor recourse (no amendment to the amendment, no division of the question), and debate time is brief. The combination of waived points of order and the previous question ordered to final passage leaves a narrow window for substantive committee or independent review to address technical conflicts, scoring issues, or interagency concerns that surface late.
Finally, the resolution bundles six disparate bills under similar procedural constraints despite varying policy complexity, which could compress complex oversight decisions into identical, short debate slots and increase the chance that technical implications are overlooked.
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