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H.J.Res. 44: Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Manage

Feb 7, 2017 at 4:57 p.m. ET. On Passage of the Bill in the House.

This was a vote to agree to H.J.Res. 44 (115th) in the House.

Note: This bill passed both chambers in highly partisan votes with Republican support. The following summary was written by House GOP in support of the bill.

H.J.Res. 44, which passed the House and Senate on March 7, 2017, would disapprove and nullify the rule issued by the Department of the Interior on December 12, 2016, to establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA).

The final rule, known as Planning 2.0, completely overhauls existing resource management regulations and, according to the bill's sponsor, abandons Congressional intent derived from FLPMA. The rule would have allowed any member of the public to have the same level of input as states and localities at the beginning of the planning process, regardless of the accuracy of their science or feasibility of their proposals. Planning 2.0 would also have directed the BLM to do landscape-scale planning, potentially stretching the areas considered in plans across BLM Districts and state lines. That would have undermined local voices and moved important decision-making authorities away from local BLM officials.

Source: Republican Policy Committee

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Vote Outcome
All Votes R D
Yea 56%
 
 
234
230
 
4
 
Nay 44%
 
 
186
4
 
182
 
Not Voting
 
 
12
5
 
7
 

Passed. Simple Majority Required. Source: house.gov.

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The Speaker of the House is not required to vote in “ordinary legislative proceedings, except when such vote would be decisive.” In practice, this means the Speaker of the House rarely votes and only does so when it is politically useful. When the Speaker declines to vote, he or she is simply omitted from the roll call by the House Clerk. (See House Rules, Rule I(7).)
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