Recommending that the House of Representatives find William P. Barr, Attorney General of the United States, and Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary of Commerce, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with subpoenas duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Latest action · Jul 23, 2019 CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENT - The Chair informed the House that, pursuant to H.Res. 497, the Speaker has certified to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia the refusal of William P. Barr and Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., to produce documents to the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Progress
Where this resolution reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried. A simple resolution is the business of one chamber alone: it is not sent to the other chamber or to the President, and does not become law.
- IntroducedJul 17, 2019
- Agreed to in HouseJul 17, 2019
Summary
This resolution finds Attorney General William P. Barr and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with certain subpoenas authorized and issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform relating to the 2020 census. The resolution states that Mr. Barr and Mr. Ross failed to produce documents in compliance with subpoenas issued on April 2, 2019. The resolution also states that Mr. Barr ordered a Department of Justice employee, John Gore, not to comply with an April 11, 2019, subpoena requiring Mr. Gore to appear for deposition testimony before the committee.
The House of Representatives must certify to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia a committee report detailing the failure to comply with the subpoenas.
The resolution requires the House and committee to take additional action to enforce the subpoenas.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 489 | On Agreeing to the Resolution | Passed230–198 | Jul 17, 2019 |
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Actions 11
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 23, 2019CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENT - The Chair informed the House that, pursuant to H.Res. 497, the Speaker has certified to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia the refusal of William P. Barr and Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., to produce documents to the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
- Jul 17, 2019Introduced in House
- Jul 17, 2019By direction of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Mr. Cummings called up H. Res. 497 and asked for its immediate consideration.
- Jul 17, 2019Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 491. (consideration: CR H5941-5949)
- Jul 17, 2019Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3494 and H. Res. 489 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 3494 under a structured rule; provides for consideration of a resolution relating to House Report 116-125, if called up by direction of the Committee on Overisight and Reform; provides for consideration of a joint resolution reported by the Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding the Arms Export Control Act; provides for consideration of H. Res. 489.
- Jul 17, 2019DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H. Res. 497.
- Jul 17, 2019The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
- Jul 17, 2019POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H. Res. 497, the Chair put the question on agreeing to the resolution and by voice vote, announced the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Comer demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on agreeing to the resolution until a time to be announced.
- Jul 17, 2019Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5977-5978)
- Jul 17, 2019Passed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 230 - 198 (Roll no. 489). (text: CR H5942)
- Jul 17, 2019Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this resolution, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H7130, H7132 | Steny H. Hoyer D-MD, Steve Scalise R-LA | Jul 18, 2019 |
| House | Debate and remarks H5942–H5949Text printed H5942Recorded votes H5977find | Brenda L. Lawrence D-MI, Carol D. Miller R-WV, Carolyn B. Maloney D-NY, Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC, Elijah E. Cummings D-MD, Fred Keller R-PA, Gerald E. Connolly D-VA, Glenn Grothman R-WI, James Comer R-KY, Jamie Raskin D-MD, Jim Jordan R-OH, Jimmy Gomez D-CA, Jody B. Hice R-GA, Kelly Armstrong R-ND, Kevin McCarthy R-CA, Louie Gohmert R-TX, Mark Meadows R-NC, Stacey E. Plaskett D-VI | Jul 17, 2019 |
Research
What has been written about this resolution: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this resolution or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL30240 | Congressional Oversight Manual | Report | Mar 27, 2026 |
| R46061 | Voluntary Testimony by Executive Branch Officials: An Introduction Archived | Report | Nov 27, 2019 |
Titles 1
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- Recommending that the House of Representatives find William P. Barr, Attorney General of the United States, and Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary of Commerce, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with subpoenas duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Congress.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 17, 2019Engrossed in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this resolution on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
