Analyses / Whip Count Analysis / 119 · HRES 796 Whip Count Analysis

119-HRES-796 DC Insider Whip Count Analysis

119 · HRES 796 Expressing support for the designation of October 9 through October 16, 2025, as "National Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) Awareness Week" and a commitment to raise awareness of dyspraxia/DCD in the United States.

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H. Res. 796 is bipartisan and noncontroversial on policy, but it is a date‑specific commemorative simple resolution. Under current House GOP floor protocols and longstanding House practice, leadership does not schedule such measures and the Rules Committee rarely waives that bar; with the House consumed by a shutdown fight this week, the measure is very unlikely to reach the floor before Oct. 16. If leadership grants a waiver and it is called up (likely under suspension), it would pass easily. [1]House Majority Leader — 119th Congress Floor Protocols | Majority Leader[2]Congress.gov (CRS) — CRS: Congressional Recognition of Commemorative Days, Week…[3]Axios — Mike Johnson rejects Hakeem Jeffries' shutdown debate demand

Analyzed as
DC Insider
Published
09 Oct 2025
Updated
09 Oct 2025
Tags
whipcount · House simple resolution · Energy & Commerce
Vetted
01 · Section

Breakdown: where the votes and bottlenecks are

Context: H. Res. 796 is a House simple resolution (no Senate/President role). The key question is not floor vote math but whether House GOP leadership will schedule or waive their bar on date‑specific commemoratives. [4]House.gov — Bills & Resolutions[1]House Majority Leader — 119th Congress Floor Protocols | Majority Leader

  • Chamber/vehicle: House simple resolution; not presented to the President and does not require Senate action. [4]House.gov — Bills & Resolutions
  • Majority control: Republicans hold a narrow House majority in the 119th Congress; Mike Johnson is Speaker; Steve Scalise is Majority Leader. Floor time and the schedule are controlled by leadership. [5]Associated Press — 119th Congress Latest: Mike Johnson narrowly reelected House…[6]House Majority Leader — Majority Leader | Steve Scalise
  • Committee landscape: Measures on public‑health awareness typically reside in Energy & Commerce; in the 119th, Brett Guthrie chairs E&C. He noticed the committee’s organizational meeting in January 2025. This is the logical (and in the prior Congress, actual) referral path for the dyspraxia/DCD awareness resolution. [7]House Energy & Commerce Committee (Republicans) — Chairman Guthrie Announces En…[8]House Energy & Commerce Committee (Republicans) — Chair Rodgers Congratulates R…[9]Congress.gov — H. Res. 1356 (118th): National Dyspraxia/DCD Awareness Week
  • House practice on commemoratives: House Rule XII’s history and GOP protocols discourage scheduling date‑specific commemorations; the Majority Leader’s published 119th‑Congress floor protocols reiterate that such items are not to be scheduled under suspension, absent a leadership waiver. [2]Congress.gov (CRS) — CRS: Congressional Recognition of Commemorative Days, Week…[1]House Majority Leader — 119th Congress Floor Protocols | Majority Leader
  • Past analog: The same resolution in the 118th Congress (H. Res. 1356) was referred to Energy & Commerce and never left committee—consistent with the protocols above. [9]Congress.gov — H. Res. 1356 (118th): National Dyspraxia/DCD Awareness Week
  • If it reaches the floor: It would almost certainly be considered under suspension, requiring two‑thirds of Members present and voting. Given the bipartisan subject and two‑party sponsorship, it would be expected to clear that threshold easily. [10]Congress.gov (CRS) — CRS In Focus: Suspension of the Rules in the House (98-314)
  • Calendar pressure: The designation week is Oct. 9–16, 2025. With leadership cancelling votes amid the shutdown fight this week, scheduling a commemorative is especially unlikely before the window closes. [3]Axios — Mike Johnson rejects Hakeem Jeffries' shutdown debate demand
House control
1GOP (narrow) [5]Associated Press — 119th Congress Latest: Mike Johnson narrowly reelected House…
Suspension threshold
66.7% of Members present (2/3) [10]Congress.gov (CRS) — CRS In Focus: Suspension of the Rules in the House (98-314)
Window remaining for stated dates
7days (through Oct 16, 2025)
02 · Section

Key legislators/deciders

The swing here is procedural and rests with leadership and relevant chairs, not rank‑and‑file vote intentions.

  • Speaker Mike Johnson (R‑LA): Controls recognition and overall floor posture; during the current shutdown fight he has limited floor activity, reducing appetite for commemoratives. [5]Associated Press — 119th Congress Latest: Mike Johnson narrowly reelected House…[3]Axios — Mike Johnson rejects Hakeem Jeffries' shutdown debate demand
  • Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R‑LA): Publishes and enforces the 119th floor protocols; any commemorative requires either adherence to the bar or a waiver approved by a majority of elected leadership. Gatekeeper. [1]House Majority Leader — 119th Congress Floor Protocols | Majority Leader
  • Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R‑NC): Can report a special rule waiving points of order to bring the resolution up despite protocols, but this is rare for date‑specific commemoratives. Her chairmanship is confirmed by official committee communications. [11]House Rules Committee (Republicans) — Chairwoman Foxx Announces New Rules Commi…
  • Energy & Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R‑KY): Jurisdictional chair; can choose to ignore or advance awareness items, though such resolutions typically do not get markups. [7]House Energy & Commerce Committee (Republicans) — Chairman Guthrie Announces En…
  • Sponsors: Rep. Michael Lawler (R‑NY) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D‑NJ) are bipartisan leads on dyspraxia/DCD efforts this Congress (e.g., their GAO coverage‑study bill). They can build cosponsor lists but cannot overcome the scheduling bar without leadership buy‑in. [12]Congress.gov — Text: H.R. 2943 (119th) — Gabriel Rosenberg Dyspraxia/DCD Covera…
03 · Section

Leadership influence and procedural dynamics

Leadership policy, not policy disagreement, is the binding constraint.

  • Standing practice: CRS documents the House’s long‑running prohibition and party rules/protocols limiting time‑specific commemoratives. Practically, these measures are introduced but not scheduled. [2]Congress.gov (CRS) — CRS: Congressional Recognition of Commemorative Days, Week…
  • Current GOP protocols (119th): The Majority Leader will not schedule resolutions that “acknowledge or recognize a period of time” under suspension. A waiver requires a majority of elected leadership. [1]House Majority Leader — 119th Congress Floor Protocols | Majority Leader
  • Alternative path: The Rules Committee could report a tailored special rule to consider H. Res. 796. Chair Foxx’s public posture and the committee’s 2025 workload suggest low likelihood of using scarce rule time on a commemorative during a shutdown and appropriations crunch. [11]House Rules Committee (Republicans) — Chairwoman Foxx Announces New Rules Commi…[13]House Rules Committee — House Rules Committee Press Releases (2025)
  • Political cost/benefit: Because the measure is bipartisan and noncontroversial, leadership gains little by burning floor or rules time; conversely, a waiver could set a precedent and open the floodgates for other commemoratives. This is why similar measures (e.g., the 118th version) stalled. [9]Congress.gov — H. Res. 1356 (118th): National Dyspraxia/DCD Awareness Week
04 · Section

Assessment: likelihood of passage

Bottom line from a whip perspective.

  • Before Oct. 16, 2025: Low likelihood. The chamber is preoccupied with funding brinkmanship and leadership has curtailed floor action; waiving the commemoratives bar this week is improbable. [3]Axios — Mike Johnson rejects Hakeem Jeffries' shutdown debate demand[1]House Majority Leader — 119th Congress Floor Protocols | Majority Leader
  • This Congress (absent text changes): Low. Expect referral to Energy & Commerce and no floor movement, mirroring the 118th pattern. [9]Congress.gov — H. Res. 1356 (118th): National Dyspraxia/DCD Awareness Week
  • If scheduled despite protocols (e.g., via waiver or special rule): High likelihood of passage under suspension on a broad bipartisan vote. The subject matter and bipartisan sponsorship would likely clear the 2/3 threshold. [10]Congress.gov (CRS) — CRS In Focus: Suspension of the Rules in the House (98-314)
05 · Section

Interest groups and outside signals

No evidence of organized opposition; disability advocates would likely support awareness efforts.

  • Dyspraxia DCD America and Dyspraxia Foundation USA actively campaign for dyspraxia/DCD awareness nationally; they are natural validators for Members but do not change the House scheduling barrier. [14]Dyspraxia DCD America — Home - Dyspraxia DCD America[15]Dyspraxia Foundation USA — Dyspraxia Foundation USA – Understand, Support, Acce…
  • International and national DCD communities mark October awareness activities, which increase member interest but still depend on House leadership discretion for floor time. [16]ISRA-DCD — International Society for Research and Advocacy for DCD (ISRA-DCD) –…
Sources cited
  1. [1] 119th Congress Floor Protocols | Majority Leader House Majority Leader
  2. [2] CRS: Congressional Recognition of Commemorative Days, Weeks, and Months (R48065) Congress.gov (CRS)
  3. [3] Mike Johnson rejects Hakeem Jeffries' shutdown debate demand Axios
  4. [4] Bills & Resolutions House.gov
  5. [5] 119th Congress Latest: Mike Johnson narrowly reelected House speaker Associated Press
  6. [6] Majority Leader | Steve Scalise House Majority Leader
  7. [7] Chairman Guthrie Announces Energy & Commerce Organizational Meeting (119th) House Energy & Commerce Committee (Republicans)
  8. [8] Chair Rodgers Congratulates Rep. Guthrie on Selection to Lead E&C (119th) House Energy & Commerce Committee (Republicans)
  9. [9] H. Res. 1356 (118th): National Dyspraxia/DCD Awareness Week Congress.gov
  10. [10] CRS In Focus: Suspension of the Rules in the House (98-314) Congress.gov (CRS)
  11. [11] Chairwoman Foxx Announces New Rules Committee Staff Director, Policy Director House Rules Committee (Republicans)
  12. [12] Text: H.R. 2943 (119th) — Gabriel Rosenberg Dyspraxia/DCD Coverage Act Congress.gov
  13. [13] House Rules Committee Press Releases (2025) House Rules Committee
  14. [14] Home - Dyspraxia DCD America Dyspraxia DCD America
  15. [15] Dyspraxia Foundation USA – Understand, Support, Accept Dyspraxia Foundation USA
  16. [16] International Society for Research and Advocacy for DCD (ISRA-DCD) – Awareness Week note ISRA-DCD

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