Discharge Petition (Constitution) Law and Legal Definition
A discharge petition is a petition signed by the members of the House of Representatives to bring a bill from committee to the floor for consideration. A discharge petition requires the signature of an absolute majority of the members which is signature of 218 members. Discharge petitions are moved when the committees delays the reporting of bills thus making it not possible to discuss in the legislature. A successful moving of a discharge petition discharges the bill without a report from a Committee. Some state legislatures also provide for discharge petitions.
