This was a procedural vote on a resolution setting a time limit for debate and prohibiting amendments to legislation instructing congressional committees (such as the Education and the Workforce Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, etc.) to review existing, pending, and proposed regulations from federal agencies and identify which of those regulations may have been hindering economic growth and job creation. If passed, this particular procedural motion -- known as the “previous question" -- effectively ends debate and brings the pending legislation to an immediate vote.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) urged support for the resolution and the underlying legislation: “With the current high unemployment rate, it is essential we do everything reasonably possible that we can to look at and to reduce government rules and regulations that impede job creation and economic growth, that discourage innovation, hurt or harm global competitiveness, limit credit, create economic uncertainty, impose unnecessary paperwork and cost on small businesses, and that result in large-scale and often unnecessary unfunded mandates on employers.”

Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) argued that Republicans’ vision of less regulation would result in repealing clean air standards: “…Let me give a warning to people about what happens when the Republican Party wants to look at regulations. You know the first thing they did, they're trying to repeal the Clean Air Act. They're trying to gut the Clean Air Act which is the guardian angel for the air that our kids breathe….They have a dirty air act that would gut the ability--that would eliminate in total the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate harmful gases, carbon dioxide, ozone, and a host of other dangerous chemicals.”

The House agreed to the previous question motion by a vote of 240-180. All 234 Republicans present and 6 Democrats voted “yea.” 180 Democrats voted “nay.” As a result, the House proceeded to a final vote on a resolution setting a time limit for debate and prohibiting amendments to legislation instructing congressional committees to review existing, pending, and proposed regulations from federal agencies and identify which of those regulations may have been hindering economic growth and job creation.