House Democrats will file another 'discharge petition' Wednesday in an effort to force a vote on a bill to overhaul the nation's immigration system.
The move, which would need to obtain 218 signatures, is not expected to succeed (There are currently 199 Democrats in the House). House Democrats will unveil the petition at a Wednesday morning press event on the steps of the Capitol.
House Democrats have filed seven discharge petitions in the 113th Congress, all of which failed to obtain the signatures needed to force a vote on legislation. In the last 30 years, only seven discharge petitions have obtained enough signatures to force a vote.
Earlier this year, Democrats used the tactic to try to bring an extension of unemployment benefits and an increase in the federal minimum wage to the House floor. While those attempts failed, the process itself has been used as a messaging tool to highlight Republican's unwillingness to bring up bills.
In the case of Wednesday's discharge petition, Democrats are attempting to force a vote on HR 15 -- effectively the Senate-passed immigration bill with changes to the language concerning border security. That bill has three Republican co-sponsors: California Reps. David Valadao and Jeff Denham and Florida’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
But in the past, Republicans have not bucked their leadership and joined with Democrats to force a vote.
