The following article by Melanie Zanona was posted on the Hill website September 6, 2018:
House Republicans are chewing over a proposal to hold members accountable for not voting along party lines or for signing discharge petitions — two acts of rebellion that GOP leadership has had to grapple with this year.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) pitched the idea on Tuesday to the Republican Steering Committee, where it received a warm reception, but the panel decided to hold off on voting on the resolution until after the midterm elections, according to two GOP lawmakers who were present and a Republican source.
The resolution would require the Steering Committee to review whether changes should be made to a lawmaker’s committee assignments if they vote against a rule, which sets the stage for floor debate on legislation and is almost always passed along party lines, or if they support a discharge petition, which is a tool to force floor votes with 218 signatures and circumvent leadership.