119-hres477

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 477 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 477

 Establishing the Select Committee on President Biden's Cognitive 
 Decline.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 4, 2025

Mr. Patronis submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Establishing the Select Committee on President Biden's Cognitive 
 Decline.

Whereas overwhelming evidence shows President Biden and his staff covered up the 
 extent of his cognitive decline;
Whereas additional information has come to light following his departure from 
 the White House showing the full extent of his cognitive infirmaries;
Whereas the 25th Amendment establishes a process whereby the President or the 
 Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the 
 executive departments or such other body as Congress may by law provide 
 may report to Congress that the President is unable to discharge the 
 powers and duties of the office;
Whereas the American people deserve to have a President who is engaged and 
 understands the nature and consequences of his actions; and
Whereas Congress has an institutional interest in understanding whether the 
 President is capable of discharging these powers and duties: Now, 
 therefore, be it
 Resolved,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT.

 There is hereby established in the House of Representatives a 
Select Committee on President Biden's Cognitive Decline (hereafter in 
this resolution referred to as the ``Select Committee'').

SEC. 2. COMPOSITION.

    (a) Appointment of Members.--The Speaker shall appoint 13 Members 
to the Select Committee, 5 of whom shall be appointed after 
consultation with the minority leader.

    (b) Designation of Chair.--The Speaker shall designate one Member 
to serve as chair of the Select Committee.
            (c) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Select Committee shall be filled 
in the same manner as the original appointment.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

 Consistent with the functions described in 

section 4, the purposes 
of the Select Committee are the following:

    (1) To investigate and to report upon the facts, 
 circumstances, and causes related to the coverup of President 
 Biden's cognitive decline (hereafter referred to as ``the 
 coverup'').

    (2) To determine who was executing the powers and duties of 
 the President given the coverup.

    (3) To examine and evaluate evidence developed by relevant 
 Federal, State, and local governmental offices regarding the 
 facts and circumstances surrounding the coverup.

    (4) To build upon the investigations of other entities and 
 avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts by reviewing the 
 investigations, findings, conclusions, and recommendations of 
 other executive branch, congressional, or independent 
 bipartisan or nonpartisan investigations into the coverup.

SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS.

    (a) Functions.--The functions of the Select Committee are to--

    (1) investigate the facts, circumstances, and causes 
 relating to the coverup, including facts and circumstances 
 relating to--
        (A) activities of intelligence agencies, law 
 enforcement agencies, and the Armed Forces, including 
 with respect to intelligence collection, analysis, and 
 dissemination and information sharing among the 
 branches and other instrumentalities of government;
        (B) influencing factors that contributed to the 
 coverup and how technology, including online platforms, 
 financing, and malign foreign influence operations and 
 campaigns may have factored into the motivation, 
 organization, and execution of the coverup; and
            (C) other entities of the public and private sector 
 as determined relevant by the Select Committee for such 
 investigation;

    (2) identify, review, and evaluate the causes of and the 
 lessons learned from the coverup regarding--
        (A) the command, control, and communications of the 
 Federal Government;
        (B) the structure, coordination, operational plans, 
 policies, and procedures of the Federal Government;
            (C) the structure, authorities, training, manpower 
 utilization, equipment, and operational planning of the 
 Federal Government; and
            (D) the policies, protocols, processes, procedures, 
 and systems of the Federal Government;

    (3) submit all legislative proposals to the House or any 
 committee of the House; and

    (4) not later than September 25, 2026, issue a final report 
 to the House containing such findings, conclusions, and 
 recommendations for corrective measures described in subsection
            (c) as it may deem necessary.

    (b) Reports.--

    (1) Interim reports.--In addition to the final report 
 required under subsection

    (a)

    (4) , the Select Committee may 
 report to the House or any committee of the House from time to 
 time the results of its investigations, together with such 
 detailed findings and legislative proposals as it may deem 
 advisable.

    (2) Treatment of classified or law enforcement-sensitive 
 matter.--Any report issued by the Select Committee shall be 
 issued in unclassified form but may include a classified annex, 
 a law enforcement-sensitive annex, or both.
            (c) Corrective Measures Described.--The corrective measures 
described in this subsection may include changes in law, policy, 
procedures, rules, or regulations that could be taken--

    (1) to prevent future acts covering up the President's 
 cognitive decline;

    (2) to improve the public's understanding of the 
 President's cognitive health; and

    (3) to strengthen the domestic institutions of the United 
 States.
            (d) No Legislative Jurisdiction.--The Select Committee shall not 
have legislative jurisdiction and shall have no authority to take 
legislative action on any bill or resolution.

SEC. 5. PROCEDURE.

    (a) Access to Information From Intelligence Community.--
Notwithstanding clause 3
            (m) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Select Committee is authorized to study the 
sources and methods of entities described in clause 11

    (b)

    (1)
        (A) of rule 
X insofar as such study is related to the matters described in sections 
3 and 4.

    (b) Treatment of Classified Information.--Clause 11

    (b)

    (4) , clause 
11

    (e) , and the first sentence of clause 11

    (f) of rule X of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives shall apply to the Select Committee.
            (c) Applicability of Rules Governing Procedures of Committees.--
Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives shall apply to the 
Select Committee except as follows:

    (1) Clause 2

    (a) of rule XI shall not apply to the Select 
 Committee.

    (2) Clause 2

    (g)

    (2)
            (D) of rule XI shall apply to the Select 
 Committee in the same manner as it applies to the Permanent 
 Select Committee on Intelligence.

    (3) Pursuant to clause 2

    (h) of rule XI, two Members of the 
 Select Committee shall constitute a quorum for taking testimony 
 or receiving evidence and one-third of the Members of the 
 Select Committee shall constitute a quorum for taking any 
 action other than one for which the presence of a majority of 
 the Select Committee is required.

    (4) The chair of the Select Committee may authorize and 
 issue subpoenas pursuant to clause 2
            (m) of rule XI in the 
 investigation and study conducted pursuant to sections 3 and 4 
 of this resolution, including for the purpose of taking 
 depositions.

    (5) The chair of the Select Committee is authorized to 
 compel by subpoena the furnishing of information by 
 interrogatory.

    (6)
        (A) The chair of the Select Committee, upon consultation 
 with the ranking minority member, may order the taking of 
 depositions, including pursuant to subpoena, by a Member or 
 counsel of the Select Committee, in the same manner as a 
 standing committee pursuant to 

section 3

    (t) of House Resolution 
 5, One Hundred Nineteenth Congress.
        (B) Depositions taken under the authority prescribed in 
 this paragraph shall be governed by the most recent procedures 
 submitted by the chair of the Committee on Rules for printing 
 in the Congressional Record.

    (7) Subpoenas authorized pursuant to this resolution may be 
 signed by the chair of the Select Committee or a designee.

    (8) The chair of the Select Committee may, after 
 consultation with the ranking minority member, recognize--
        (A) Members of the Select Committee to question a 
 witness for periods longer than five minutes as though 
 pursuant to clause 2

    (j)

    (2)
        (B) of rule XI; and
        (B) staff of the Select Committee to question a 
 witness as though pursuant to clause 2

    (j)

    (2)
            (C) of rule 
 XI.

    (9) The chair of the Select Committee may postpone further 
 proceedings when a record vote is ordered on questions 
 referenced in clause 2

    (h)

    (4) of rule XI, and may resume 
 proceedings on such postponed questions at any time after 
 reasonable notice. Notwithstanding any intervening order for 
 the previous question, an underlying proposition shall remain 
 subject to further debate or amendment to the same extent as 
 when the question was postponed.

    (10) The provisions of paragraphs

    (f)

    (1) through

    (f)

    (12) of 
 clause 4 of rule XI shall apply to the Select Committee.
            (d) Publication.--The Select Committee shall ensure that reports 
and proposals prepared under this resolution shall, upon completion, be 
made available to the general public in widely accessible formats not 
later than 10 calendar days after the submission of the final report 
under 

section 4

    (a)

    (4) .

SEC. 6. RECORDS; STAFF; TRAVEL; FUNDING.

    (a) Access to Records of Committees.--A committee of the House 
shall cooperate with the Select Committee in providing access to 
records of the committee which will support the Select Committee in 
carrying out its purposes and functions.

    (b) Staff.--The appointment and the compensation of staff for the 
Select Committee shall be subject to regulations issued by the 
Committee on House Administration.
            (c) Detail of Staff From the Legislative and Executive Branches.--

    (1) House staff.--Staff of employing entities of the House 
 or a joint committee may be detailed to the Select Committee to 
 carry out this resolution and shall be deemed to be staff of 
 the Select Committee.

    (2) Executive branch staff.--The Select Committee may 
 request the head of any Federal agency to detail, on a 
 nonreimbursable basis, any of the personnel of the agency to 
 the Select Committee.
            (d) Use of Consultants Permitted.--

Section 202
            (i) of the 
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4301
            (i) ) shall apply 
with respect to the Select Committee in the same manner as such section 
applies with respect to a standing committee of the House of 
Representatives.

    (e) Travel.--Clauses 8

    (a) ,

    (b) , and
            (c) of rule X of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives shall apply to the Select Committee.

    (f) Funding; Payments.--There shall be paid out of the applicable 
accounts of the House of Representatives such sums as may be necessary 
for the expenses of the Select Committee. Such payments shall be made 
on vouchers signed by the chair of the Select Committee and approved in 
the manner directed by the Committee on House Administration. Amounts 
made available under this subsection shall be expended in accordance 
with regulations prescribed by the Committee on House Administration.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION AND DISPOSITION OF RECORDS.

    (a) Termination.--The Select Committee shall terminate 30 days 
after filing the final report under 

section 4.

    (b) Disposition of Records.--Upon termination of the Select 
Committee--

    (1) the records of the Select Committee shall become the 
 records of such committee or committees designated by the 
 Speaker; and

    (2) the copies of records provided to the Select Committee 
 by a committee of the House under 

section 6

    (a) shall be 
 returned to the committee.
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