Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide for mandatory drug testing of Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives.
Referred to the House Committee on Rules.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jul 16, 1998
Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to add rule LII (Drug Testing) to require each Member, officer, and employee of the House to participate in a mandatory drug testing program. Conditions the employment of officers and employees by the House on participation in the program. Requires: (1) the Clerk of the House to contract with a private, nongovernmental entity to carry out the drug testing program; and (2) random testing of each Member, officer, and employees on a neutral selection basis, and in an appropriate testing frequency and ratio (as defined by this rule), and in addition to any methods under the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, using urinalysis, hair testing, and other appropriate methods of testing for illegal use of controlled substances. Requires confirmed positive results to be provided to the Member, officer, or employee involved or in the case of: (1) a Member, to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct; (2) an employee of a Member, to the Member; (3) an employee of a committee, to the chair and ranking minority member of the committee; and (4) an officer or employee not described in paragraphs (3) or (4), to the Speaker, Majority Leader, Majority Whip, Minority Leader, and Minority Whip. Requires each final test result of Members to be included in a biennial report of the Clerk of the House and printed as a House document. Subjects, at the request of the supervising Member of an officer or employee of the House, the individual to a drug test if: (1) evidence exists that supports a reasonable suspicion that the officer or employee may be engaging in or has engaged in the illegal use of controlled substances, or is otherwise in violation of a policy of the supervising Member regarding the illegal use of controlled substance; (2) such individual is participating in or has participated in a substance abuse treatment program under an employee assistance program or is otherwise receiving treatment or counseling for substance abuse; (3) such individual has been involved in an accident which may have involved human error and which caused or may have caused a fatality, an injury, or significant property damage in an estimated amount of at least $200; (4) the supervising Member proposes to promote the individual; or (5) the individual is returning to employment with the House after a period of absence of at least six months. Requires the Committee to publicly disclose the identity of any Member who refuses to provide a sample for testing under the program and to take such other action as it considers appropriate against such a Member. Bars an individual who is an officer or employee of the House as of August 1, 1998, from continuing to serve after the expiration of the 180-day period which begins on the adoption of this resolution unless during such period the individual executes a witnessed statement agreeing to participate in random employee drug testing. Prohibits an individual who is first given an offer of employment by the House on or after August 1, 1998, from being hired unless: (1) the individual executes a witnessed statement agreeing to participate in the random drug testing program if hired; (2) the individual provides a sample for the testing; and (3) the individual's sample does not produce a confirmed positive result. Precludes an officer or employee from carrying out any duties with respect to the fields of national defense, foreign policy, intelligence, law enforcement, or any other field involving national security or public safety (as determined in accordance with regulations issued by the Committee on House Oversight) unless the individual participates in the drug testing program. Amends rule XXXII (Of admission to the floor) to prohibit an officer or employee of the House from being entitled to admission to the Hall of the House or rooms leading thereto unless such individual participates in the drug testing program. Amends rule I (Duties of the Speaker) to strike provisions requiring the Speaker to develop a system for drug testing in the House.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze H.Res.503 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine H.Res.503 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine H.Res.503 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine H.Res.503 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.