HRES-418-119
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Sponsored by Angie Craig (D-MN)
What it does
This resolution would require each member of the House of Representatives, including delegates and the resident commissioner, to spend one shift as a passenger in a law enforcement vehicle observing a local officer's workday, once per two-year term. The House Administration Committee would write implementing rules, and the Ethics Committee would publish the names of members who fail to comply on a public list and in the Congressional Record.
Who benefits
Local law enforcement agencies and officers who may gain visibility with their member of Congress, and constituents who may benefit if the exercise informs members' views on policing policy. Members who already have relationships with local police may face little burden.
Who is hurt
No group is meaningfully harmed in a material sense, though members with scheduling constraints or safety concerns, and any member who declines to participate, would face public disclosure of noncompliance. Local police departments would bear a small administrative burden in arranging and supervising the ride-alongs.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that direct, firsthand exposure to police work helps lawmakers write more informed public safety and law enforcement legislation, rather than relying solely on briefings or advocacy groups. They contend that a modest, low-cost requirement with public accountability for noncompliance encourages members to follow through rather than treat the exercise as optional.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that mandating a specific activity for all 435-plus members is an unnecessary intrusion into how individual lawmakers choose to inform themselves, and that a single ride-along shift provides only a superficial, unrepresentative view of policing that varies widely by department. They contend that publicly shaming noncompliant members in the Congressional Record is a disproportionate enforcement mechanism for what is essentially a voluntary educational activity.
Constitutional context
As a simple House resolution governing only the internal conduct of its own members, this measure falls under the House's authority to determine the rules of its proceedings under Article I, Section 5, and courts have historically treated such internal rules as largely nonjusticiable under United States v. Ballin (1892).
Checks and balances
The House sets and enforces this internal obligation on itself through its own Ethics and Administration Committees, with no effect on the other branches or on any outside party's legal rights.