In United States parliamentary procedure, a discharge petition is a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee by "discharging" the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution. The signatures of an absolute majority of House members are required.
Speaker Joseph G. Cannon faced a revolt from his own party, which curtailed the Speaker's powers via the discharge petition and stripped him of direct leadership of the Rules Committee.
State legislature (United States)
In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states.
The Iowa State Capitol building, where the Iowa General Assembly convenes