The House Consensus Calendar: Principal Features and Practice in the 117th Congress (2021-2022)

The House Consensus Calendar: Principal Features and Practice in the 117th Congress (2021-2022)

The House Consensus Calendar: Principal
July 13, 2023
Features and Practice in the 117th Congress
Jane A. Hudiburg
(2021-2022)
Analyst on Congress and
the Legislative Process
First established in the 116th Congress (2019-2020) in clause 1 of House Rule XIII and clause 7

of House Rule XV, the Consensus Calendar provides an alternative route to the floor for certain
unreported House bills and resolutions that enjoy broad bipartisan support. Pursuant to Rule XV,

the House is to consider at least one measure listed on the Consensus Calendar during every
week that it convenes except during the first and last weeks of a Congress. For a House-originated measure to be placed on
the Consensus Calendar, it must (1) remain unreported by its committee of primary jurisdiction, (2) have accumulated at least
290 cosponsors, (3) have been subject to a motion to place the measure on the Consensus Calendar filed by the measure’s
sponsor, and (4) have maintained at least 290 cosponsors for a cumulative total of 25 legislative days (or longer) following
the filing of the motion.
Once a measure has accumulated 290 cosponsors, the measure’s sponsoring Member may file a written motion with the
Clerk of the House when the House is in session asking that the measure be placed on the Consensus Calendar. After the
motion is filed, the measure must maintain at 290 cosponsors for 25 legislative days and remain unreported to become
eligible for placement on the Consensus Calendar.
If the committee of primary jurisdiction reports the measure after the motion is filed but before the measure is placed on the
Consensus Calendar, the motion is considered as withdrawn. Likewise, if the primary committee of jurisdiction reports the
measure after its placement on the Calendar, the measure is removed. Thus, a committee may report a bill to prevent it from
being placed on the Calendar or to remove it from the Calendar.
Once a measure gets assigned to the Consensus Calendar, the Speaker may designate it for consideration. The House then
calls up the measure on the floor using the same parliamentary procedures used to process non–Consensus Calendar
measures—that is, either under the suspension of the rules procedure, under the terms of a special rule reported by the Rules
Committee and agreed to by the House, or via unanimous consent.
In the 117th Congress, Members filed eight motions to assign measures to the Consensus Calendar (seven bills and one simple
resolution). Four of the eight motions resulted in bills being assigned to the Calendar, two of which were considered on the
floor and passed by the House.

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Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Principal Features and Actions Taken Pursuant to House Rule XV ................................................ 1
Establishment in House Rules ................................................................................................... 1
Unreported Measures ................................................................................................................ 1
290-Cosponsor Threshold ......................................................................................................... 2
Cosponsors Accumulated .................................................................................................... 2
Cosponsors Verified ............................................................................................................ 2
Written Motion Filed ................................................................................................................. 3
Motion Placed in Custody of Clerk ........................................................................................... 3
25-Legislative-Day Waiting Period ........................................................................................... 3
Clerk Tracks Legislative Days ............................................................................................ 4
Motions Considered as Withdrawn Prior to Completion of Waiting Period ....................... 4
Assignment to Calendar ............................................................................................................ 4
Speaker’s Designation for Consideration .................................................................................. 4
Consideration of Measures ........................................................................................................ 4
Use of Special Rules Affecting the Consensus Calendar .......................................................... 5
Practice in the 117th Congress ......................................................................................................... 5
Motions Filed in the 117th Congress .......................................................................................... 5
Measures Assigned to the Calendar .......................................................................................... 5
H.R. 3173 (Passed by the House) ....................................................................................... 5
H.R. 1916 (Passed by the House and Referred to Senate Committee) ............................... 5
H.R. 82 (Reported by Committee, Removed from Consensus Calendar, and
Placed on Union Calendar) .............................................................................................. 6
H.R. 1282 (Remained on Consensus Calendar for Duration of Congress) ......................... 6
Motions Considered as Withdrawn Prior to Calendar Placement ............................................. 6
Special Rules Regulating the Count of Legislative Days.......................................................... 6

Tables
Table 1. Measures Subject to Consensus Calendar Motions Filed in the 117th Congress
(2021-2022) .................................................................................................................................. 8

Contacts
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 10

Congressional Research Service

The House Consensus Calendar: Principal Features and Practice in the 117th Congress

Introduction
In the 116th Congress (2019-2020), the House established the Consensus Calendar to provide an
alternative route to the floor for certain unreported bills and resolutions that have accumulated a
large number of cosponsors. Pursuant to clause 7 of House Rule XV (the Consensus Calendar
rule), the House is to consider at least one measure listed on the Consensus Calendar during any
week that it convenes. (The requirement to consider such a measure does not apply during the
first and last weeks of a two-year Congress.)
To be placed on the Consensus Calendar, a measure must have originated in the House and (1)
remain unreported by its committee of primary jurisdiction, (2) have accumulated at least 290
cosponsors, (3) have been the subject of a motion filed by the measure’s sponsoring Member with
the Clerk requesting such placement, and (4) have maintained at least 290 cosponsors for a
cumulative period of 25 legislative days after the filing of the motion. Given these requirements,
the Consensus Calendar procedure is limited to unreported measures that enjoy broad bipartisan
support.
This report considers the Consensus Calendar’s principal features. It identifies the specific actions
involved in assigning a measure to the Calendar and analyzes the outcomes of the eight
Consensus Calendar motions filed during the 117th Congress (2021-2022).1 In addition, it
addresses the use of special rules to temporarily waive or modify House rules as they pertain to
Calendar-related motions or measures.
Principal Features and Actions Taken Pursuant to
House Rule XV
Establishment in House Rules
The House established the Consensus Calendar procedure as part of the 116th Congress rules
package (H.Res. 6). Section 102(r) of H.Res. 6 amended clause 1 of Rule XIII and added a clause
7 to Rule XV. As amended, clause 1(c) of Rule XIII states, “There is established a Consensus
Calendar as provided in clause 7 of rule XV.” Clause 7 delineates the principal features of this
Calendar as well as the actions taken by a measure’s sponsor to file motions and by the Clerk of
the House to assign measures to the Calendar.
Unreported Measures
As noted, to be placed on the Consensus Calendar, a measure has to have been referred to at least
one House committee but not reported by the committee of primary jurisdiction.2 Rule XV does
not specify a time period that a measure must remain unreported after its referral before the
process of placing it on the Consensus Calendar can begin. Once a measure achieves 290

1 For information about the establishment of the Consensus Calendar and its practice in the 116th Congress, see CRS
Report R46485, The House Consensus Calendar: Establishment, Principal Features, and Practice in the 116th
Congress (2019-2020), by Jane A. Hudiburg.
2 In the House, a bill may be referred to more than one committee. When this occurs, the Speaker is expected to name a
primary committee of jurisdiction. Generally speaking, the committee of primary jurisdiction has principal
responsibility for reporting the bill and managing its consideration on the floor.
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The House Consensus Calendar: Principal Features and Practice in the 117th Congress

cosponsors, the sponsor, at any time when the House is in session, may file a written motion with
the Clerk formally requesting that the legislation be placed on the Consensus Calendar.
A measure is considered reported when the chair, as directed by a vote of the committee, files the
written committee report with the Clerk.3 If the primary committee of jurisdiction reports a
measure after the Calendar motion is filed but before the measure is placed on the Consensus
Calendar, the motion is considered as withdrawn. Likewise, if the primary committee reports the
measure after its placement on the Calendar, the measure is to be removed. Thus, a primary
committee may report a bill to prevent it from being placed on the Calendar or, if already placed
there, to remove it from the Calendar.
290-Cosponsor Threshold
The Consensus Calendar is reserved for unreported measures with broad bipartisan support. To
demonstrate that support, the rule requires at least 290 cosponsors on the bill or resolution before
the measure’s sponsor may file a motion to place the measure on the Consensus Calendar. All
cosponsorships count toward the threshold regardless of whether the cosponsor subsequently
resigns, dies, or otherwise leaves office after cosponsoring the measure. A cosponsor may request
on the House floor to be removed as a cosponsor of a measure, in which case the number of
cosponsorships would be altered.4
Cosponsors Accumulated
Any Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner who seeks to cosponsor a measure is to sign
or be listed on a cosponsorship form provided by the sponsor’s office. While the House is in
session, the sponsor files the signed forms through the hopper on the House floor.5 The Bill Clerk
records each additional cosponsor and adjusts the total number of cosponsors. This information is
made publicly available in the Congress.gov database.
Cosponsors Verified
The Bill Clerk maintains the most recent list of cosponsors, which may include changes that are
not yet displayed in Congress.gov. Consequently, Members or their staff are advised to contact
the Bill Clerk directly to verify the number of cosponsors. The House Clerk is also to verify the
number of cosponsors prior to processing a submitted Consensus Calendar motion.
After the Member has confirmed that the measure has accumulated at least 290 cosponsors and
the Member decides to file a Consensus Calendar motion, the Member is advised to pre-notify the
Tally Clerk working within the Office of the House Clerk. The Member or the Member’s staff
may inform the Tally Clerk that a motion will be filed on a specified day when the House is in

3 A committee may order a bill reported at the end of a markup meeting but not file a written report with the Clerk.
Under these circumstances, the measure remains unreported.
4 A cosponsor may request on the House floor to be removed as a cosponsor of a measure “until the last committee of
referral has filed its report with the House or has been discharged from its consideration.” See CRS Report RS22477,
Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of House Bills, by Mark J. Oleszek.
5 In the 117th Congress, during any covered period designated by the Speaker pursuant to Section 1(a) of H.Res. 965
(116th Congress), Members and staff could submit cosponsor forms electronically to the Office of the Clerk. In the
118th Congress, cosponsorship forms may be submitted electronically via eHopper.gov, a website accessible to
Members and staff.
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session. Pre-notification enables the Tally Clerk to prepare for the Member’s request for a
Consensus Calendar form.6
Written Motion Filed
Motions to place a measure on the Consensus Calendar are in order once the measure has
accumulated at least 290 cosponsors and the measure remains unreported by the committee of
primary jurisdiction. If both conditions are met, the measure’s sponsor may present to the Clerk a
motion in writing requesting placement of the measure on the Consensus Calendar.
The sponsoring Member may file the motion on any day the House meets. While the House is in
session, the Member may obtain a Calendar motion form from the Tally Clerk at the rostrum. The
Member records the measure’s number on the form, signs the form, and submits it to the Tally
Clerk.
Motion Placed in Custody of Clerk
Following submittal, the motion is placed in the custody of the Clerk. Pursuant to the rule, the
Clerk is to maintain a list of all Consensus Calendar motions and make that list publicly available
in electronic form. In addition, the motion is to be printed in the Congressional Record in a
portion designated for that purpose. The Clerk’s website, clerk.house.gov, maintains the list of
properly filed motions under the “legislation information” tab.7 The list contains links to each
motion’s Congressional Record notice and to the measure’s page in Congress.gov.8
25-Legislative-Day Waiting Period
After a motion is filed with the Clerk, the measure must maintain at least 290 cosponsors for a
cumulative period of 25 legislative days. A legislative day, as opposed to a calendar day, begins
when the House meets following an adjournment and ends when the House next adjourns. In
most instances, a 25-legislative-day period is equal to 25 calendar days on which the House is in
session.9
The first legislative day that follows the filing of the motion with the Clerk is Day 1 of the
required 25-legislative-day period. Any legislative day in which the measure has at least 290
cosponsors counts toward fulfilling the requirement even if the measure experiences a transitory
drop below the 290 threshold due to cosponsorship withdrawal.10 Under those circumstances, the
legislative day count resumes once a sufficient number of additional cosponsors are accrued.

6 The Bill and Tally Clerks work within the Office of the Clerk and may be contacted by Members and congressional
staff at 202-225-7000.
7 For a list of Consensus Calendar motions, go to https://clerk.house.gov/ConsensusCalendarMotions.
8 On the day the motion is filed, the Congressional Record notes the motion as: Under clause 7 of rule XV, the
following motion was filed with the Clerk: Motion No. __, date by Mr. [Ms.] ___ on H.R. _____.
9 A legislative day begins when the House meets after an adjournment and ends when the House adjourns. Generally, in
the House, a legislative day takes place on one calendar day. However, it is possible for the House to adjourn and meet
again in the same calendar day, creating two legislative days, or have a legislative day that spans more than one
calendar day. See CRS Report R42977, Sessions, Adjournments, and Recesses of Congress, by Valerie Heitshusen.
10 For more information about cosponsoring and withdrawing as a cosponsor, see CRS Report RS22477, Sponsorship
and Cosponsorship of House Bills, by Mark J. Oleszek.
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Clerk Tracks Legislative Days
The Office of the Clerk tracks legislative days as they pertain to the Consensus Calendar and may
be contacted by Members or congressional staff to verify the legislative day count for any
measure subject to a Calendar motion. Once the measure maintains 290 cosponsors for a
cumulative period of 25 legislative days, it is assigned to the Consensus Calendar. However,
special rules reported from the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House may alter the count
of legislative days as they apply to the Consensus Calendar rule. (See “Use of Special Rules
Affecting the Consensus Calendar” below.)
Motions Considered as Withdrawn Prior to Completion of Waiting Period
As noted, the motion to place a measure on the Calendar is considered as withdrawn if the
committee of primary jurisdiction reports the measure prior to the completion of the 25-
legislative-day period. Additionally, if an unreported measure is considered on the House floor, it
is no longer eligible for Calendar placement.
Assignment to Calendar
Once a measure has met the 25-legislative-day requirement, the Clerk places it on the Consensus
Calendar. Once on the Calendar, the measure retains its listing even if its number of cosponsors
drops below the 290 threshold. The measure remains on the Calendar until it is considered by the
House or it is reported by the committee of primary jurisdiction.
The Calendar lists each measure that is currently assigned and provides the motion’s number, date
entered, and filing Member; the bill number; the committee of primary jurisdiction; and the
Calendar number. The Consensus Calendar is contained in the Calendars of the United States
House of Representatives and History of Legislation, which is updated on each day that the House
is in session. This publication is available from the Government Publishing Office on govinfo.gov
and may also be accessed via Congress.gov.11
Speaker’s Designation for Consideration
Pursuant to the rule, during each week that the House convenes, the Speaker is to designate, and
the House is to consider, at least one measure listed on the Consensus Calendar. This provision
does not apply “before March 1 of an odd-numbered year and after September 30 of an even-
numbered year.”12
The designation is announced from the chair prior to the measure’s consideration and is
subsequently printed in the Congressional Record. The notification is placed in its own section—
CONSENSUS CALENDAR—and states: “The Chair announces the Speaker’s designation,
pursuant to clause 7(a)(1) of rule XV, of H.R. ___ as the measure on the Consensus Calendar to
be considered this week.”
Consideration of Measures
Consensus Calendar measures are considered on the floor under the same procedures used for
other measures. Accordingly, a designated measure could be considered under the suspension of

11 The Government Publishing Office provides House Calendars, 1995-present, at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/
collection/ccal/116/hcal.
12 Clause 7(a)(2) of Rule XV.
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the rules procedure, under the terms of a special rule reported by the Committee on Rules, or by
the unanimous consent of the House.13
Use of Special Rules Affecting the Consensus Calendar
Special rules reported by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House are used to raise and
regulate the floor consideration of measures specified in the resolutions. A special rule may also
waive other House rules that would affect that measure or other measures or motions, including
those associated with the Consensus Calendar.14 For instance, a special rule may waive the
requirement that the Speaker designate a measure that is listed on the Calendar during a given
week (or weeks) that the House is in session, or it may specify that clause 7(a)(1) of Rule XV
shall not apply during a particular time period or to a particular measure.
Practice in the 117th Congress
Eight motions to place a measure on the Consensus Calendar were filed during the 117th Congress
(2021-2022). This section discusses subsequent procedural actions that occurred on each measure
after the motion was filed.
Motions Filed in the 117th Congress
Of the eight motions filed in the 117th Congress, seven involved bills and one a simple resolution
(see Table 1). There were no motions filed on joint resolutions or concurrent resolutions.
Four of the eight motions resulted in measures being assigned to the Consensus Calendar, and the
Speaker designated two of these measures for consideration in the House. Of the remaining two,
one was reported by committee before it became eligible for designation by the Speaker. The
other reached the Consensus Calendar in the final weeks of the 117th Congress beyond the point
at which the rule would require designation.
Measures Assigned to the Calendar
Pursuant to the rule, the four Calendar-assigned bills each accumulated at least 290 cosponsors
and retained the required cosponsorship threshold for 25 legislative days prior to placement on
the Calendar. Of these, no bills were enacted into law.
H.R. 3173 (Passed by the House)
On September 14, 2022, H.R. 3173, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2021,
secured placement on the Consensus Calendar, and the Speaker designated it for consideration on
that day. The House passed an amended version of the bill under suspension of the rules. The bill
received no further action in the Senate.
H.R. 1916 (Passed by the House and Referred to Senate Committee)
Following the Speaker’s designation for consideration on April 4, 2022, the House considered
and passed an amended version of H.R. 1916, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, under suspension

13 Any Member may move to suspend the rules or request the unanimous consent of the House if he or she is
recognized on the floor for that purpose by the Speaker.
14 See CRS Report 98-433, Special Rules and Waivers of House Rules, by Megan S. Lynch.
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The House Consensus Calendar: Principal Features and Practice in the 117th Congress

of the rules (310-110). The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions, where it received no further action.
H.R. 82 (Reported by Committee, Removed from Consensus Calendar, and
Placed on Union Calendar)
H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2021, reached the Consensus Calendar on September
20, 2022. At that time, it was the only measure listed on the Calendar. Accordingly, the Speaker
was to designate the bill for floor consideration before the end of the week. However, also on
September 20, the Committee on Ways and Means held a markup on the bill and ordered it
reported “without recommendation.” The following day, the committee filed the written report.
This action removed the bill from the Consensus Calendar, and it was reassigned to the Union
Calendar.15 The bill had no further consideration.
H.R. 1282 (Remained on Consensus Calendar for Duration of Congress)
H.R. 1282, the Major Richard Star Act, obtained the requisite 25-legislative-day threshold for
Consensus Calendar placement on October 25, 2022. At that point, late in the second session, the
rule no longer required the Speaker to designate for consideration a measure listed on the
Calendar, as it was “after September 30 of an even-numbered year.”16 The bill remained on the
Consensus Calendar with no further action taken for the duration of the Congress.
Motions Considered as Withdrawn Prior to Calendar Placement
Under Consensus Calendar procedures, any motion to place a measure on the Calendar shall be
considered as withdrawn if the associated measure is reported by the committee of primary
jurisdiction or if it is considered by the House.
Four motions filed in the 117th Congress were considered as withdrawn. Two were considered as
withdrawn due to a committee reporting the associated measure (H.R. 1448 and H.R. 3630), and
two were considered as withdrawn (H.R. 707 and H.Res. 881) because the House considered
them under suspension of the rules.
The four measures all passed the House under suspension. One of the of the associated measures
was enacted into law (H.R. 1448). One measure (H.R. 707) was not passed by the Senate but had
its policy provisions enacted into law via a related Senate bill (S. 1404). H.Res. 881 was agreed to
by the House. The remaining measure, H.R. 3630, was received in the Senate with no further
action taken.
Special Rules Regulating the Count of Legislative Days
In the 117th Congress, the House agreed to special rules that specified time periods during which
daily House sessions would not be considered as “legislative days” for purposes of assigning
measures to the Consensus Calendar. H.Res. 8 included a special order stating that any legislative
day occurring from the first day of the Congress (January 3, 2021) through January 28, 2021,

15 During the markup, Ranking Member Kevin Brady acknowledged that the committee’s report on the bill would have
the effect of removing it from the Consensus Calendar. Committee on Ways and Means, markup meeting (September
20, 2022), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k2R22QqhO0&t=4944s.
16 Clause 7(a)(2) of Rule XV.
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“shall not constitute a legislative day for purposes of clause 7 of rule XV.”17 A subsequent special
rule, H.Res. 41, amended H.Res. 8 to extend the period to February 11, 2021. H.Res. 85 further
extended the period to March 12, 2021. No Members filed Consensus Calendar motions during
the restricted period, however, and thus these special rules did not halt the accumulation of
legislative days for any measure subject to a motion.

17 H.Res. 8 established the House standing rules for 117th Congress and also contained special rules that temporarily
affected the application of those rules.
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Table 1. Measures Subject to Consensus Calendar Motions Filed in the 117th Congress (2021-2022)
Provisions
House
Assigned to
Motion
Enacted into
Measure
Committee
Calendar
Considered as
Law via the
(Introduction
of Primary
(Date of
Withdrawn
Final
Same or
Day)
Sponsor
Title
Jurisdiction
Motion Filed
Placement)
(Reason)
Disposition
Related Billa
yes
H.R. 82
Social Security
yes
(reported by
Davis (IL)
Fairness Act of
Ways and
7/15/2022
placed on
no
(1/4/2021)
committee of
2021
Means
9/20/2022
Union Calendar
primary
jurisdiction)
H.R. 707
Ghost Army
yes
yes
Kuster (NH)
Congressional
Financial
4/14/2021
no
received in
(2/2/2021)
(considered in
Gold Medal Act
Services
Senate
(via S. 1404)
House)
H.R. 1282
Major Richard
yes
assigned to the
Bilirakis (FL)
no
Consensus
no
(2/24/2021)
Star Act
Armed Services
8/12/2022
10/25/2022b
Calendar
yes
H.R. 1448
PAWS for
(reported by
enacted into
Veterans
Veterans’
law as P.L. 117-
(3/1/2021)
Stivers (OH)
committee of
yes
Therapy Act
Affairs
3/18/2021
no
primary
37
jurisdiction)
H.R. 1916
Eshoo (CA)
Ensuring Lasting
Energy and
2/8/2022
yes
no
received in the
no
(3/16/2021)
Smiles Act
Commerce
Senate
Improving
H.R. 3173
Seniors’ Timely
Ways and
yes
received in the
DelBene (WA)
no
(5/13/2021)
Access to Care
Means
7/12/2022
9/14/2022
Senate
no
Act of 2021
yes
H.R. 3630
Lymphedema
Energy and
(reported by
received in the
Schakowsky (IL)
committee of
(5/28/2021)
Treatment Act
Commerce
6/8/2022
no
Senate
no
primary
jurisdiction)
CRS-8

Provisions
House
Assigned to
Motion
Enacted into
Measure
Committee
Calendar
Considered as
Law via the
(Introduction
of Primary
(Date of
Withdrawn
Final
Same or
Day)
Sponsor
Title
Jurisdiction
Motion Filed
Placement)
(Reason)
Disposition
Related Billa
Condemning
the heinous
terrorist attack
on
yes
H.Res. 881
Van Duyne
Congregation
Oversight and
agreed to in
c
(3/8/2022)
(TX)
Beth Israel in
Reform
2/28/2022
no
(considered in
House
Col eyvil e,
House)
Texas, on
January 15,
2022
Source: Congress.gov.
Notes:
a. Enacted provisions are the same or substantially similar to those in the bil ’s text as introduced. Bil relationships as identified by CRS, the House, or the Senate are
noted in Congress.gov.
b. H.R. 1282 obtained placement on the Consensus Calendar after September 30 of an even-numbered year, and thus the Speaker was not required to designate the
bil for consideration, pursuant to clause 7(a)(2) of Rule XV.
c. Simple resolutions are not enacted into law and require no further action after they are agreed to in the House.

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The House Consensus Calendar: Principal Features and Practice in the 117th Congress

Author Information

Jane A. Hudiburg

Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
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