House to Convene Jan. 10, Meet for 112 Days in 2022

WASHINGTON — The second session of the 117th Congress will convene on Jan. 10 and meet for 112 days, including committee work days, in 2022, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Tuesday.

The full 2022 calendar can be found here. A one-page version can be found here.

In addition, an always-up-to-date digital version is available by subscription as a webcal through Outlook, Google Calendar, iOS’s Calendar app, or many other calendar programs. 

The digital calendar is also available to view or subscribe through the DomeWatch app (iOS or Android). 

The release of next year’s calendar gave Hoyer the opportunity to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments in the House, and to suggest that a carefully crafted calendar “made these achievements possible.”

Among the bills passed by the House during the current session were:

• H.R. 1 – For the People Act of 2021;
• H.R. 4 – John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021;
• H.R. 5 – Equality Act;
• H.R 6 – American Dream and Promise Act of 2021;
• H.R. 7 – Paycheck Fairness Act;
• H.R. 8 – Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021;
• H.R. 51 – Washington, D.C. Admission Act;
• H.R. 1280 – George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021;
• H.R. 842 – PRO Act of 2021;
• H.R. 1065 – Pregnant Workers Fairness Act;
• H.R. 1333 – NO BAN Act;
• H.R. 1603 – Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021;
• H.R. 1620 – Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021;
• H.R. 3985 – ALLIES Act of 2021; and many others.

“One of the reasons why we were so effective this year was the strategic use of committee work days, which have been proven to be efficient and to help the House complete its work in a timely manner while keeping members, staff, and the public safe during the pandemic,” Hoyer said in a written statement. “This has allowed committees to prepare legislation for floor consideration while also providing committees with windows of time when they can meet for business uninterrupted by floor votes. 

“In 2022, the House will continue to make use of committee work days in order to reduce the need for member travel and to protect the safety and health of those who work on Capitol Hill,” he added.

Which is not to suggest the chamber’s work is done for this year.

Hoyer said he’s confident the House later this week will meet its responsibility to avert a government shutdown and “pass legislation to keep the government funded into the next calendar year.”

”Next week, if the Senate has completed its work on the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act, the House will turn to the critical work of keeping our nation safe by passing that legislation to provide our troops with the pay they deserve and our military with the tools it needs to carry out its missions safely and effectively,” he said. 

The House will also consider the Protecting Our Democracy Act to reassert Congress’s role as a coequal branch of government by addressing the vulnerabilities “exploited by former President Trump and his enablers to weaken our democracy, undermine the rule of law, and subvert the system of checks and balances enshrined by the Framers in our Constitution.”

And before the end of the year, the House also must consider legislation to address the debt limit “and prevent a manufactured economic catastrophe that would derail our recovery from the pandemic,” Hoyer said.

Hoyer said next year’s calendar strikes a careful balance between legislative and committee work, on one hand, and constituent-driven work in representative’s districts, on the other. 

“Throughout 2022, we will continue to build on the legislative accomplishments of the past year to ensure everyone in our country has an equal opportunity to make it in America and achieve real economic security,” he said.

Other noteworthy days on the new calendar include the Democratic Issues Conference, which will be held from Feb 9 to 11, and the Republican Issues Conference, which will be held Feb. 9 to 11.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with each of you in the coming months to see more of President Biden and Democrats’ Build Back Better agenda realized,” Hoyer said. “Together, we can help our constituents build back better, stronger, and safer from this pandemic, expanding economic opportunity and ensuring an equitable recovery for all Americans.”