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Mandatory specific oath required for all witnesses before House Committees.

This resolution amends the Rules of the House of Representatives, making it mandatory to use a specific oath formula for every witness appearing before a committee. Instead of having the option to administer oaths, committees must now use the exact text: "Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?". While this change does not directly affect citizens' daily lives, it reinforces the formality and seriousness of testimony given in Congress, which is important for the transparency of legislative processes.
Key points
Introduction of a mandatory, standardized oath formula for all witnesses testifying before House Committees.
The change aims to increase the formality and accountability of witnesses for their testimony under penalty of perjury.
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Status:
Expired
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Additional Information
Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require a specific oath be administered to any witness appearing before a committee.
Print number: HRES 281
Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Mike [R-LA-4]
Process start date: 2021-03-26
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-flash-latest
Source data: api.congress.gov
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Summary & Status

Key Questions about Mandatory specific oath required for all witnesses before House Committees.

A structured overview of the legislative process, official sources, status and civic context.

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is HRES 281.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the House of Representatives.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2021-03-26.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • Introduction of a mandatory, standardized oath formula for all witnesses testifying before House Committees.
  • The change aims to increase the formality and accountability of witnesses for their testimony under penalty of perjury.

What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Rep. Johnson, Mike [R-LA-4].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Referred to the House Committee on Rules.

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2026-01-02.

Analysis and Potential Impact of HRES 281

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge. Review our public AI processing logs for full transparency, and use Lustra to track active legislation for instant status push notifications.

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