A motion to discharge is a Senate parliamentary procedure that bypasses the normal committee process to bring a bill or resolution directly to the Senate floor for a vote. Any senator can file a motion to discharge when a bill has been held in committee and the committee chair refuses to schedule hearings or a vote. The motion requires 51 votes (a simple majority) to succeed. Democrats have used motions to discharge to force Senate floor votes on war powers resolutions that Senate Foreign Relations Committee leadership refuses to schedule through normal channels.