House restores discharge petition threshold to 218 signatures, keeps signers' names secret

After Democrats lowered the discharge petition signature requirement to 145 in 1931 to pass unemployment relief legislation, Republicans and conservative Democrats reversed the change in 1935, restoring the threshold to 218 — a true majority. The rules also kept the identities of petition signers secret until the petition reached 218 signatures, insulating members from leadership pressure while simultaneously obscuring accountability to constituents. This secrecy provision remained in force for 67 years.