This was a procedural vote on whether the House Journal for February 23, 2009 should be approved. Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-WI) requested a roll call vote. When a formal roll call vote to approve the previous day’s Journal is demanded, it is typically an effort by the minority party to protest or show its displeasure over some action taken by the majority:  The Republican minority had been regularly expressing its unhappiness during the period preceding the day this vote occurred. Their unhappiness was voiced especially during House consideration of the economic stimulus legislation. The Republicans consistently argued that the stimulus legislation was not developed in a bipartisan way, and that it was rushed to the House floor without giving the Members time to review it. The call for this roll call vote was a symbolic gesture to demonstrate their continuing displeasure.

The House Journal is the official daily record of all House proceedings. It describes actions taken by the House on a particular day. The Journal is kept for every day the House is in session by the Journal Clerk. The Journal for each day requires a formal vote of approval to become a permanent record of the activities of the House, and the House cannot move on to any other legislative business until the Journal is approved. That vote typically is perfunctory, and occurs at the start of the legislative day following the day to which the Journal applies.

The vote was 220-142. Two hundred and one Democrats and nineteen Republicans voted “aye”. One hundred and twenty-eight republicans and fourteen Democrats voted “nay”. As a result, the Journal for March 5, 2009 was approved, and the House was able to move on to other legislative business.