A discharge petition is a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor of the United States House of Representatives without the cooperation of the leadership. It requires the signature of a majority of House members (218).

Discharge petitions are often used when the chair of a committee doesn't want a bill to get to the floor, hoping to kill the bill in committee. The discharge petition and sometimes simply the threat of a discharge petition gives more power to individual members of the House and usurps a small amount of power from the leadership or committee chairs.