To force a bill out of committee, a/an petition must be signed by a majority of the representatives

To force a bill out of committee, a DISCHARGE petition must be signed by a majority of the representative.

Discharge petition means that a bill it brought out from the committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee and without the cooperation of the leadership. It usually is associated with the U.S. House of Representatives. A discharge petition in modern times requires the signature of an absolute majority of House members  (218 members).