GOP backpedals on committee attendance rule

House Republicans have voted to peel back a requirement that would have required them to publicly post committee attendance -- the first reversal on a set of proposed rules the GOP has laid out as it prepares to take control of the House on Wednesday.

The amendment was offered Tuesday evening by conservative Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert and adopted by a voice vote.

Republicans positioned the posting of attendance online as a major step that would help increase accountability and bolster the activity of committees - both major tenets of John Boehner's (R-Ohio) impending speakership. But the quick reversal shows that not everyone in the Republican Conference was ready to embrace this step.

"We've made clear that an open legislative process will be a hallmark of this Congress, and this vote is testimony to that pledge," said GOP spokesman Brendan Buck. "This rules package still provides unprecedented transparency and accountability in the committees."