House members in both parties are embracing the discharge petition like never before to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and pass bills he refuses to put on the floor. Why it matters: Republican leaders have long discouraged their members from signing onto Democratic-led petitions, but those pleas are increasingly falling on deaf ears. Johnson briefly floated changes to House rules last year to make it harder for discharge petitions to succeed. He said at the time the tactic was "too common," with Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) saying he would "like to see a higher threshold for a lot of these motions." Driving the news: A discharge petition introduced by Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) hit 218 signatures on Wednesday. It will force a vote on legislation aimed at speeding up unionization negotiations. The petition was signed by 211 Democrat and seven Republicans, with Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) and Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) providing the final signatures.…