119-hres23

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 23 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 23

 Permitting parental remote voting by proxy, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 9, 2025

 Ms. Pettersen (for herself, Mrs. Luna, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Lawler, Mr. 
Gomez, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Ciscomani, Ms. Perez, 
 Mrs. Kim, Mr. Van Drew, and Mr. Neguse) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Permitting parental remote voting by proxy, and for other purposes.

 Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This resolution may be cited as the ``Proxy Voting for New Parents 
Resolution''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF REMOTE VOTING BY PROXY IN HOUSE AND IN 
 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FOR MEMBERS BECOMING PARENTS.

    (a) Authorization.--

    (1) In general.--Notwithstanding rule III, in the case of a 
 Member who has given birth or whose spouse has given birth, 
 such Member may designate another Member as a proxy who may 
 cast the vote of such Member or record the presence of such 
 Member in the House and in the Committee of the Whole House on 
 the state of the Union in accordance with this section.

    (2) Period of authorization.--
        (A) In general.--Except as provided under 
 subparagraph
        (B) , the authority to vote by proxy or 
 record a presence pursuant to paragraph

    (1) shall begin 
 on the date of the birth and shall terminate 12 weeks 
 thereafter.
        (B) Designation prior to birth.--Notwithstanding 
 subparagraph
        (A) , a Member may instead make a 
 designation prior to the birth of a child in the event 
 that such Member's health care provider advises that 
 her pregnancy presents a serious medical condition or 
 that she is unable to travel safely. Such authority to 
 vote by proxy or record a presence shall terminate 12 
 weeks after the initial designation. Each week prior to 
 the birth of the child during which a Member does not 
 have a designated proxy shall not constitute a week for 
 purposes of this subparagraph.

    (b) Requirements for Designation by Member.--

    (1) In general.--In order for a Member to designate another 
 Member as a proxy under subsection

    (a) , the Member shall submit 
 to the Clerk a signed and dated letter (which may be in 
 electronic form). Such letter must be submitted prior to the 
 start of the first vote in which the Member wishes to vote by 
 proxy and must include--
        (A) an affirmative statement of--
            (i) the birth of a child in the case of a 
 designation under subparagraph
        (A) of 
 subsection

    (a)

    (2) ; or
            (ii) the existence of a medical condition 
 related to pregnancy as stipulated by the 
 Member's health care provider in the case of a 
 designation under subparagraph
        (B) of 
 subsection

    (a)

    (2) ;
        (B) a statement of intent to vote by proxy, 
 including the name and State of the Member who has 
 agreed to be designated as a proxy; and
            (C) an original signature of the Member making the 
 designation.

    (2) Alteration and revocation.--At any time after 
 submitting a letter to designate a proxy under paragraph

    (1) , 
 such Member may submit to the Clerk a signed letter (which may 
 be in electronic form) altering or revoking the designation.

    (3) Automatic revocation upon casting of vote or recording 
 of presence.--If a Member who has designated another Member as 
 a proxy under this section casts the Member's own vote or 
 records the Member's own presence in the House or in the 
 Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, the 
 Member shall be considered to have revoked the designation of 
 any proxy under this section. Revocation of proxy does not 
 prohibit a Member from designating a proxy at a later time.
            (c) Responsibilities of Clerk.--

    (1) In general.--Upon receipt of a letter submitted by a 
 Member pursuant to subsection

    (b) , the Clerk shall--
        (A) verify the letter;
        (B) notify the Speaker, the Majority Leader, the 
 Minority Leader, and the other Member or Members 
 involved in the designation, alteration, or revocation; 
 and
            (C) if a letter is missing any of the items under 
 subsection

    (b)

    (1) , notify the submitting Member of the 
 deficiency, which shall result in the proxy being 
 unable to vote on the Member's behalf.

    (2) Maintenance of list.--The Clerk shall maintain an 
 updated list of the active designations, alterations, and 
 revocations pursuant to this section and shall make such list 
 publicly available in electronic form.
            (d) Procedures for Casting Votes or Recording Presence by 
Proxies.--

    (1) Use of ballot card.--In the case of a vote by 
 electronic device, a Member who casts a vote or records a 
 presence as a designated proxy for another Member under this 
 section shall do so by ballot card, indicating on the ballot 
 card ``by proxy''.

    (2) Instructions from member.--Prior to casting the vote or 
 recording the presence of another Member as a designated proxy 
 under this section, the Member shall obtain an exact 
 instruction from the other Member with respect to such vote. 
 The Member voting by proxy, to the maximum extent practicable, 
 shall provide written voting instruction to the Member serving 
 as proxy.

    (3) Recognition by chair.--Immediately prior to casting the 
 vote or recording the presence of another Member as a 
 designated proxy under this section, the Member shall seek 
 recognition from the Chair to announce the intended vote or 
 recorded presence pursuant to the exact instruction received 
 from the other Member under paragraph

    (2) .

    (4) Following instructions from member.--A Member casting 
 the vote or recording the presence of another Member as a 
 designated proxy under this section shall cast such vote or 
 record such presence pursuant to the exact instruction received 
 from the other Member under paragraph

    (2) .

    (e) Prohibiting Use of Proxy To Establish Quorum.--Any Member whose 
vote is cast or whose presence is recorded by a designated proxy under 
this section shall not be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum 
under the rules of the House.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF REMOTE VOTING BY PROXY IN COMMITTEE FOR 
 MEMBERS BECOMING PARENTS.

    (a) Authorization.--Notwithstanding rule XI, a Member who has 
designated another Member as a proxy who may cast the vote of such 
Member under 

section 2 may designate a member of each committee on 
which the Member sits as a proxy who may cast the vote of such Member 
in committee in accordance with this section during the same period in 
which another Member is authorized to cast the vote of such Member 
under 

section 2.

    (b) Requirements for Designation.--In order for a Member to 
designate a committee member as a proxy under subsection

    (a) , the 
Member shall submit to the chair and ranking minority member a signed 
and dated letter (which may be in electronic form) specifying by name 
the other Member who is designated as a proxy for such Member. Such 
letter must be submitted prior to the start of the first committee 
meeting in which the Member wishes to vote by proxy.
            (c) Alteration and Revocation.--At any time after submitting a 
letter to designate a proxy under subsection

    (b) , such Member may 
submit to the chair and ranking minority member a signed letter (which 
may be in electronic form) altering or revoking the designation.
            (d) Automatic Revocation Upon Casting of Vote or Recording of 
Presence.--If a Member who has designated another Member as a proxy 
under this section casts the Member's own vote in a committee, the 
Member shall be considered to have revoked the designation of proxy in 
that committee under this section. Revocation of proxy does not 
prohibit a Member from designating a proxy at a later time.

    (e) Instructions From Member.--Prior to casting the vote of another 
Member as a designated proxy under this section, the Member shall 
obtain an exact instruction from the other Member with respect to such 
vote. The Member voting by proxy, to the maximum extent practicable, 
shall provide written voting instruction to the Member serving as 
proxy.

    (f) Prohibiting Use of Proxy To Establish Quorum.--Any Member whose 
vote is cast in committee by a designated proxy under this section 
shall not be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum under the 
rules of the committee.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION TO DELEGATES AND THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER.

 For purposes of sections 2 and 3, the term ``Member'' shall include 
a Delegate and the Resident Commissioner and the term ``State'' shall 
include the District of Columbia and a territory, except that--

    (1) nothing in this section authorizes a Delegate or the 
 Resident Commissioner to cast a vote in the House or record 
 their presence in the House; and

    (2) a Delegate and the Resident Commissioner may be 
 designated as a proxy for purposes of 

section 2 only by a 
 Delegate or the Resident Commissioner.
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