IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 287 

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to permit absent Members to participate in committee hearings using video conferencing and 

related technologies and to establish a remote voting system under which 

absent Members may cast votes in the House on motions to suspend 

the rules. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 28, 2013 

Mr. SWALWELL of California (for himself, Mr. PEARCE, and Mrs. LUMMIS) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Rules 

RESOLUTION 

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to 

permit absent Members to participate in committee hearings using video conferencing and related technologies 

and to establish a remote voting system under which 

absent Members may cast votes in the House on motions 

to suspend the rules. 

1 Resolved, 

2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

3 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Members Oper4 ating to Be Innovative and Link Everyone Resolution’’ or 

5 the ‘‘MOBILE Resolution’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PARTICIPATION OF ABSENT MEMBERS IN COM2 MITTEE HEARINGS THROUGH VIDEO CON3 FERENCING AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES. 

4 (a) ENABLING PARTICIPATION OF ABSENT MEM5 BERS.—Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representa6 tives is amended by adding at the end the following new 

7 clause: 

8 ‘‘Participation of absent members 

9 ‘‘7. Each committee shall permit any member of the 

10 committee who is absent from the site of a hearing con11 vened by the committee, as well as any other individual 

12 who is invited to participate in the hearing and who is 

13 absent from the site of the hearing, to use video confer14 encing and related technologies in order to participate in 

15 the hearing to the same extent as members of the com16 mittee and other individuals (as the case may be) who are 

17 present at the site of the meeting.’’. 

18 (b) INCLUSION OF MEMBERS PARTICIPATING RE19 MOTELY IN DETERMINATION OF QUORUM.—Subpara20 graphs (2) and (3) of clause 2(h) of rule XI of the Rules 

21 of the House of Representatives are each amended by add22 ing at the end the following sentence: ‘‘A committee shall 

23 adopt a rule under which a member who participates in 

24 a hearing remotely pursuant to clause 7 shall be included 

25 in determining the number of members constituting a 


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1 quorum at the hearing for purposes of this subpara2 graph.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. PERMITTING ABSENT MEMBERS TO VOTE RE4 MOTELY ON SUSPENSION MOTIONS. 

5 Clause 1 of rule XV of the Rules of the House of 

6 Representatives is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing new paragraph: 

8 ‘‘(d) The Clerk, Chief Administrative Officer, and 

9 Sergeant at Arms shall work together to develop and im10 plement a secure remote voting system under which any 

11 member who is absent from the floor shall be permitted 

12 to cast a vote remotely on a motion to suspend the rules 

13 under this clause if the vote is taken by electronic device. 

14 A member who casts such a vote using the remote voting 

15 system under this subparagraph shall be treated as 

16 present for purposes of determining the existence of a 

17 quorum for considering the motion.’’. 

Æ 


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