IV 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 5 

Establishing grounds under which Members of Congress may vote by proxy 

and remotely attend committee proceedings in the event of illness, a 

death in the family, jury service, military service, and other emergency 

situations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 28, 2025 

Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Rules 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Establishing grounds under which Members of Congress may 

vote by proxy and remotely attend committee proceedings 

in the event of illness, a death in the family, jury service, 

military service, and other emergency situations, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Legislative 

5 Proxy and Absence Accommodation Resolution’’. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 SEC. 2. PERMITTING PROXY VOTING AND REMOTE ATTEND2 ANCE AT COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS FOR 

3 MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA4 TIVES IN CERTAIN CASES. 

5 (a) PROXY VOTING.—Rule III of the Rules of the 

6 House of Representatives is amended— 

7 (1) in clause 2(a), by striking ‘‘A Member may 

8 not’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in clause 4, 

9 a Member may not’’; 

10 (2) in clause 2(b), by striking ‘‘No other person 

11 may’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in clause 4, 

12 no other person may’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

14 clause: 

15 ‘‘Proxy voting 

16 ‘‘4.(a) If any of the grounds described in paragraph 

17 (b) applies to a Member, such Member may designate an18 other Member as a proxy who may cast the vote of such 

19 Member or record the presence of such Member in the 

20 House if such Member submits to the Clerk a signed letter 

21 (which may be in electronic form)— 

22 ‘‘(1) certifying that one of those grounds ap23 plies to such Member; and 

24 ‘‘(2) specifying by name the other Member who 

25 is designated as a proxy for such Member. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 ‘‘(b) The grounds described in this paragraph with 

2 respect to a Member are as follows: 

3 ‘‘(1) Any of the grounds under which an eligible 

4 employee is entitled to leave under subparagraphs 

5 (A) through (E) of section 102(a)(1) of the Family 

6 and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 

7 2612(a)(1)), but only if the Member includes with 

8 the signed letter required under this paragraph such 

9 documentation as the Clerk may require. 

10 ‘‘(2) An illness of the Member which would not 

11 be treated as a serious health condition under sec12 tion 102(a)(1)(D) of the Family and Medical Leave 

13 Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(D)) if the Mem14 ber were an eligible employee under such Act, except 

15 that the number of days during which a Member 

16 may designate a proxy under this clause on the basis 

17 of this subparagraph in a calendar year may not ex18 ceed 7. 

19 ‘‘(3) The summoning of the Member, in connec20 tion with a judicial proceeding, by a court or author21 ity responsible for the conduct of that proceeding, to 

22 serve as a juror, but only if the Member includes 

23 with the signed letter required under this paragraph 

24 such documentation of the summoning as the Clerk 

25 may require. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 ‘‘(4) The death of a family member, except that 

2 the number of consecutive days during which a 

3 Member may designate a proxy under this clause on 

4 the basis of this subparagraph with respect to a 

5 family member may not exceed 4. For purposes of 

6 this subparagraph, the term ‘family member’ means 

7 a spouse (including a domestic partner) and a 

8 spouse’s parent; a child and a child’s spouse; a par9 ent and a parent’s spouse; a sibling and a sibling’s 

10 spouse; a grandparent, a grandchild, or a spouse of 

11 a grandparent or grandchild; and any other indi12 vidual who is related by blood or affinity and whose 

13 association with the individual is the equivalent of a 

14 family relationship under regulations issued by the 

15 Committee on House Administration. 

16 ‘‘(5) The Member is absent by reason of service 

17 in the uniformed services, as defined in section 

18 4303(13) of title 38, United States Code, except 

19 that the number of days during which a Member 

20 may designate a proxy under this clause on the basis 

21 of this subparagraph in a calendar year may not ex22 ceed 15 in the case of service consisting of active 

23 duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty 

24 training and may not exceed 22 days in the case of 

25 service consisting of State active duty in response to 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 a national emergency or a major disaster referred to 

2 in such section. A Member may designate a proxy 

3 under this clause on the basis of this subparagraph 

4 only if the Member includes with the signed letter 

5 required under this paragraph such documentation 

6 of the service as the Clerk may require. 

7 ‘‘(6) The Member is prevented from safely trav8 eling to or performing work at the location of the 

9 committee proceeding due to— 

10 ‘‘(A) an act of God; 

11 ‘‘(B) a terrorist attack; or 

12 ‘‘(C) another condition that prevents the 

13 Member from safely traveling to or performing 

14 work at the location of the proceeding. 

15 ‘‘(c) The Clerk shall maintain an updated list of the 

16 following information, and shall make such list publicly 

17 available in electronic form: 

18 ‘‘(1) The designations submitted or in effect 

19 under paragraph (a). 

20 ‘‘(2) With respect to each Member who des21 ignated a proxy under paragraph (a)— 

22 ‘‘(A) the number of days for which the 

23 Member designated a proxy; and 

24 ‘‘(B) the grounds under paragraph (b) on 

25 which the Member designated the proxy. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 ‘‘(d) Any Member whose vote is cast or whose pres2 ence is recorded by a designated proxy under this clause 

3 shall be counted for the purpose of establishing a quorum 

4 under the rules of the House.’’. 

5 (b) REMOTE ATTENDANCE AT COMMITTEE PRO6 CEEDINGS.—Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Rep7 resentatives is amended by adding at the end the following 

8 new clause: 

9 ‘‘Remote attendance at committee proceedings in 

10 certain cases 

11 ‘‘7.(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 

12 rule, if any of the grounds described in paragraph (b) ap13 plies to a Member and such Member has submitted to the 

14 Clerk a signed letter (which may be in electronic form) 

15 certifying that one of those grounds applies to such Mem16 ber— 

17 ‘‘(1) such Member may participate remotely 

18 during in-person committee proceedings, including 

19 by casting a vote or recording such Member’s pres20 ence remotely; 

21 ‘‘(2) such remote participation shall not be con22 sidered an absence for purposes of clause 5(c) of 

23 rule X or clause 2(d) of rule XI; and 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 ‘‘(3) such Member shall be counted for the pur2 pose of establishing a quorum under the rules of the 

3 House and the committee. 

4 ‘‘(b) The grounds described in this paragraph with 

5 respect to a Member are as follows: 

6 ‘‘(1) Any of the grounds under which an eligible 

7 employee is entitled to leave under subparagraphs 

8 (A) through (E) of section 102(a)(1) of the Family 

9 and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 

10 2612(a)(1)), but only if the Member includes with 

11 the signed letter required under this paragraph such 

12 documentation as the Clerk may require. 

13 ‘‘(2) An illness of the Member which would not 

14 be treated as a serious health condition under sec15 tion 102(a)(1)(D) of the Family and Medical Leave 

16 Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(D)) if the Mem17 ber were an eligible employee under such Act, except 

18 that the number of days during which a Member 

19 may participate remotely under this clause on the 

20 basis of this subparagraph in a calendar year may 

21 not exceed 7. 

22 ‘‘(3) The summoning of the Member, in connec23 tion with a judicial proceeding, by a court or author24 ity responsible for the conduct of that proceeding, to 

25 serve as a juror, but only if the Member includes 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 with the signed letter required under this paragraph 

2 such documentation of the summoning as the Clerk 

3 may require. 

4 ‘‘(4) The death of a family member, except that 

5 the number of consecutive days during which a 

6 Member may participate remotely under this clause 

7 on the basis of this subparagraph with respect to a 

8 family member may not exceed 4. For purposes of 

9 this subparagraph, the term ‘family member’ means 

10 a spouse (including a domestic partner) and a 

11 spouse’s parent; a child and a child’s spouse; a par12 ent and a parent’s spouse; a sibling and a sibling’s 

13 spouse; a grandparent, a grandchild, or a spouse of 

14 a grandparent or grandchild; and any other indi15 vidual who is related by blood or affinity and whose 

16 association with the individual is the equivalent of a 

17 family relationship under regulations issued by the 

18 Committee on House Administration. 

19 ‘‘(5) The Member is absent by reason of service 

20 in the uniformed services, as defined in section 

21 4303(13) of title 38, United States Code, except 

22 that the number of days during which a Member 

23 may participate remotely under this clause on the 

24 basis of this subparagraph in a calendar year may 

25 not exceed 15 in the case of service consisting of acVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 Jan 28, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC5.IH HC5

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 tive duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty 

2 training and may not exceed 22 days in the case of 

3 service consisting of State active duty in response to 

4 a national emergency or a major disaster referred to 

5 in such section. A Member may participate remotely 

6 under this clause on the basis of this subparagraph 

7 only if the Member includes with the signed letter 

8 required under this paragraph such documentation 

9 of the service as the Clerk may require. 

10 ‘‘(6) The Member is prevented from safely trav11 eling to or performing work at the location of the 

12 committee proceeding due to— 

13 ‘‘(A) an act of God; 

14 ‘‘(B) a terrorist attack; or 

15 ‘‘(C) another condition that prevents the 

16 Member from safely traveling to or performing 

17 work at the location of the proceeding. 

18 ‘‘(c) The Clerk shall maintain an updated list of the 

19 following information, and shall make such list publicly 

20 available in electronic form: 

21 ‘‘(1) The Members who are eligible to partici22 pate remotely under this clause. 

23 ‘‘(2) With respect to each such Member— 

24 ‘‘(A) the number of days for which the 

25 Member participated remotely; and 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 ‘‘(B) the grounds under paragraph (b) on 

2 which the Member participated remotely.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. PERMITTING PROXY VOTING AND REMOTE ATTEND4 ANCE AT COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS FOR 

5 SENATORS IN CERTAIN CASES. 

6 (a) PROXY VOTING.— 

7 (1) AUTHORIZING DESIGNATION OF PROXIES.— 

8 Notwithstanding any other provision of any of the 

9 Standing Rules of the Senate, if any of the grounds 

10 described in subsection (c) applies to a Senator, such 

11 Senator may designate another Senator as a proxy 

12 who may cast the vote of such Senator or record the 

13 presence of such Senator in the Senate if such Sen14 ator submits to the Secretary of the Senate a signed 

15 letter (which may be in electronic form)— 

16 (A) certifying that one of those grounds 

17 applies to such Senator; and 

18 (B) specifying by name the other Senator 

19 who is designated as a proxy for such Senator. 

20 (2) DETERMINATION OF QUORUM.—Any Sen21 ator whose vote is cast or whose presence is recorded 

22 by a designated proxy under this section shall be 

23 counted for the purpose of establishing a quorum 

24 under the Standing Rules of the Senate. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 (b) REMOTE ATTENDANCE AT COMMITTEE PRO2 CEEDINGS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of any 

3 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, if any of the grounds 

4 described in subsection (c) applies to a Senator, and such 

5 Senator has submitted to the Secretary of the Senate a 

6 signed letter (which may be in electronic form) certifying 

7 that one of those grounds applies to such Senator, such 

8 Senator may participate remotely during in-person com9 mittee proceedings, including by casting a vote or record10 ing such Senator’s presence remotely, and— 

11 (1) such remote participation shall not be con12 sidered an absence for purposes of any provision of 

13 the Standing Rules of the Senate; and 

14 (2) a Senator participating remotely pursuant 

15 to this subsection shall be counted for the purpose 

16 of establishing a quorum under the Standing Rules 

17 of the Senate and the committee. 

18 (c) GROUNDS DESCRIBED.—The grounds described 

19 in this subsection with respect to a Senator are as follows: 

20 (1) Any of the grounds under which an eligible 

21 employee is entitled to leave under subparagraphs 

22 (A) through (E) of section 102(a)(1) of the Family 

23 and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 

24 2612(a)(1)), but only if the Member includes with 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 the signed letter required under this paragraph such 

2 documentation as the Secretary may require. 

3 (2) An illness of the Senator which would not 

4 be treated as a serious health condition under sec5 tion 102(a)(1)(D) of the Family and Medical Leave 

6 Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(D)) if the Sen7 ator were an eligible employee under such Act, ex8 cept that the number of days during which a Sen9 ator may designate a proxy under subsection (a) or 

10 may participate remotely under subsection (b) on 

11 the basis of this paragraph in a calendar year may 

12 not exceed 7. 

13 (3) The summoning of the Senator, in connec14 tion with a judicial proceeding, by a court or author15 ity responsible for the conduct of that proceeding, to 

16 serve as a juror, but only if the Senator includes 

17 with the signed letter required under this paragraph 

18 such documentation of the summoning as the Clerk 

19 may require. 

20 (4) The death of a family member, except that 

21 the number of consecutive days during which a Sen22 ator may designate a proxy under subsection (a) or 

23 may participate remotely under subsection (b) on 

24 the basis of this paragraph with respect to a family 

25 member may not exceed 4. For purposes of this 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 paragraph, the term ‘‘family member’’ means a 

2 spouse (including a domestic partner) and a spouse’s 

3 parent; a child and a child’s spouse; a parent and 

4 a parent’s spouse; a sibling and a sibling’s spouse; 

5 a grandparent, a grandchild, or a spouse of a grand6 parent or grandchild; and any other individual who 

7 is related by blood or affinity and whose association 

8 with the individual is the equivalent of a family rela9 tionship under regulations issued by the Committee 

10 on Rules and Administration. 

11 (5) The Senator is absent by reason of service 

12 in the uniformed services, as defined in section 

13 4303(13) of title 38, United States Code, except 

14 that the number of days during which a Senator 

15 may designate a proxy under subsection (a) or may 

16 participate remotely under subsection (b) on the 

17 basis of this paragraph in a calendar year may not 

18 exceed 15 in the case of service consisting of active 

19 duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty 

20 training and may not exceed 22 days in the case of 

21 service consisting of State active duty in response to 

22 a national emergency or a major disaster referred to 

23 in such section. A Senator may designate a proxy 

24 under subsection (a) or may participate remotely 

25 under subsection (b) on the basis of this paragraph 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
14 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 only if the Senator includes with the signed letter re2 quired under such subsections such documentation 

3 of the service as the Secretary may require. 

4 (6) The Senator is prevented from safely trav5 eling to or performing work at the location of the 

6 committee proceeding due to— 

7 (A) an act of God; 

8 (B) a terrorist attack; or 

9 (C) another condition that prevents the 

10 Senator from safely traveling to or performing 

11 work at the location of the proceeding. 

12 (d) MAINTENANCE OF INFORMATION BY SEC13 RETARY.—The Secretary shall maintain an updated list 

14 of the following information, and shall make such list pub15 licly available in electronic form: 

16 (1) The designations of proxies submitted or in 

17 effect under subsection (a). 

18 (2) With respect to each Senator who des19 ignated a proxy under subsection (a)— 

20 (A) the number of days for which the Sen21 ator designated a proxy; and 

22 (B) the grounds under subsection (c) on 

23 which the Senator designated the proxy. 

24 (3) The Senators who are eligible to participate 

25 remotely under subsection (b). 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
15 

•HCON 5 IH 

1 (4) With respect to each Senator who is eligible 

2 to participate remotely under subsection (b)— 

3 (A) the number of days for which the Sen4 ator participated remotely; and 

5 (B) the grounds under subsection (c) on 

6 which the Senator participated remotely. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB