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[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.
                                 <all>
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