IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 965 
Authorizing remote voting by proxy in the House of Representatives and 
providing for official remote committee proceedings during a public health 
emergency due to a novel coronavirus, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 13, 2020 
Mr. MCGOVERN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Rules 
RESOLUTION 
Authorizing remote voting by proxy in the House of Rep-
resentatives and providing for official remote committee 
proceedings during a public health emergency due to 
a novel coronavirus, and for other purposes. 
Resolved, 
SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF REMOTE VOTING BY 
PROXY 
DURING 
PUBLIC 
HEALTH 
EMER-
GENCY DUE TO NOVEL CORONAVIRUS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Notwithstanding rule III, at 
any time after the Speaker or the Speaker’s designee is 
notified by the Sergeant-at-Arms, in consultation with the 
Attending Physician, that a public health emergency due 
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to a novel coronavirus is in effect, the Speaker or the 
Speaker’s designee, in consultation with the minority lead-
er or the minority leader’s designee, may designate a pe-
riod (hereafter in this resolution referred to as a ‘‘covered 
period’’) during which a Member who is designated by an-
other Member as a proxy in accordance with section 2 may 
cast the vote of such other Member or record the presence 
of such other Member in the House. 
(b) LENGTH OF COVERED PERIOD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graphs (2) and (3), a covered period shall terminate 
45 days after the Speaker or the Speaker’s designee 
designates such period. 
(2) EXTENSION.—If, during a covered period, 
the Speaker or the Speaker’s designee receives fur-
ther notification from the Sergeant-at-Arms, in con-
sultation with the Attending Physician, that the 
public health emergency due to a novel coronavirus 
remains in effect, the Speaker or the Speaker’s des-
ignee, in consultation with the minority leader or the 
minority leader’s designee, may extend the covered 
period for an additional 45 days. 
(3) EARLY TERMINATION.—If, during a covered 
period, the Speaker or the Speaker’s designee re-
ceives further notification by the Sergeant-at-Arms, 
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in consultation with the Attending Physician, that 
the public health emergency due to a novel coronavi-
rus is no longer in effect, the Speaker or the Speak-
er’s designee shall terminate the covered period. 
SEC. 2. PROCESS FOR DESIGNATION OF PROXIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) DESIGNATION
BY
SIGNED
LETTER.—In 
order for a Member to designate another Member as 
a proxy for purposes of section 1, the Member shall 
submit to the Clerk a signed letter (which may be 
in electronic form) specifying by name the Member 
who is designated for such purposes. 
(2) ALTERATION OR REVOCATION OF DESIGNA-
TION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—At any time after sub-
mitting a letter to designate a proxy under 
paragraph (1), a Member may submit to the 
Clerk a signed letter (which may be in elec-
tronic form) altering or revoking the designa-
tion. 
(B) AUTOMATIC REVOCATION UPON CAST-
ING OF VOTE OR RECORDING OF PRESENCE.— 
If during a covered period, a Member who has 
designated another Member as a proxy under 
this section casts the Member’s own vote or 
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records the Member’s own presence in the 
House, the Member shall be considered to have 
revoked the designation of any proxy under this 
subsection with respect to such covered period. 
(3) NOTIFICATION.—Upon receipt of a letter 
submitted by a Member pursuant to paragraphs (1) 
or (2), the Clerk shall notify the Speaker, the major-
ity leader, the minority leader, and the other Mem-
ber or Members involved of the designation, alter-
ation, or revocation. 
(4) LIMITATION.—A Member may not be des-
ignated as a proxy under this section for more than 
10 Members concurrently. 
(b) MAINTENANCE AND AVAILABILITY OF LIST OF 
DESIGNATIONS.—The Clerk shall maintain an updated 
list of the designations, alterations, and revocations sub-
mitted or in effect under subsection (a), and shall make 
such list publicly available in electronic form and available 
during any vote conducted pursuant to section 3. 
SEC. 3. PROCESS FOR VOTING DURING COVERED PERIODS. 
(a) RECORDED VOTES ORDERED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding clause 6 of 
rule I, during a covered period, the yeas and nays 
shall be considered as ordered on any vote on which 
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(3) committee members may cast a vote or 
record their presence while participating remotely; 
(4) committee members participating remotely 
pursuant to this section shall be counted for the pur-
pose of establishing a quorum under the rules of the 
House and the committee; 
(5) witnesses at committee proceedings may ap-
pear remotely; 
(6) committee proceedings conducted remotely 
are deemed to satisfy the requirement of a ‘‘place’’ 
for purposes of clauses 2(g)(3) and 2(m)(1) of rule 
XI; and 
(7) reports of committees (including those filed 
as privileged) may be delivered to the Clerk in elec-
tronic form, and written and signed views under 
clause 2(l) of rule XI may be filed in electronic form 
with the clerk of the committee. 
(b) LIMITATION ON BUSINESS MEETINGS.—A com-
mittee shall not conduct a meeting remotely or permit re-
mote participation at a meeting under this section until 
a member of the committee submits for printing in the 
Congressional Record a letter from a majority of the mem-
bers of the committee notifying the Speaker that the re-
quirements for conducting a meeting in the regulations re-
ferred to in subsection (h) have been met and that the 
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committee is prepared to conduct a remote meeting and 
permit remote participation. 
(c) REMOTE PROCEEDINGS.—Notwithstanding any 
rule of the House or its committees, during proceedings 
conducted remotely pursuant to this section— 
(1) remote participation shall not be considered 
absence for purposes of clause 5(c) of rule X or 
clause 2(d) of rule XI; 
(2) the chair may declare a recess subject to 
the call of the chair at any time to address technical 
difficulties with respect to such proceedings; 
(3) copies of motions, amendments, measures, 
or other documents submitted to the committee in 
electronic form as prescribed by the regulations re-
ferred to in subsection (h) shall satisfy any require-
ment for the submission of printed or written docu-
ments under the rules of the House or its commit-
tees; 
(4) the requirement that results of recorded 
votes be made available by the committee in its of-
fices pursuant to clause 2(e)(1)(B)(i) of rule XI 
shall not apply; 
(5) a committee may manage the consideration 
of amendments pursuant to the regulations referred 
to in subsection (h); 
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(6) counsel shall be permitted to accompany 
witnesses at a remote proceeding in accordance with 
the regulations referred to in subsection (h); and 
(7) an oath may be administered to a witness 
remotely for purposes of clause 2(m)(2) of rule XI. 
(d) REMOTE PARTICIPANTS DURING IN-PERSON 
PROCEEDINGS.—All relevant provisions of this section and 
the regulations referred to in subsection (h) shall apply 
to committee members participating remotely during in- 
person committee proceedings held during any covered pe-
riod. 
(e) TRANSPARENCY
FOR MEETINGS
AND HEAR-
INGS.—Any committee meeting or hearing that is con-
ducted remotely in accordance with the regulations re-
ferred to in subsection (h)— 
(1) shall be considered open to the public; 
(2) shall be deemed to have satisfied the re-
quirement for non-participatory attendance under 
clause 2(g)(2)(C) of rule XI; and 
(3) shall be deemed to satisfy all requirements 
for broadcasting and audio and visual coverage 
under rule V, clause 4 of rule XI, and accompanying 
committee rules. 
(f) SUBPOENAS.— 
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(1) AUTHORITY.—Any committee or chair 
thereof empowered to authorize and issue subpoenas 
may authorize and issue subpoenas for return at a 
hearing or deposition to be conducted remotely 
under this section. 
(2) USE
OF
ELECTRONIC
SIGNATURE
AND 
SEAL.—During any covered period, authorized and 
issued subpoenas may be signed in electronic form; 
and the Clerk may attest and affix the seal of the 
House to such subpoenas in electronic form. 
(g) EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.— 
(1) PROHIBITION.—A committee may not con-
duct closed or executive session proceedings re-
motely, and members may not participate remotely 
in closed or executive session proceedings. 
(2) MOTION TO CLOSE PROCEEDINGS.—Upon 
adoption of a motion to close proceedings or to move 
into executive session with respect to a proceeding 
conducted remotely under this section, the chair 
shall declare the committee in recess subject to the 
call of the chair with respect to such matter until it 
can reconvene in person. 
(3) EXCEPTION.—Paragraphs (1) and (2) do 
not apply to proceedings of the Committee on Eth-
ics. 
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(h) REGULATIONS.—This section shall be carried out 
in accordance with regulations submitted for printing in 
the Congressional Record by the chair of the Committee 
on Rules. 
(i) APPLICATION TO SUBCOMMITTEES AND SELECT 
COMMITTEES.—For purposes of this section, the term 
‘‘committee’’ or ‘‘committees’’ also includes a sub-
committee and a select committee. 
SEC. 5. STUDY AND CERTIFICATION OF FEASIBILITY OF RE-
MOTE VOTING IN HOUSE. 
(a) STUDY AND CERTIFICATION.—The chair of the 
Committee on House Administration, in consultation with 
the ranking minority member, shall study the feasibility 
of using technology to conduct remote voting in the House, 
and shall provide certification to the House upon a deter-
mination that operable and secure technology exists to 
conduct remote voting in the House. 
(b) REGULATIONS.— 
(1) INITIAL REGULATIONS.—On any legislative 
day that follows the date on which the chair of the 
Committee on House Administration provides the 
certification described in subsection (a), the chair of 
the Committee on Rules, in consultation with the 
ranking minority member, shall submit regulations 
for printing in the Congressional Record that pro-
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vide for the implementation of remote voting in the 
House. 
(2) SUPPLEMENTAL
REGULATIONS.—At any 
time after submitting the initial regulations under 
paragraph (1), the chair of the Committee on Rules, 
in consultation with the ranking minority member, 
may submit regulations to supplement the initial 
regulations submitted under such paragraph for 
printing in the Congressional Record. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—Notwithstanding any rule of 
the House, upon notification of the House by the Speaker 
after the submission of regulations by the chair of the 
Committee on Rules under subsection (b)— 
(1) Members may cast their votes or record 
their presence in the House remotely during a cov-
ered period; 
(2) any Member whose vote is cast or whose 
presence is recorded remotely under this section 
shall be counted for the purpose of establishing a 
quorum under the rules of the House; and 
(3) the casting of votes and the recording of 
presence remotely under this section shall be subject 
to the applicable regulations submitted by the chair 
of the Committee on Rules under subsection (b). 
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SEC. 6. REGULATIONS. 
To the greatest extent practicable, sections 1, 2, and 
3 of this resolution shall be carried out in accordance with 
regulations submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the chair of the Committee on Rules. 
Æ 
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