Title: Proxy Vote Windfall Prohibition Act
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Proxy Vote Windfall Prohibition Act
This bill reduces the Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) of a Representative who does not appear in person to cast a vote or record their presence in response to a quorum call while proxy voting is permitted in the House of Representatives.
The MRA is the allowance that each Representative receives to support the conduct of their official and representational duties (e.g., travel costs between their district and the Capitol).The bill reduces the MRA by the amount which would have been paid for the Representative's travel expenses to be present for the vote or quorum call, unless the Representative is carrying out other official and representational duties.
Further, the bill reduces the total amount available for MRAs for the House during the year by the amount of any reductions made under this bill.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7251 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7251

To provide for reductions in the Members' Representational Allowance of 
  Members of the House of Representatives who fail to appear to cast 
 votes or record presence in the House at any time during which proxy 
                   voting is permitted in the House.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2020

 Mr. Johnson of Louisiana (for himself and Mrs. Lesko) introduced the 
     following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for reductions in the Members' Representational Allowance of 
  Members of the House of Representatives who fail to appear to cast 
 votes or record presence in the House at any time during which proxy 
                   voting is permitted in the House.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Proxy Vote Windfall Prohibition 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REDUCTION IN MEMBERS' REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCE OF MEMBERS 
              FAILING TO APPEAR WHILE PROXY VOTING IS PERMITTED.

    Section 101 of the House of Representatives Administrative Reform 
Technical Corrections Act (2 U.S.C. 5341) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (e) as 
        subsections (d) through (f); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(b) Reductions.--
            ``(1) Failure to appear to cast votes or record presence in 
        house at any time during which proxy voting is permitted.--
                    ``(A) In general.--If, at any time during which 
                proxy voting is permitted in the House of 
                Representatives, including during a covered period 
                under House Resolution 965, One Hundred Sixteenth 
                Congress, a Member of the House fails to appear in 
                person in the House to cast a vote or record the 
                Member's presence in response to a quorum call, the 
                Committee on House Administration shall reduce the 
                Members' Representational Allowance for such Member for 
                the remainder of the fiscal year by the amount which 
                would have been paid from the Allowance for the 
                Member's travel expenses if the Member had been present 
                in the House to cast the vote or to record the Member's 
                presence at the quorum call.
                    ``(B) Exception for failure resulting from carrying 
                out other official and representational duties.--
                Subparagraph (A) does not apply if, at the time of a 
                vote or quorum call, a Member is in the District of 
                Columbia but fails to appear in person in the House to 
                cast a vote or record the Member's presence in response 
                to the quorum call because the Member is carrying out 
                other official and representational duties.
            ``(2) Corresponding reduction to aggregate mra funds.--The 
        aggregate amount available under the Members' Representational 
        Allowances for the House of Representatives for a fiscal year 
        shall be reduced by the amount of any reductions made under 
        paragraph (1) for the fiscal year.''.
                                 <all>