Title: A resolution amending the Standing Rules of the Senate to enable the participation of absent Senators during a national crisis.
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
This resolution sets forth procedures that allow Senators to cast their votes from outside of the Senate chamber. Specifically, these votes may be cast using certain technology approved by the Secretary of the Senate and Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper if the majority leader and minority leader jointly determine that an extraordinary crisis of national extent exists in which it would be infeasible for Senators to cast their votes in person.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 201 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 201

 Amending the Standing Rules of the Senate to enable the participation 
              of absent Senators during a national crisis.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2021

  Mr. Portman (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Warren, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
  King, and Mr. Schatz) submitted the following resolution; which was 
         referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Amending the Standing Rules of the Senate to enable the participation 
              of absent Senators during a national crisis.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF ABSENT SENATORS DURING A NATIONAL CRISIS.

     Rule XII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
            ``5. Senators may use technology that has been approved by 
        the Secretary of the Senate and the Sergeant at Arms and 
        Doorkeeper of the Senate as reliable and secure to cast their 
        votes from outside of the Senate Chamber if the majority leader 
        or his or her designee and the minority leader or his or her 
        designee jointly determine that an extraordinary crisis of 
        national extent exists in which it would be infeasible for 
        Senators to cast their votes in person. If such a crisis is 
        determined to exist, Senators may cast votes under this 
        paragraph during the 30-day period beginning on the date on 
        which such determination is made, unless such period is 
        extended for one or more additional 30-day periods by an 
        affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen 
        and sworn. During such period, Senators participating remotely 
        and using approved technology to cast their votes under this 
        paragraph shall be deemed present for purposes of establishing 
        the presence of a quorum. The determination made under this 
        paragraph shall not rely on any decision of any other branch of 
        the United States Government. The majority leader or his or her 
        designee and the minority leader or his or her designee shall 
        submit at the beginning of the first session of each Congress 
        an order for designees of each caucus in the case of such a 
        crisis.''.
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