Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FLA.) gave sufficient support to force floor votes to allow new parents to vote on behalf of the House GOP leader opposed the measure and claimed it was unconstitutional.
Last week's Luna submitted it Exempt from petitiona way to vote for a new parental resolution led by Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), who brought House laws to the floor, gave birth to his son in January, and traveled with his toddler at a month-long month.
A rarely successful petition requires 218 signatures to force floor action on an invoice or resolution. This is the majority chamber and is sufficient to adopt measures. Luna's petition reached that threshold Tuesday afternoon, and she expects to vote when the house returns from a holiday the week of March 25th.
“Don't bet on Luna,” the Florida legislator told the hill, referring to the home's GOP resistance to pushing parents' proxy votes.
The fundamental resolution, H.Res. twenty threeallows for a proxy vote of up to 12 weeks for members who give birth, and pregnant members who cannot travel safely for medical reasons.
Eleven Republicans have signed discharge petitions: Michael Luli (Ohio), Tim Burchett (Tennessee), Dan Crenshaw (Texas), Byron Donald (Fla.), Jeff Van Drew (New Jersey), Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Dan Moother (PA.), Wesley Hunt (TEXAS) Mike Roller (NY). Luna said there were other members who wanted to sign on, but after 218 signatures were reached, the petition was closed.
Luna previously attempted to gain GOP leadership and include the provision of proxy voting in her House Rules package.
Republican leaders have argued that the proxy votes Democrats had previously held widely due to the Covid-19 pandemic are unconstitutional. And speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) personally argued in his Supreme Court summary that proxy votes are unconstitutional.
“It's a shame. I have great sympathy and sympathy for all our young women of birth age, and that's a real confusion,” Johnson said. I said it before CNN. “But I'm worried that it won't fit the language of the Constitution, and that's the inevitable truth we have.”
Luna, who had her first child during her first term in 2023, pushed back those arguments.
“It's not unconstitutional. It's within the left and right restrictions. Luna told Hill, who refers to the provisions of the law that members of a proxy vote will not be counted, with the purpose of specifying a quorum for two people.
“There was a majority of the two, so what would happen if Brandon Gill had a child? Isn't he supposed to be at his birth?” Luna said, referring to the Texas representative. “We're supposed to be a pro-life party, so I'm reminding everyone that.”
The last successful discharge petition was against the Social Security Equity Act late last year, which increased benefits payments for those receiving primarily public sector pensions. That discharge petition effort prompted criticism at the GOP at the time, with some members saying that GOP members who were responsible for leadership showed a lack of discipline.
