Woody Allen is famous for ordering that 90% of life's success is just showing.
With that in mind, should the House be allowed to vote from home by members of Congress?
What about a very specific standard?
Ah, you might say, did they not try it during the pandemic a few years ago? Lawmakers literally called out to vote for representatives on the floor. Members of Washington, DC will then pass a series of index cards and announce how members will agree or oppose a particular bill, amendment, resolution, or move.
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Should the House allow members of Congress to vote from home? (Paul Bersebach/Medianews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
It constituted a vote at home during the darkest days of the pandemic.
Social distancing has spurred the house. It probably wasn't the best idea to narrow down 435 people to the house as Covid-19 was raging in 2020.
It took a while, but the house eventually adopted a remote voting. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) initially reserved the practice, but as the pandemic intensified, supporters argued that flying scores for lawmakers from across the country to Washington and then back to the district is not feasible but safe.
That's why the House of Representatives implemented a proxy voting.
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Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi will speak at 92N in New York City on October 24th, 2024. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
“People have to choose between their health and their vote. It shouldn't be,” Pelosi said in 2020.
D-Va. Rep. Don Bayer represents a district across the Potomic River in northern Virginia. This means Bayer was always close to Capitol Hill. Beyer served as one of the most trusted agents for her colleagues to vote on the floor, frequently coming to the floor towards the end of the vote for a roll call, reading gusts of names.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, condemned the practice.
“For over 231 years, I have never seen a proxy on the floor of my house,” McCarthy said.
The speakers of the house at the time, Kevin McCarthy and R-Calif, will hold a press conference on Thursday, January 12th, 2023 in the Statue Hall at the U.S. Capitol. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images)
The Democrats pointed out health and safety. Many Republicans pointed to the constitution. Article 5 of the Constitution states that “a large portion (chamber) of each shall constitute a quorum for conducting business.”
The GOP argued that everything the House was doing was under proxy votes and democratic control – was unconstitutional. Members had to be there in person. However, many Republicans eventually began to engage in the practice.
Fast forward to the present.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. gave birth to a son in the summer of 2023. Pettersen was the 13th woman to give birth during her tenure.
But becoming a new mom doesn't necessarily require the intense schedule required for members of Congress. It is routinely expected that lawmakers coming and going to Washington, D.C., to be in three locations at a time. Meeting with constituents, vote on the floor, and perhaps attend committee hearings. You get an idea.
Secondly, new moms have real health concerns. The doctor placed the pregnant mom on the bed rest.
“Congress needs to be more accessible to ordinary people,” Pettersen said. “I couldn't actually fly from Colorado to DC and could not vote a few weeks before I gave birth due to medical restrictions.”
Luna had a similar experience.
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna will make a statement on January 5, 2023, that she will applaud the House Chamber on the third day of the election for House Speaker of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. (Get McNamee/Getty Images)
“I was trying to understand what the process was for the members who were about to give birth, and I was surprised by my disappointment. They were told I couldn't vote,” Luna said. “This place is not in full contact with the average day American.”
So, Luna worked with Pettersen to draft a resolution allowing pregnant mothers, even the three-month window to vote remotely, even for the spouse of a new mother.
“This is the first step in the right direction to not only give mothers a seat at the table, but also encourage people to have a family,” Luna said. “It's very difficult to go anywhere in eight months.”
If the speaker is not keen on putting pet issues on the floor, there is a tedious council manipulation that a disgruntled House member can use to test out the end run around leadership. It is called a “discharge petition.” The discharge petition requires a solid 218 signature, regardless of the physical membership at that time.
Discharge petitions are rarely successful.
Sunrise Light will hit the dome of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, January 2, 2025 as the 119th Congress is set to begin. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images)
In 2002, the House successfully adopted a discharge petition under the landmark McCain Feingold Campaign Finance Act.
Another discharge petition was not successful until 2015 when there was a bipartisan plan to reapprove the Export Transport Bank.
However, discharge petitions have recently increased. The House of Representatives hired two people last year alone. One was a package on natural disaster tax relief. Members also proceeded with discharge petitions to curb the reduction in Social Security payments to seniors. However, over the past quarter century, only four discharge petitions have collected the signatures needed to force the home to act.
The remote voting discharge petition by Luna and Pettersen collected enough signatures last week. This causes the house to consider a proxy voting plan for moms and parents, unless House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can convince sponsors to dial back things.
Johnson opposes remote voting.
“I'm worried that everything is unconstitutional.” So I tried to discuss this with Anna. She's pretty stubborn about it,” Johnson said.
D-Mass. Rep. Jim McGovern is a top Democrat on the House Rules Committee. He claimed that GOP's backlash against the proxy vote was “unusual” during the pandemic, but McGovern then called out Johnson.
House Speaker Mike Johnson. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“Johnson Speaker voted 39 remotely,” McGovern said.
R-Tenn. Representative Tim Burchett of the group said he opposes proxy votes because members may use the option.
“Members abused practices during Covid. They once went on fundraising. They were on vacation,” Burchett said. “But you can't fake pregnancy.”
What Luna and Pettersen actually built was a “rules” discharge petition. “Rules” are the mechanism by which the House of Representatives places bills or resolutions on the floor. The remote voting plan prys open the “rules” and allows the home to consider a Luna/Petersen solution.
Members who sign the discharge petition can make a call as early as March 27th. House GOP Brass can be delayed from placing it on the floor until March 31st or April 1st. At that time, the House actually votes to eject the “rules” in a proxy vote.
If the House votes to place “rules” on the floor for remote voting, they can actually discuss and vote on the proposed changes themselves. But House GOP leadership could also delay this step by several days, perhaps until April 7 or 8.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson is depicted in front of the US Capitol. (Getty Images/AP)
Fox is said to be able to prepare special rules from the Rules Committee as Johnson could hinder the Luna/Pettersen plan. Under House rules, the plan could allow proxy voting plans available only on the second or fourth Monday of the month, but this approach is cumbersome at best.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to close its session on the second Monday, April 14th, but will take place on Monday, April 28th. So this could draw up plans up until then.
Fox is also said that House Republican leaders may want to rip the band-aid apart soon. That could prompt immediate action on the plan when the House returns next week.
Keep in mind that once you sign the discharge petition, you will only be able to come to the floor. A cohort of 218 members who signed the discharge petition will not be bound by voting in favor of any of the just-reviewed procedural procedures. It also allows remote voting without the need to vote for actual changes.
That's why members who don't want to adopt this plan in their home can twist their arms behind the scenes.
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Anyway, if the house considers any of these plots, members must vote in person at the Chamber of Commerce. At least for now.
90% of life's successes are manifested. But the new parents who double as MPs may argue that success at homefront will replace it.
