H.Res. 543 — Introduced in House

IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 543 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 22, 2023Ms. Ross (for herself, Ms. Sánchez, Mr. Raskin, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. Jacobs) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules RESOLUTION Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to permit Members to vote by proxy and remotely attend committee proceedings in certain cases, and for other purposes. 1. Permitting proxy voting and remote attendance at committee proceedings for Members in certain cases (a) Proxy voting Clause 2 of rule III of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended— (1) in paragraph (a), by striking A Member may not and inserting Except as provided in paragraph (c), a Member may not; (2) in paragraph (b), by striking No other person may and inserting Except as provided in paragraph (c), no other person may; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (c) In the case of a Member with a serious medical condition, including any pregnancy-related condition, or a Member who is the primary caretaker of a spouse or dependent with a serious medical condition (including any pregnancy-related condition), such Member may designate another Member as a proxy who may cast the vote of such Member or record the presence of such Member in the House if such Member submits to the Clerk a signed letter, which the Clerk shall preserve the confidentiality of and which may be in electronic form— (1) certifying that such Member has received a recommendation from a doctor that the Member or the spouse or dependent of the Member, as the case may be, should not travel or attend House proceedings in person as a result of a serious medical condition; and (2) specifying by name the other Member who is designated as a proxy for such Member. . (b) Remote attendance at committee proceedings Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following new clause: Remote attendance at committee proceedings in certain cases7. Notwithstanding any other provision of this rule, in the case of a Member with a serious medical condition, including any pregnancy-related condition, or a Member who is the primary caretaker of a spouse or dependent with a serious medical condition (including any pregnancy-related condition) who has submitted to the Clerk a signed letter, which the Clerk shall preserve the confidentiality of and which may be in electronic form, certifying that such Member has received a recommendation from a doctor that the Member or the spouse or dependent of the Member, as the case may be, should not travel or attend House or committee proceedings in person as a result of a serious medical condition, such Member may participate remotely during in-person committee proceedings, including by casting a vote or recording their presence remotely, and— (a) such remote participation shall not be considered an absence for purposes of clause 5(c) of rule X or clause 2(d) of rule XI; and (b) such Member participating remotely pursuant to this clause shall be counted for the purpose of establishing a quorum under the rules of the House and the committee. .