April 1 (UPI) — House lawmakers who have newly born infants might gain the ability to choose a colleague to temporarily vote in their place after having a baby.
A bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers voted to kill an effort by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to block consideration of a proposed bill that would allow lawmakers to participate remotely after birthing a baby.
Nine GOP House members voted with all 213 House Democrats to reject, 222-206, a procedural vote that would have blocked consideration of the proposed proxy vote for parents of newborns.
Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., introduced the measure that would allow mothers and fathers of newborns to choose a House lawmaker to vote on legislation in their place for up to 12 weeks following the birth of a child.
Rep. Anna Luna, R-Fla., on March 10 filed a discharge petition seeking to remove the proposed legislation from committee consideration and put it up for a full House vote.
Johnson sought to block the petition, but Tuesday’s vote overcame his opposition.
“Today is a pretty historical day for the entire conference,” Luna told media afterward. “It’s showing that the body has decided that parents deserve a voice in Washington.”
She said it also shows the “importance of female members having a vote in Washington, D.C.”
Tuesday’s vote does not mean Pettersen’s proposed proxy vote has been approved, though. It only means Luna’s discharge petition will be considered.
“Speaker Johnson pulled out all the stops, and people continued to stand with us,” Pettersen said. “We’re changing the way that Congress works, making sure that moms and parents have a voice.”
Luna on Tuesday also initiated the discharge process to consider the proxy-voting measure, which in turn gives the House two legislative days to vote on the resolution.
Johnson and other House leaders then canceled votes for the week, which gives them time to consider how to address the matter next week during a floor debate and vote.
Johnson has said allowing a proxy vote would be unconstitutional and create a “slippery slope” that might lead to additional instances of proxy voting by lawmakers representing districts that did not vote them into office.
The House of Representatives during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed members to vote remotely and choose colleagues as proxies to vote in their place.
