House Democrats unveiled their plan for remote committee hearings and proxy voting on Wednesday, which would radically change a more than 200-year-old tradition in the chamber during the coronavirus pandemic.
It would allow members unable to travel to Capitol Hill to cast their votes by designating another member to do it for them on the House floor. They must notify the House clerk in person. Each proxy must receive written instructions for each vote and is only allowed to stand in for up to 10 members.
For committees, chairs can decide whether to hold entire virtual or hybrid meetings were some members are physically present in Washington, D.C. Any virtual participants have to use software approved by the Chief Administrative Officer, but they will be allowed to vote on committee items.
The House Administration Committee will also be tasked to study and approve a secure way to vote via virtual technology — which can be approved by the House Rules Committee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The resolution is set for a vote on Friday alongside the Democrats’ $3 trillion coronavirus spending bill.
The authorization lasts for 45 days — which can be renewed and modified — if the pandemic continues.
After the House scrapped plans last month for another proxy voting resolution due to Republican opposition — a bipartisan panel was formed with party leaders and top members on the House Administration and Rules committees to look into solutions.
Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, Rules Chairman Jim McGovern and Administration Chair Zoe Lofgren said Wednesday that their group never reached consensus.
“While we could not come to an agreement, we have incorporated several Republican ideas into this resolution,” they wrote in a statement. “We will now move forward on these temporary emergency procedures to ensure the House can continue fully working for the people during this public health and economic emergency. The time has come to act — further delay is not an option.”
Republican leaders are actively urging their members to vote against the resolution, dubbing it “proxy voting scheme 2.0.”
They’re concerned that it would allow Democrats to pass legislation with only a fraction of members present, ignoring minority rights and breaking constitutional tradition.
“The House has demonstrated that it is able to consider bipartisan legislation under the current rules and this proposed rules change represents nothing more than a power grab by the majority,” Minority Whip Steve Scalise wrote in a memo to Republican members.
“House Republicans stand ready to work with the majority to establish a safe and effective plan for how the House needs to adapt during these unprecedented times. Unfortunately, this partisan proposal will not achieve that goal,” he added.
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, Rules Committee ranking member Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Administration Committee ranking member Rodney Davis of Illinois released a plan last week that would put members back in person on Capitol Hill but with social distancing protocols in place.
They proposed creating a rotating schedule of committees — with an emphasis on those that would work on the National Defense Authorization bill, spending bills and COVID-related items first — in larger rooms. This, they argued, would allow for a full debate on key issues while giving members space to spread out.
Democrats rejected that plan because it puts too much focus on committees and still puts members and Capitol staff at risk.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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