Bipartisan Effort Aims to Bring Proxy Voting Back for New Parents in Congress
Washington D.C. – A groundswell of bipartisan support is building in the House of Representatives to reinstate proxy voting, specifically for new parents, a move spearheaded by Representatives Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat from Colorado, and Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida. Both women, who have experienced the challenges of balancing congressional duties with the demands of new parenthood, are leading the charge to modernize the legislative process and make it more accommodating to those starting or raising families.
The impetus for this effort stems from the personal experiences of Pettersen and Luna. Pettersen, just one month after giving birth to her second son, Sam, found herself rushing to Washington D.C. to cast a critical vote against a House Republican budget resolution. The arduous journey, balancing a newborn in her arms and luggage in tow, underscored the difficulties faced by new parents in Congress.
"I think that the hardest part was, you know, I’m at my apartment trying to feed him, trying to get dressed to get to the vote on time, and, you know, just being able to get ready for a minute, put him down or sleep more than two hours," Pettersen recounted, highlighting the physical and emotional toll the trip took on her. "I was a complete, you know, zombie right out here trying to represent my constituents."
Similarly, Luna faced significant challenges after giving birth to her son, Henry, in 2023. She developed preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication, and later mastitis, a painful infection common among breastfeeding mothers. These health issues forced her to miss important votes, including those related to a spending bill and the historic removal of Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker.
"I started flying back up when he was a month old, and it was rough. He was an infant…but that’s why we want to make sure that we’re not putting people in those positions," Luna explained.
These experiences have galvanized Pettersen and Luna, who are among the fewer than 20 lawmakers in history to have given birth while serving in Congress, to advocate for proxy voting for new parents. Proxy voting, which allows lawmakers to designate another member to vote on their behalf, was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure continued representation while minimizing health risks. However, it was discontinued in 2023 by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with Republican leadership arguing that it is unconstitutional.
Despite facing opposition from current House Speaker Mike Johnson and other top Republicans, Pettersen and Luna have managed to garner significant bipartisan support for their resolution. The resolution proposes allowing members who have given birth or whose spouse has given birth up to 12 weeks to vote by proxy.
"This is something that’s really important that we move forward with to make sure that… Congress is more reflective of the people that we’re representing," Pettersen emphasized. "That if you’re a young family, if you’re starting a family, that you’re still able to do this job."
Pettersen has a track record of championing parental benefits for lawmakers. During her time in the Colorado state legislature, she co-sponsored legislation that granted state lawmakers up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, plus an additional four weeks for postpartum health complications. This legislation was successfully passed in 2022.
In January, Pettersen, Luna, Representative Sara Jacobs, a Democrat from California, and Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, formally introduced their bipartisan resolution in Congress.
Luna, who is a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, played a crucial role in advancing the resolution by filing a discharge petition. This procedural maneuver allowed them to bypass House Republican leadership and force a vote on the House floor.
"It’s hypocritical to the Republican stance and platform that’s supposed to be pro-family" to oppose the resolution, Luna stated. She also argued that the resolution is constitutional because it stipulates that proxy votes would be excluded from establishing a quorum and sets limits on the duration a lawmaker can utilize it.
The discharge petition successfully obtained the required 218 signatures to force a vote, coinciding with Pettersen’s second trip to D.C. amidst a spending bill debate. The coalition included a majority of Democrats and 12 Republicans.
A vote on the resolution is anticipated this week. Representative Jacobs indicated that discussions are underway to potentially broaden the scope of the effort to include parents who adopt children or lawmakers who need to care for sick family members.
"We want this body to actually be representative of the American people," Jacobs asserted. "To do that, we need to modernize it."
However, the resolution continues to face staunch opposition from key Republican figures. Speaker Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise have both expressed reservations, citing constitutional concerns.
"I don’t think it’s constitutional to be voting in Congress remotely," Scalise stated. He and Johnson were previously involved in a lawsuit in 2020 to block proxy voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the Constitution mandates a quorum of lawmakers to be physically present on the floor to conduct business. Although a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, the constitutional argument persists among some Republicans.
Representative Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, voiced strong disapproval of the resolution, stating that it is "even worse policy" to apply proxy voting to a specific group.
"My son misses me. But you know, I come here and do my job, and everybody, if you want to do your job, then do your damn job. Like, come here and vote in person," he remarked.
Despite the opposition, the bipartisan coalition behind the resolution remains optimistic. They believe that reinstating proxy voting for new parents is a crucial step towards creating a more inclusive and representative Congress, one that acknowledges and accommodates the challenges faced by working families. The outcome of the upcoming vote will determine whether this vision becomes a reality.
