It’s not going to be quite the big deal the new mothers who are federally elected representatives want
Johnson strikes deal with Luna on parental proxy voting
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has reached a deal with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) over her push to allow new parents to vote by proxy, a development that is set to unlock the House floor after the explosive issue — and the GOP rebellions it sparked — brought the chamber to a standstill.
Under the agreement being worked out, the House would formalize “vote pairing,” two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill.
The procedure allows a member — in this case, a new mother — who must be absent for a vote to coordinate with a lawmaker voting opposite their stance who is willing to abstain from the vote, that way the new mother’s absence is canceled out.
As part of the deal, according to the sources, Luna would not force a vote on her discharge petition, which she successfully executed last month to dispatch Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s (D-Colo.) resolution to the floor that seeks to allow members who give birth or lawmakers whose spouses give birth to have another member vote for them for 12 weeks.
Additionally, Johnson is still looking at increasing accessibility for young mothers in the Capitol, one of the sources said, a prospect that the Speaker revealed last week. He said he is eyeing a room for nursing mothers and potentially allowing mothers of young children to use their official funds to travel between their home districts and Washington.
Proxy voting is absolutely nothing new. It has been done forever, because lawmakers have been skipping votes for one reason or another forever, though it is rarely used these days. There was no real agreement, just that two reps who would vote opposite agreed not to vote. Even though their job requires them to be present for votes. Requires them to debate it. But, hey, sometimes people get hurt. I guess Johnson is just trying to avoid a vote on the petition, which would cause issues, and would be a waste of time since the Quorum Clause requires lawmakers to be physically present to vote. If they have a problem with that, they should attempt to get an amendment passed allowing remote voting. That is the only Constitutional method that would change anything.
But, you know, it doesn’t seem like Luna has any problem speaking to the press about it. But, what of Brittany Peterson? Will she agree?
As far as I can tell, you're just fine showing up on every camera everywhere with your infant. No need for proxy voting, obviously.
— Law of Self Defense (@LawSelfDefense) April 5, 2025
She is showing up even in person to talk about it. Can her husband, and other husbands of federally elected lawmakers, not watch the baby while they do the job they campaigned for?
Read: Deal In The Works For Congressional Proxy Voting For New Mothers »
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