Three House lawmakers have written a resolution that would let members vote on certain bills without being present on the House floor, and participate in certain committee hearings without being present in the room.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and two Republican lawmakers put forward the MOBILE resolution, which stands for Members Operating to Be Innovative and Link Everyone.
The resolution implies members of the House could be more effective if they were allowed to multi-task, and be permitted to take certain votes and join hearings while they aren’t in Washington, or at least, without having to be in the room.
Swalwell’s resolution would require House staff to develop a “secure remote voting system” that would be used only for so-called “suspension bills.” Those are usually non-controversial bills that are debated for less time, and often get passed with wide margins.
Bills that demand a more fulsome debate could not be voted on remotely.
“A member who casts such a vote using the remote voting system under this subparagraph shall be treated as present for the purposes of determining the existence of a quorum for considering the motion,” the resolution says.
It would also amend House rules to allow committee members to use “video conferencing and related technologies” to participate in hearings “to the same extent” as others who are physically present. With that technology in place, members who are absent could still be counted as “present” for the purposes of deciding whether a quorum is present.
Reps. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., are co-sponsors of Swalwell’s resolution. Read it here:
b |
