House Democrats are planning a vote next week on a measure to allow voting by proxy, in which members would not be required to be physically present in order to vote.
Republicans have opposed the idea, insisting that members should be present at their jobs, just like other essential workers.
House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, R-Calif., and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., spoke with Democratic caucus members on a conference call, informing them that they plan to call the vote, The Hill reported.
Hoyer has been having discussions with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif about how such a program might be arranged.
House members are concerned that having them travel to DC from their homes, and cluster together with other Congress members for hearings, votes and committee sessions, could expose them to a high likelihood of COVID-19 infection.
Both the House and the Senate have been out of session over much of the past several weeks, while Washington, DC, has a stay-at-home order in place until May 15.
House Democrats have yet to specify exactly how proxy voting could take place. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., House Rules Committee chairman, proposed allowing proxy voting and virtual committee meetings, using technology for remote floor debates.
McGovern told CBS News, “We have some members that still have flip phones. Not every member is up to the same level as the most advanced member in terms of technology. How do you do points of order? How do you deal with issues of changing your vote? We have to think these things through.”
The House plans to reconvene next Monday, May 4, as does the Senate.
The 100-member New Democrat Coalition said in a statement, “While we hope a bipartisan agreement with Republican leadership that results in temporary remote capabilities on the floor and in committees can be reached in the coming days, if House Republican leadership does not engage on this matter in a constructive way, we must move forward,” Reuters reported.
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