Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

House Adopts Vote Pairing Rule, Blocking Proxy Voting for New Parents

The compromise between Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna ends a push for proxy voting, but Democrats criticize the solution as inadequate for supporting parent lawmakers.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is in the House chamber on Jan. 3, 2025.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, left, participates in a ceremonial swearing-in with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, right, and her family at the US Capitol on January 3, 2025.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna reached a deal with GOP leadership, agreeing to back down from her bipartisan push to force a floor vote on a parental proxy plan.
U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) holds her one-month old baby Sam as she departs during a series of votes at the Capitol on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House passed a bill to avert a Friday government shutdown by a 217-213 vote largely along party lines. The bill now moves to the Senate where it will need help from Democrats to move it past a filibuster. Pettersen is currently working to pass legislation to allow proxy voting for up to 12 weeks for members who have recently given birth or whose spouse has. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The House approved a procedural rule formalizing vote pairing, replacing the proposed proxy voting for new parents, which Republican leadership deemed unconstitutional.
  • Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who led the proxy voting effort, agreed to the compromise under pressure from GOP leadership and concerns about legislative gridlock.
  • Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Brittany Pettersen and Sara Jacobs, criticized vote pairing as an insufficient solution that fails to address the challenges faced by parent legislators.
  • The adoption of vote pairing also effectively ended the discharge petition that sought to force a floor vote on the original proxy voting proposal.
  • The broader debate over modernizing congressional procedures for parent lawmakers remains unresolved, with Democrats vowing to continue advocating for proxy voting.