Overview
Title
Providing for the consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 23) permitting parental remote voting by proxy, and for other purposes.
ELI5 AI
The House of Representatives is thinking about a new idea that would let parents ask someone else to vote for them if they can't be there themselves. They'll talk about it for an hour, and people from both sides will get to share their thoughts.
Summary AI
H. RES. 164 allows the House of Representatives to immediately consider another resolution, H. Res. 23, which permits parents to vote remotely by proxy. This means that parents can have someone else vote on their behalf if they aren't able to be present themselves. The process will include one hour of debate controlled by members from both parties.
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AnalysisAI
General Summary of the Bill
The proposed resolution, designated as H. RES. 164, facilitates the immediate consideration of another resolution, H. Res. 23, in the House of Representatives. The primary focus of H. Res. 23 is to allow "parental remote voting by proxy." This means that parents in the House may have the option to delegate their voting responsibilities to another member, enabling them to fulfill both their parental duties and congressional responsibilities more flexibly.
Summary of Significant Issues
Significant issues with this resolution include concerns over the integrity and potential for abuse in the voting process when allowing proxy voting. The term "and for other purposes" mentioned in the resolution adds a layer of ambiguity, lacking clear definition and allowing for broader interpretation, which could lead to unintended implementations.
Additionally, procedural strategies, such as "without intervention of any point of order" and no intervening motion, may limit thorough debate or amendment, potentially bypassing vital scrutiny that is necessary for good governance. Exempting H. Res. 23 from the existing rule (Clause 1(c) of rule XIX) without a detailed explanation further adds an element of confusion and might hinder public understanding.
Impact on the Public
Broadly, this resolution could impact public perception of legislative integrity and transparency. By introducing remote proxy voting, it may provide a better balance for congressional members with parental responsibilities, but it also raises questions about ensuring that all votes are considered and accounted for appropriately.
On the positive side, this change can support work-life balance for congressional parents, aligning Congress with modern workplace flexibility trends. However, if not properly regulated, this can lead to concerns about legislative accountability and the potential erosion of direct democratic procedures within the House.
Impact on Stakeholders
Specific stakeholders, such as congressional members with young children, stand to benefit from enhanced flexibility in their responsibilities. This may encourage more parents, particularly women, to engage in higher political roles, knowing they can manage family and professional commitments more effectively.
Conversely, the general public and legislative purists may worry about these changes diminishing the accountability of directly cast votes. Without a clear understanding of how the proxy voting system is to be managed, there's potential for decreased trust in the transparency and efficacy of the legislative process.
Ultimately, while this resolution seeks to support members with parental duties, it must proceed with caution to ensure that it maintains the core democratic values and accountability inherent in direct legislative participation.
Issues
The resolution involves 'permitting parental remote voting by proxy', which could raise concerns about the potential for abuse or challenges to the integrity of the voting process, as stated in Section 1.
The broad term 'and for other purposes' is vague and lacks specificity, allowing for potentially unintended broad interpretation and implementation of the resolution, noted in Section 1.
The procedural language 'without intervention of any point of order' and 'without intervening motion or demand for division of the question' could potentially bypass detailed scrutiny or discussion, limiting the transparency of the legislative process, as discussed in Section 1.
The absence of a detailed explanation about the impact or purpose of exempting H. Res. 23 from Clause 1(c) of rule XIX, creates ambiguity and may hinder the public's understanding of the resolution's implications, highlighted in Section 2.
The technical language and assumptions of familiarity with Congressional rules, such as referencing rule XIX and specific resolutions, may not be accessible to a general audience, making the resolution less transparent, referenced in Section 2.
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
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Summary AI
The House is set to immediately consider a resolution, identified as H. Res. 23, that allows parental remote voting by proxy. The resolution will be read without any interruptions for procedural issues, followed by one hour of debate that will be equally shared between leadership members of the Committee on Rules.
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Summary AI
Clause 1(c) of rule XIX is not applicable when discussing House Resolution 23.