MOBILE Resolution

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 890 Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to permit absent Mem- bers to participate in committee hearings using video conferencing and related technologies and to establish a remote voting system under which absent Members may cast votes in the House on motions to suspend the rules. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 9, 2020 Mr. SWALWELL of California (for himself and Mr. CRAWFORD) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules RESOLUTION Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to permit absent Members to participate in committee hear- ings using video conferencing and related technologies and to establish a remote voting system under which absent Members may cast votes in the House on motions to suspend the rules. Resolved, 1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 2 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Members Oper- 3 ating to Be Innovative and Link Everyone Resolution’’ or 4 the ‘‘MOBILE Resolution’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:27 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR890.IH HR890 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 890 IH SEC. 2. PARTICIPATION OF ABSENT MEMBERS IN COM- 1 MITTEE HEARINGS THROUGH VIDEO CON- 2 FERENCING AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES. 3 (a) ENABLING PARTICIPATION OF ABSENT MEM- 4 BERS.—Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representa- 5 tives is amended by adding at the end the following new 6 clause: 7 ‘‘Participation of absent members 8 ‘‘7. Each committee shall permit any member of the 9 committee who is absent from the site of a hearing con- 10 vened by the committee, as well as any other individual 11 who is invited to participate in the hearing and who is 12 absent from the site of the hearing, to use video confer- 13 encing and related technologies in order to participate in 14 the hearing to the same extent as members of the com- 15 mittee and other individuals (as the case may be) who are 16 present at the site of the meeting.’’. 17 (b) INCLUSION OF MEMBERS PARTICIPATING RE- 18 MOTELY IN DETERMINATION OF QUORUM.—Subpara- 19 graph (2) of clause 2(h) of rule XI of the Rules of the 20 House of Representatives is amended by adding at the end 21 the following sentence: ‘‘A committee shall adopt a rule 22 under which a member who participates in a hearing re- 23 motely pursuant to clause 7 shall be included in deter- 24 mining the number of members constituting a quorum at 25 the hearing for purposes of this subparagraph.’’. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:27 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR890.IH HR890 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 890 IH SEC. 3. PERMITTING ABSENT MEMBERS TO VOTE RE- 1 MOTELY ON SUSPENSION MOTIONS. 2 Clause 1 of rule XV of the Rules of the House of 3 Representatives is amended by adding at the end the fol- 4 lowing new paragraph: 5 ‘‘(d) The Clerk, Chief Administrative Officer, and 6 Sergeant at Arms shall work together to develop and im- 7 plement a secure remote voting system under which any 8 member who is absent from the floor shall be permitted 9 to cast a vote remotely on a motion to suspend the rules 10 under this clause if the vote is taken by electronic device. 11 A member who casts such a vote using the remote voting 12 system under this subparagraph shall be treated as 13 present for purposes of determining the existence of a 14 quorum for considering the motion.’’. 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:27 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR890.IH HR890 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS