A proxy voting bill for pregnant women is headed for a vote on the House floor, despite opposition from Republican majority leadership.
A discharge petition on the Proxy Voting for New Parents Resolution received the necessary signatures from a majority of House members, 218, to force a vote on the measure. The petition received signatures from 206 Democrats and 12 Republicans.
Discharge petitions are rare, as they force a bill to be brought out of committee and to the floor via a majority, usually against leadership’s wishes.
The effort, spearheaded by Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), and Mike Lawler (R-NY), would provide 12 weeks of voting by proxy for new parents. The proxy votes would not count toward a quorum but would allow members to cast votes in committees and on the floor under the proposed change to House rules.
Pettersen, who has pushed for the measure since giving birth earlier this year, celebrated the discharge petition signatures.
Great news! Our resolution to allow new parents to vote remotely is one step closer to a vote on the House floor.
No Member of Congress should have to choose between caring for their newborn and representing their constituents.
I’m so grateful for my co-leads @RepLuna,… pic.twitter.com/mfp75EKa95
— U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (@RepPettersen) March 11, 2025
“Great news! Our resolution to allow new parents to vote remotely is one step closer to a vote on the House floor. No Member of Congress should have to choose between caring for their newborn and representing their constituents,” Pettersen said in a post on X.
Lawler, one of the Republicans spearheading the effort, also celebrated the petition by saying he is eager to see the resolution pass through the chamber.
Today, I joined @RepPettersen, @RepLuna, and @RepSaraJacobs to force a vote on the House floor on our resolution to allow parental voting by proxy.
As someone who’s had the blessing of being a parent twice, I’ve been personally affected. I was fortunate enough to be able to… pic.twitter.com/OeAG2cIiew
— Congressman Mike Lawler (@RepMikeLawler) March 11, 2025
“As someone who’s had the blessing of being a parent twice, I’ve been personally affected. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel, but some of my colleagues missed votes over the years because they could not. I am glad to see that this bill will go to the House floor for a full vote, and I look forward to its passage,” Lawler said in a post on X.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has opposed the effort, arguing that while he sympathizes with new mothers, voting by proxy of any kind in the House of Representatives is unconstitutional.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) allowed proxy voting, but House Republicans quickly ended that rule when they regained control of the chamber in January 2023. The constitutionality of proxy voting in the House is currently being challenged in federal court.