House adopts historic rules changes to allow remote voting

The House on Friday adopted historic rules changes to allow lawmakers to cast votes and conduct committee meetings remotely during the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to resume legislative work that has been on hold amid safety concerns over gathering in the Capitol.

The vote to enact the resolution fell along party lines, 217-189, with three Democrats — Reps. Rick Larsen (Wash.), Elaine Luria (Va.) and Tom O’Halleran (Ariz.) — joining Republicans to vote no.

Lawmakers have been frustrated over the last two months that much of their usual legislative and oversight work has been effectively sidelined while they largely stayed away from Washington, D.C., out of concerns about traveling to and congregating in one of the nation’s coronavirus hot spots. Continue reading.