[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 548 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 548

 Amending the Standing Rules of the Senate to enable the participation 
              of absent Senators during a national crisis.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 19, 2020

   Mr. Portman (for himself and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following 
     resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
                             Administration

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                               RESOLUTION


 
 Amending the Standing Rules of the Senate to enable the participation 
              of absent Senators during a national crisis.

    Resolved, That

SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF ABSENT SENATORS DURING A NATIONAL CRISIS.

     Rule XII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
            ``5. Senators may use technology that has been approved by 
        the Secretary of the Senate and Sergeant at Arms and Director 
        of the Doorkeepers as reliable and secure to cast their votes 
        from outside of the Senate Chamber if the majority leader or 
        his or her designee and the minority leader or his or her 
        designee determine that an extraordinary crisis of national 
        extent exists in which it would be infeasible for Senators to 
        cast their votes in person. Senators in such circumstance may 
        then cast votes under this paragraph only during the 30-day 
        period beginning on the date on which such determination is 
        made unless such period is renewed by an affirmative vote of 
        three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn. During such 
        period, Senators participating remotely and using approved 
        technology to cast their votes under this paragraph shall be 
        deemed present for quorum purposes. The determination made 
        under this paragraph shall not rely on any decision of any 
        other branch of the United States Government. The majority 
        leader or his or her designee and the minority leader or his or 
        her designee shall submit at the beginning of the first session 
        of each Congress an order for designees of each caucus in the 
        case of such a crisis.''.
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