[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 74 (Thursday, April 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





  SENATE RESOLUTION 201--AMENDING THE STANDING RULES OF THE SENATE TO 
  ENABLE THE PARTICIPATION OF ABSENT SENATORS DURING A NATIONAL CRISIS

  Mr. PORTMAN (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Warren, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
King, and Mr. Schatz) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration:

                              S. Res. 201

       Resolved,

     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 the Sergeant at Arms and 
     Doorkeeper of the Senate 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 jointly determine that an extraordinary 
     crisis of national extent exists in which it would be 
     infeasible for Senators to cast their votes in person. If 
     such a crisis is determined to exist, Senators may cast votes 
     under this paragraph during the 30-day period beginning on 
     the date on which such determination is made, unless such 
     period is extended for one or more additional 30-day periods 
     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 purposes of 
     establishing the presence of a quorum. 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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