Lesko, Johnson Call for Member's Representational Allowance Deductions for Proxy Voting

Statement

Today, U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) proposed an amendment to H. Res. 965, a proposal from Congressional Democrats to allow proxy voting in the U.S. House of Representatives. The amendment, proposed to the Rules Committee, would require members who utilize proxy voting to give back portions of their Member's Representational Allowance (MRA) allocated for travel. Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA-4) introduced a corresponding bill.

"As members of Congress, our annual budgets, or Member's Representational Allowances, include money for travel to and from our districts to Washington, D.C. for votes and other congressional business," explained Congresswoman Lesko following the introduction of the amendment. "If members are not going to travel for votes and instead rely on proxy voting, they should be required to give the money allocated for travel back to the Treasury."

Each year, members are given an MRA to cover office expenses, including staff salaries, supplies, and member travel to and from Washington, D.C. and the member's district. The amount for travel varies member to member and takes into account district location. The travel portion is equal to the dollar equivalent of 64 (32 rounds trips) multiplied by the rate per mile, multiplied by the mileage between the District of Columbia and the furthest point in the member's district, according to the Rand McNally Standard Highway Mileage Guide, plus ten percent.

The amendment proposes each session week a member chooses to vote by proxy, he or she would have to give the cost of one round trip, based on the MRA formula, back to the Treasury. Although MRA funds not used for their intended purpose can be spent at the member's discretion, dollars specifically allocated for travel, should not be spent for other purposes.

"Only the D.C. swamp could produce a bill that allows lawmakers to spend money given to them for travel expenses--when they stay home. If Nancy Pelosi's $3 trillion liberal wishlist wasn't enough, now Democrats are trying to change more than two centuries of tradition with a new 'proxy-voting' option for Congress," said Johnson. "My colleague, Congresswoman Lesko, and I provided this commonsense fix that would have eliminated an egregious oversight in the Pelosi bill, and there was absolutely no justification for voting against it. It's shameful that Democrats on the committee chose partisanship over their responsibility to protect taxpayers' hard-earned money."

Congressman Johnson introduced a bill of a similar nature, of which Lesko is an original cosponsor.

The amendment failed in the Rules Committee with all Democrats in opposition.

Source