House Rules Change: Absent Members Must Now Submit Signed, Written 'Pair' Lists to Clerk Before Vote Tally

This Resolution introduces a procedural update for the 119th Congress, changing how members of the House of Representatives record their voting intentions when they can’t be physically present. Essentially, it formalizes the process for announcing "pairs"—the agreement between two absent members (one for, one against) to cancel out their votes, signaling how they would have voted if they had been there.

The New Rules for Playing Hooky

If a member needs to be absent for a vote, they must now provide the Clerk of the House with a written list of their arranged pairs, and that list must be personally signed by the member. This isn't just an email or a verbal agreement anymore; it’s a required paper trail. The Clerk will then announce these pairs right before the Chair announces the final vote tally for the House or the Committee of the Whole. Think of it as a last-minute footnote to the official count.

What It Means for the Official Record

For those of us who track what Congress is actually doing, this change brings a slight boost in transparency. Once the pairs are announced, that written list will be printed directly into the Congressional Record—the daily journal of Congressional activity. It will appear right after the names of the members who didn't vote at all. The catch? This announcement of pairs will only happen once during any single legislative day. While this streamlines the process, it means if a member arranges pairs for multiple votes throughout a marathon session, the official announcement of those intentions will only occur at one point, though the record will capture them all. This is an internal housekeeping change, but it’s a good example of how even the smallest procedural tweaks aim to formalize and clarify the legislative process.