In February, Congresswoman Brittany Petterson made headlines as one of the few lawmakers to vote while on maternity leave, bringing her newborn son to D.C. to ensure her constituents were represented. Petterson, along with Florida's Anna Paulina Luna, proposed a bill for remote voting for new parents, which faced opposition from Speaker Mike Johnson. Despite his resistance, which included blocking the vote, the bill aims to address the outdated policies affecting parents in Congress and increase accessibility for young families.
"Congress makes no accommodations for new parents," she wrote on her website in January. "So while I'm recovering and taking care of my newborn at this critical time, it's incredibly unfair that my constituents will not have a voice in Congress until I am physically able to return to Washington. No Member should have to choose between caring for their newborn and representing their constituents."
"I can tell you we have a long way to go to make [Congress] accessible to young families like mine," Pettersen said on the House floor in her successful plea to block the special rule. "It is unfathomable that in 2025 we have not modernized Congress to address this issue."
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