TODAY IN CONGRESS (TIC) — SPECIAL EDITION:
Before I get started, just a reminder that Congress is off this week as scheduled due to the religious holidays, so that’s why there are/will be no regular TIC posts this week.
Now with that out of the way, let me cut right to the chase and answer the question I posed in the title:
Can the Congress SAFELY Convene During the Pandemic?
And my answer is:
YES!
But more importantly is the fact that it HAS TO BE DONE! We MUST have Congress in Session during the pandemic to pass further legislation to keep the Country both Medically and Economically afloat. But just as important, we need them in Session to oversee the Executive Branch and to keep our democracy from spiraling into an Autocracy at the hands of an unchecked and unhinged President.
However, it also imperative that it is done in a medically SAFE manor. Besides trying to keep individual Congress members from getting sick with this deadly virus, conducting business as usual could result in a widespread outbreak among Congressional members, making it impossible for Congress to continue to function in any meaningful way.
So SAFE Congressional Session is a MUST!
Now comes the hard part. How?
Since remote location voting is apparently off the table and that does not solve the debating and Committee Hearing problem, there needs to be a way for Congress to physically meet while staying within the social distancing and other guidelines to keep everyone safe. That poses two problems, one logistical and the other administrative. Let me address these by taking the House and the Senate separately, starting with the House, since with 435 members, that’s the tougher nut to crack.
House SAFE Session —
Logistics — Here are my suggestions:
- Seating — First members need to fit in the Chamber while keeping at least a 6 foot distance from one another. That means they need to be seated at least two seats apart from one another. Assuming there are 435 actual seats on the House Floor, that means the floor can accommodate 145 of the 435 members. So where do the rest sit? That’s where Speaker Pelosi gave me an idea when she used the Gallery above the floor (partially shown in the opening photo) to bring in members during the vote on the CARES Act (COVID Phase 3). It seems possible to me that the Gallery could be used to seat the remaining 290 members still at a distance of two seats apart. Who sits in the Gallery as opposed to the floor could be based on a seniority system. To accomplish this, there would need to be 870 seats in the Gallery which wraps around the entire chamber. Now I have searched until my Google finger is raw, but I have not been able to find out exactly how many seats there are in the House Gallery. So I have been forced to estimate from photos. Best I can tell there are 4 rows each with 8 seats in each section, giving 32 seats per section. Counting the spaces between the doors there appear to be 7 sections per side and I assume 4 equal sides. So that would be 32 seats per section x 7 sections per side x 4 sides for a total of 896 seats (if my math is correct). So there appears to be more than the 870 seats needed to sit the remaining 290 members 2 seats apart, per my crude estimate. If anyone finds the exact # of seats in the Gallery, please post in the comments and I will revise my #s. So it appears that the combination of the House Floor and Gallery can accommodate all 435 members at a 2 seat apart distance.
- Voting — There is no way the House can operate using only a voice vote as was done with the CARES Act. So some sort of recorded vote system will be needed. Currently, that’s done by buttons at each Representative’s seat which record their vote and display it on the Board. So with members changing seats on the floor and others seated in the Gallery, that system would have to be revised. The easiest way to do that IMO is to give each Representative a remote that links to their current vote recorder. Sounds like a big project, but I’m sure they can get some technical geeks to set it up. It’s not rocket science!
- Floor Debates — Again this needs a technical solution. Wireless microphones for each Representative linked to the current audio system would be ideal. But at least enough so that each section in the Gallery and on the floor has a microphone that gets decontaminated between speakers.
- Committee Hearings — Committee Hearing rooms also have Galleries which could be used in combination with the Representatives seats on the dais to seat Representatives at least 2 seats apart to provide the needed 6 foot separation. Witnesses could also be seated 6 feet apart or questioned remotely by video/audio link. Again, wireless microphones could be given to members sitting in the Gallery.
- Added Precautions — Members could be provided and encouraged to wear gloves, as well as masks when not speaking. The Chamber, Hearing Rooms and all the Gallery’s could be thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated after each days session.
Administrative — Some of the above necessary logistical changes can be done immediately without much hassle, but some will require changes to the House Rules. Such changes will have to be drafted by the Rules Committee and passed by a majority vote of the full House. That should be rather easy politically since we control the House, but it may be difficult to stay withing social distancing guidelines since many of the above logistical changes will require changes to the rules first, and then once passed will take a period of time to set up. But it can be done.
Senate SAFE Session —
Logistics — For the Senate, my logistical suggestions with respect to seating, voting, floor debates, Committee Hearings and other Precautions, are pretty much identical to those detailed above for the House, so no need to go over them again here. The only real difference is that they should be easier to implement since we only need to accommodate 100 Senators instead of 435 House members. So a logistical SAFE Senate shouldn’t be a problem.
Administrative — Like the House some of the logistical changes can be done immediately without much hassle, but some will require changes to the Senate Rules. Such changes will have to be drafted and passed by a majority vote of the Senate. This may be more difficult than implementing the logistical changes themselves. Besides the fact the GOP controls the Senate, it is run by a bunch of stubborn old men who are attached to their Senate traditions like a child is attached to his/her favorite toy. Also, many still don’t comprehend the contagiousness of this deadly virus and believe it is something that will not effect them. The problem won’t be getting 51 votes to pass the rule changes (we only need 4 Republicans to vote “yes”), the problem will be in getting stubborn old Mitch to allow meaningful rule changes that will keep his fellow Senators SAFE to come to the floor. While, he might let some minor changes be passed, I am afraid he will try to block necessary meaningful changes like a seating rearrangement to provide a 6 foot separation at all times.
Conclusion — Something has to be done, because we can’t afford to be without Congress during this pandemic, and we can’t have Congress convene in an unhealthy and unsafe manner. So the above are my suggestions. Please feel free to post additional or alternative suggestions of your own in the Comments Section. I would welcome them!
STAY HOME! STAY HEALTHY!