Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), who is currently pregnant, is urging fellow lawmakers to support her in a bid to allow proxy voting for members of Congress who are new parents under the Rules of the House for the 119th Congress.  Pettersen is slated to become the 14th Member - and the first from Colorado - to give birth while serving in Congress. “Today marks the first day I am unable to fly to DC for votes due to travel restrictions ahead of my due date,” Pettersen wrote in a Monday statement on X.  “It shouldn't be this way. Congress must pass my bipartisan resolution to allow Members who are new parents to vote remotely.” Pettetsen been promoting her bipartisan resolution alongside Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Luna authored a similar bill in the last legislative cycle after having a child in office. The two said the current House Voting Rules prevent new parents from serving and supporting their growing families. “No parent should have to choose between caring for their child, or recovering from childbirth, and fulfilling their duties in Congress to represent their constituents,” Luna said in a statement. “Congress needs to get with the times. This bipartisan proposal is vital in promoting a pro-family Washington, where every American has a voice and the unwavering representation they deserve.” Proxy voting was briefly allowed under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during the COVID-19 pandemic but was widely criticized by Republicans who said voting norms must stick. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said some officials used proxy voting to attend fundraisers or go on vacations. Prior to the pandemic, Pelosi denied Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s request to be excused from in-person voting due to similar concerns in 2014. The late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) both spoke in favor of proxy voting on behalf of the veteran. Now, more than a decade later, Duckworth who is now a Senator, recalled the battle for new parents during her comments at the Foreign Relations Committee hearing by thanking Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio (R his support during the challenging time. “I want to thank you for that kindness because you did speak to your leadership about it. It was a moment of true bipartisanship but also as parents and as someone who was new to the Senate, I was extremely grateful to you for that kindness,” she noted.