House Democrat wants reckoning after Mitch McConnell, Tom Kean Jr. absences
· Axios
The prolonged absences of Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have inspired a bill that would force members of Congress to offer up more information when they go AWOL, Axios has learned.
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Why it matters: The back-to-back disappearances have sparked an intense national debate over the degree to which federal lawmakers are obligated to be transparent with the public about their health.
- After missing nearly four months of House votes for an unexplained health reason, Kean revealed last month that he was hospitalized for depression.
- McConnell broke his silence Sunday about a weeks-long hospitalization that led to rampant speculation about his health, revealing he was admitted after a fall and developed "a mild case of pneumonia" while being treated.
- Both men faced criticism for largely withholding details about the nature of their absences.
Driving the news: Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) is drafting a bill to require lawmakers to file a "disclosure statement" with the House or Senate Ethics committee if they fail to appear for votes for three weeks.
- The "Duty of Transparency Act" would force members to say whether they can perform their official duties remotely and give both an expected length of absence and a designated point of contact in their office.
- Members would not be forced to disclose details about their diagnosis or other medical information.
- The disclosures would be made available to the public online within 48 hours after they are filed. Members who fail to file would be subject to the ethics process.
The details: Members would be required to file their disclosure five days after knowing they will be absent or, at the latest, five days after they reach three weeks of missed votes.
- If a member is incapacitated, the bill would allow their chief of staff or another designated person to file the disclosure.
- It would also allow offices to state in the disclosure if the expected duration of the member's absence "cannot yet be reasonably estimated."
- And it would mandate an updated disclosure at least every 30 days.
Reality check: Bills that limit or dictate lawmakers' behavior often face strong headwinds on Capitol Hill because members are loath to give up their freedoms or privileges.
- This legislation would likely be no exception to that.