Thanks to Tammy Duckworth, infants are now allowed on the Senate floor
by Michelle Stein posted in Parenting
Tammy Duckworth is a woman of firsts.
The Illinois Democrat recently became the first sitting U.S. Senator to give birth.
Back in 2012, the Iraq war veteran was the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress in Illinois.
Duckworth was also the first disabled woman elected to Congress, as well as the first Congress member born in Thailand, according to HuffPost.
Now, thanks to a resolution introduced by Duckworth, members of the U.S. Senate will be allowed to bring their infants to work with them for the first time. Senators unanimously voted on Wednesday to permit children under age 1 on the Senate floor during voting, NBC News reported.
And it's about time.
Duckworth, 50, gave birth to her second child -- a daughter named Maile Pearl Bowlsbey -- on April 9. Currently, the senator is on unofficial maternity leave in Washington, D.C., so she can remain nearby for important votes. Except, the old Senate rules would have made carrying out her responsibilities a logistical nightmare as a new mother.
That's because prior to today's vote, Senate rules prevented pretty much anyone who wasn't a senator, a designated aide, or other official from being on the Senate floor. Voting by proxy isn't allowed in the Senate, either, Slate reported. And since senators can potentially be on the floor for hours during voting, what's a new mom to do"
?You are not allowed to bring children onto the floor of the Senate at all,? Duckworth told...
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