Senate Bill 347, titled “Supporting Parents Who Serve,” would create a new statutory process allowing certain North Carolina legislators to vote by proxy when they are temporarily unable to be physically present in the chamber because of childbirth, adoption, stillbirth, or miscarriage. The bill defines a “qualified member” as one who files a written voting designation naming a designated proxy, and it assigns that proxy role to the leader of the member’s chamber party, who would cast the vote as directed by the absent member.
The bill sets conditions for proxy voting: the member must be able to access a real-time audio or audiovisual stream of the session, the proxy must be physically present in the chamber, and more than half of the chamber must already have voted on the question before the proxy vote is called. It also requires each chamber to establish security and validation procedures, explicitly allowing electronic devices in the chamber as needed to support that process. The proxy designation would last up to 16 weeks after the triggering event unless revoked earlier in writing, and the act would take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend Chapter 120 of the North Carolina General Statutes by adding a new section authorizing limited proxy voting for members of the General Assembly under specified family-related circumstances. It would change chamber voting procedures, create new administrative duties for the Principal Clerks and legislative leadership, and require each chamber to adopt rules and validation processes for secure proxy voting. The measure would affect legislators who experience childbirth, adoption, stillbirth, or miscarriage, as well as the chamber party leaders designated to cast proxy votes.
Sentiment
The available context shows no recorded committee debate or vote history, so there is no documented opposition or support in the provided materials. Based on the bill text and title, the measure appears intended as a supportive accommodation for parents and families serving in the legislature, suggesting a generally sympathetic policy purpose. The absence of transcripts or votes means the public or legislative sentiment cannot be measured beyond the bill’s framing.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are procedural and constitutional rather than policy goals. The bill asserts that proxy voting can satisfy the North Carolina Constitution’s requirement that members be “present and voting,” which could draw scrutiny from those who question whether proxy voting is constitutionally permissible in the General Assembly. Other likely concerns include whether proxy voting could weaken in-person deliberation, how securely votes would be validated, and whether limiting the proxy to the chamber party leader is appropriate. Supporters would likely emphasize family leave, parental support, and continuity of representation for members facing childbirth-related or pregnancy-loss events.