House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer confirmed Monday that the House will return to regular session on May 4.
He told Democrats on a conference call to expect votes on that fly-in day.
Lawmakers were initially planning on returning to Capitol Hill by April 20, but the date was pushed back due to health concerns. The House had already been expected to return by May 4, according to voting guidelines, but it hadn’t set a firm date.
The decision comes as House members continue to debate how best to do their jobs while most of the country remains on lockdown during the pandemic.
Republicans argue that members should be expected to come work on Capitol Hill, with proper social distancing and health policies, and do essential work regular Americans are doing to fight the pandemic and keep the country functioning.
Most Democrats are on board with adopting remote voting procedures, though last week there was internal debate what was on the best approach. Many had called for using some sort of technology to digitally vote and hold hearings — including Mr. Hoyer — though Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. McGovern have repeatedly cited their concerns about security.
Last Thursday, the House held a full recorded vote to pass the nearly $500 billion emergency coronavirus relief funds, where all but 35 members were able to make it back to Capitol Hill.
Leadership even implemented new policies as safety precautions — requesting members use spaced out voting machines on the floor, urging everyone to wear masks, and breaking up the vote into nine blocks and only allowing small groups of members on the floor at a time. The process stretched out the voting process to last nearly and hour and a half per vote.
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