The next Congress will welcome more than 100 freshmen into the lower chamber, including 42 women, many of whom are mothers with young children. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Congress House Dems eye family-friendly calendar for 2019

The House is scheduled to be in session next year slightly less often than it was in the first session of the last Congress, as the new Democratic majority also looks to be more family-friendly when setting up votes.

“As we welcome a large class of new members, many with young families, next year’s schedule is focused on balancing time in Washington with time for members to conduct work in their districts and spend time with their families,” incoming Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement announcing the calendar for the first session of the 116th Congress.


The next Congress will welcome more than 100 freshmen into the lower chamber, including 42 women, many of whom are mothers with young children.

Rep.-elect Colin Allred (D-Texas), a soon-to-be father, said he’s grateful the calendar will allow him and his colleagues to prioritize their families and constituents, a point echoed by Rep.-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), a mother of four.

“Several of us, as parents, we live and die by a schedule,” Sherrill said. “I felt like the caucus was really responsive to that.”

The chamber won’t vote before 1 p.m. or after 7 p.m., except during consideration of appropriations bills. The chamber may debate and consider legislation after 7 p.m., but no votes will be held then, a scenario that should be helpful to working parents.

“As we return to regular order, next year’s schedule is intended to accommodate committee work on the pressing challenges facing our nation and to provide members with certainty when planning their schedules,” Hoyer said.

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Newly elected members say they’re excited about the legislative calendar and the opportunity to spend so much time back home in their districts with the constituents who just elected them.

“A lot of freshmen said that we wanted to be able to stay in touch with our districts and to be able to spend time working in the district,” Rep.-elect Ben McAdams (D-Utah) said. “Many of my constituents can’t come to Washington, D.C., to meet with me, and I wanna be accessible to them at home and available to meet with them and to hear from them and know what their concerns are and how I can best represent them.”

Votes will occur at 6:30 p.m. on the first day of each work week, and the last votes of the week may be necessary before 1 p.m. but will not occur after 3 p.m. New members will be sworn in on Jan. 3, and the House will elect the next speaker in a floor vote that day.

The House will meet for 130 days in 2019, up from a projected 110 days this year. In 2017, the last non-election year, the House met for 139 days. When Republicans took back the majority in 2011, the lower chamber met for 123 days.

Next year, the House will be in session for 33 weeks, most of which are four-day work weeks. Lawmakers will also regularly be in session on Fridays, which is often not the case on Capitol Hill.

Rep.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) is anxious to start planning town halls. Spanberger pledged during the campaign to hold a town hall in every county within her district if elected.

“This schedule is a good one in that it’s very clear that we’re gonna be able to get back to our districts regularly,” she said. “I’m excited to be able to tell voters when they can expect to see me around, and I’m excited to begin scheduling public events.”