One-sixth of House skips final lame-duck votes

By Felicia Sonmez

Updated: 12/22/2010, 11:35 a.m.

More than 70 House members didn't bother showing up to vote Tuesday, even as the lower chamber wraps up its final priorities of the lame-duck session -- including a bill on funding the federal government through March and a measure on health benefits for 9/11 first responders.

The number of members missing in action amounts to more than one-sixth of the lower chamber and includes many who are retiring or who were defeated in last month's midterms.

The House held seven votes as of late Tuesday, including one on a bill that would avert a government shutdown.

More than 80 members were missing for votes held early Tuesday afternoon. Seventy-two were not present to vote on a food safety bill Tuesday afternoon. (Two members, Reps. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) and Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), attempted to vote on the food safety bill but their votes were not recorded due to an error, according to their offices; both members later recorded their intent with the Clerk of the House.)

Seventy-five were missing for the vote on continued funding for the federal government.

Ten members who were defeated either in their primaries or on Election Day did not show up on Tuesday for the food safety vote. The seven defeated Democrats missing in action were Reps. John Adler (N.J.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.), Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (Mich.), Michael McMahon (N.Y.), Harry Mitchell (Ariz.) and Solomon Ortiz (Texas). The three Republicans were Joseph Cao (La.), Parker Griffith (Ala.) and Bob Inglis (S.C.).

Also among the no-shows Tuesday were 16 retiring members, including Reps. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.), Marion Berry (D-Ark.), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.), Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Mary Fallin (R-Okla.), Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), Paul Hodes (D-N.H.), Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), Charlie Melancon (D-La.), Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), John Linder (R-Ga.), George Radanovich (R-Calif.) and John Tanner (D-Tenn.).

Forty-six other members were not present, including 24 Democrats and 22 Republicans.

Over in the Senate, where debate on the START Treaty was still underway Tuesday night, only five members were missing: Sens. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.).