INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Washington: Times are changing on Capitol Hill, where for the first time in history on Thursday, an infant was
permitted on the Senate floor.At least Maile Bowlsbey, newborn daughter of Sen
Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., didn't ignore the dress code."She's wearing a blazer!" Sen
Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., exclaimed as Duckworth arrived, 10-day-old Maile in her arms, to vote against President Trump's nominee for NASA
administrator.The decision to allow Maile's presence on the floor this week - blazer or no blazer - was the latest sign that the Senate's
increasing share of female members is pushing the institution to reconsider some of its conventions
But while the baby ban collapsed without a fight, it's unclear whether other traditions can be felled so easily.Since Duckworth confirmed
her pregnancy in January, the upper chamber had been privately wracked with debate over how far it should go to accommodate lawmakers who
have children while in office
Eventually, this week, senators voted to allow children younger than 1 to accompany their parents to votes.The change technically happened
But that did not stop some senators from grumbling about the possible consequences of loosening the rules."What if there are 10 babies on
the floor of the Senate" 84-year-old Republican Sen
Orrin Hatch of Utah asked a reporter this week, a comment that drew chastisement online.The senator, whose large extended family includes
dozens of children, later clarified his statement
Having 10 babies on the Senate floor "would be a wonderful thing," his office wrote on Twitter
"Senator Hatch supported the change."To some observers, the controversy was another sign of the culture clash slowly escalating within one
government's most hidebound institutions
The current Congress is among the oldest in recent history
So as the Senate gains more women - 23 now - and members under 50 begin to flex their power, divisions on matters like tradition, technology
and gender can become inflamed.Such tensions are not limited to children's access to the Senate floor - the House has long allowed members'
kids inside the chamber - nor to changes favored by President Donald Trump, such as ending the legislative filibuster.On Thursday afternoon,
32 male senators joined their female colleagues to demand that the Senate update its system for reporting and adjudicating complaints of
sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct in members' offices.While the House made such changes in February, the Senate failed to
include them in a major spending bill last month, drawing criticism from female senators en masse
Leaders still have not moved to bring the Senate's system in line with the House's, which now provides greater support for accusers."If we
are to lead by example, the Senate must revise current law to give the victims of sexual harassment and discrimination a more coherent,
transparent, and fair process," a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,
stated.It was signed by a single Republican, Sen
Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and every male senator apart from Schumer who caucuses with the Democrats."If we fail to act immediately to address this
systemic problem in our own workplace, we will lose all credibility in the eyes of the American public," they wrote.By today's standards, it
can be hard to understand how traditional the Senate remains.Unlike the House, there is no electronic mechanism for floor votes; every
senator must indicate decisions to clerks one by one
Use of technology is limited in general, to the point where Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., once needed special permission to
bring a laptop onto the floor during complex fiscal debates.Some practices have received scrutiny specifically because of the presence of
female members.Consider the Senate swimming pool
The gym used by female senators does not have a pool, and the pool in the men's gym used to ban women
The "men only" sign was in place because a handful of male senators liked to swim naked, female senators have told reporters
(That pool has since been opened to women.)Even finding an open restroom has been a problem for female lawmakers
House women didn't have a bathroom directly off the floor until 2011
And while Senate women have had one since 1993, it had only two stalls until 2013.It was perhaps this history that gave Duckworth's arrival
on Thursday its air of minor triumph
As the senator entered the chamber with Maile, applause erupted, and colleagues gathered around her.Even McConnell and Schumer offered their
best wishes - Schumer with a thumbs up and McConnell with a little wave."I think it will do us good in the United States Senate every once
in a while to see a pacifier next to the antique ink wells on our desk, or a diaper bag next to one of these brass spittoons," Sen
Dick Durbin of Illinois the Democratic whip, said this week on the floor.He added that the Senate certainly reveres history - "but part of
our history is recognizing change."Duckworth, before entering the Capitol on Thursday, thanked her colleagues for the support in changing
"It feels great," she said
"It's about time."She had already picked out a miniature aqua green jacket for Bowlsbey so she "doesn't violate the Senate floor dress
code.""Not sure what the policy is on duckling onesies, but I think we're ready," Duckworth tweeted Thursday.(Except for the headline, this
story has not been edited by staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
