Boehner's office examining leave of absence rules for Weiner's request

The office of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is examining the procedural requirements of Rep. Anthony Weiner’s planned request for a leave of absence from the House, a spokesman said Saturday.

A spokeswoman for the New York Democrat said he would request “a short leave of absence” while he sought professional treatment in the wake of his admission to sending lewd messages and photos to women through social media websites.

A Democratic aide said that although a leave of absence is “requested,” that request is considered a formality and would not be rejected.

“No approval. You ask for, you get,” the aide said.

Asked whether approval is needed, a Boehner spokesman, Michael Steel, said officials were “trying to figure that out.”

The website for the House cloakroom, under the auspices of the Speaker’s office, says the Republican leader must sign a leave of absence form. The House Republican leader, now the majority leader, Eric Cantor (R-Va.), was the first congressional leader to call for Weiner’s resignation last week.

The website describes the process for a leave of absence this way: 

If a Member is absent and misses votes for a substantial period of time, the Member or his staff may request a Leave of Absence from the House. Upon request, the Cloakroom staff will complete a Leave of Absence form which states the dates of the Member’s absence and the reason for his/her absence. The form is signed by the Republican Leader and laid before the House at the conclusion of legislative business for the day.

Decades ago, an absent Member was fined by the House. That is no longer the case. But a Leave of Absence is printed in the Congressional Record and announces the reason for one’s absence. Members may choose reasons that are general, such as ‘official business’ or ‘illness,’ or something more specific such as ‘having my appendix removed’ or “inspecting damage in the district from Hurricane Katrina.’ Members may not use political reasons for an absence. Members may choose not to request a Leave of Absence if he/she believes it would draw unnecessary attention to his/her absence.

House leadership aides said later in the weekend that they believed a leave of absence was submitted to the leader of the member's party and that the Speaker would not likely need to approve it.

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