Over a dozen GOP House members cited 'the ongoing health emergency' to skip in-person voting while they spoke at CPAC

• Over a dozen GOP members voted by proxy while speaking at a big conservative conference.

• Their proxy notices all cited the "ongoing public health emergency."

• A group of GOP lawmakers sued over the proxy system in 2020.

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Over a dozen members of Congress speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, this weekend designated other members to vote on their behalf while they're gone while citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Active proxy letters filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives show that 13 GOP representatives who spoke on Friday or are slated to speak on Saturday or Sunday designated proxies to vote on their behalf.

In all the proxy letters, first reported by CNN, the members on the schedule to speak at CPAC in Orlando, Florida all attest that they are "unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency."

The members include high-profile Republicans such as Reps. Devin Nuñes and Darrel Issa of California, Reps. Greg Steube and Matt Gaetz of Florida, Rep. Jim Banks of California, and Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina.

Notably, the US House is set to vote on the American Rescue Act, President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, on Friday evening.