From The Times:
A spokesman for Young, first elected in 1973, said the lawmaker's efficacy should not be judged solely on how often he registers his positions on the House floor.
"There are many things that factor into being an effective member of Congress in addition to voting, such as meeting with constituents," said Luke Miller, the spokesman, in an e-mail. (Young did not respond to a request made on the House floor last Thursday to discuss the matter, because, in fact, he was not there.)
The fishing trip during [a] vote on the Cut, Cap and Balance bill, Young's aide explained, was part of a long-planned charity event in the name of his deceased wife to benefit Alaskan children with cancer.
"It should be noted," Miller said, "that Alaska is over 10,000 miles away round trip."
But distance hasn't been a problem for Alaska Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski, The Times points out. Begich hasn't missed a vote this year; Murkowski has missed 6 percent.
Read more in The New York Times. Click here for a chart listing the most-absent lawmakers and their reasons given.
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