DEC 16 – WASHINGTON, DEC 16 – Here’s a look at how members of Congress voted over the past week.
voices of the house
WESTERN SALT LAKES: The House of Representatives passed the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act (S. 1466), signed by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. was sponsored to commit the US Geological Survey to study salt lake ecosystems in the Great Basin region of the West. A supporter, Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., said, “This legislation will inform and support coordinated federal, state and local management and conservation efforts to help these ecosystems, migratory birds and other wildlife.” The vote on December 12 was 356 yes to 56 no.
YES: Neguse D-CO (2nd)
NAYS: Buck R-CO (4th)
QUANTUM COMPUTING SECURITY: The House of Representatives approved the Senate amendment to the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act (HR 7535), sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to require federal agencies to prepare information technology systems for encryption capabilities that may enable future attacks withstand quantum computing technologies. The vote on December 13 was 420 yes to 3 no.
JA: Negus, Buck
PASSING THE LEGISLATION: The House of Representatives approved a by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. sponsored motion to pass 13 bills en bloc without a separate roll-call vote for each bill. Topics covered by the bills included: passenger safety in taxis; the designation of several post offices; severe weather forecast and warnings; and fire investigation procedures. The vote on December 14 was 349 yes to 80 no.
YES: Negus
NO: Buck
SHORT-TERM GOVERNMENT FUNDING: The House of Representatives approved the Senate amendment to the Additional Rolling Appropriations and Extensions Act (HR 1437), sponsored by Rep. Mikie Sherrill, DN.J., to extend federal government funding through December 23 One supporter, Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., called the extension “a simple date change that will keep the government going while we negotiate the details of the final spending bills and complete the work to fund government programs and meet the hard needs.” working American.” One opponent, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said, “We should pass a rolling resolution into next year rather than buy more time to rush through a massive spending package.” The Dec. 14 vote was 224 Yes to 201 no.
YES: Negus
NO: Buck
GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT FUND: The House of Representatives has that of Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-Mich. The bill would require changes to the federal government’s procurement rules regarding regulatory and personal conflicts of interest with potential government contractors. One supporter, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., said of the need for changes: “If we don’t take steps to prevent conflicts of interest, and thereby protect the integrity of government decisions and operations, we may risk serious public violations.” Trust.” An opponent of the bill, Rep. Fred Keller, R-Pa., said amending existing rules on conflicts of interest will “burden companies and shrink the pool of suitable contractors, not reduce conflicts of interest.” The Dec. 14 vote was 219 Yes to 205 no.
YES: Negus
NO: Buck
LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING: The House of Representatives passed the Law Enforcement De-escalation Act (S. 4003), sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The bill would require the Justice Department to develop law enforcement training and grant programs to provide alternative responses to individuals experiencing a mental health, behavioral or suicidal crisis. One supporter, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, DN.Y., called it an effort to “not only improve policing practices through increased training, but to make our communities safer by ensuring people in crises get the help they need.” you need”. An opponent, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said it would spend a lavish $133 million on duplicate programs and push “a soft approach” to policing that increases crime. The vote on December 14 was 264 yes to 162 no.
YES: Negus
NO: Buck
PUERTO RICO: The House of Representatives passed the Puerto Rico Status Act (HR 8393), sponsored by Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., to hold a Puerto Rico referendum in November 2023 asking voters to choose between independence, statehood, or free association with the US for Puerto Rico. Free association would mean limited independence and would involve the loss of guaranteed U.S. citizenship for Puerto Ricans. Grijalva said Puerto Rico’s “territorial status is no longer viable and cannot bring adequate political or economic benefits to Puerto Ricans.” One opponent, Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said it was a mistake to call for the popular vote without first allowing Congress and its committees to hold hearings assessing the impact of a change in Puerto Rico’s status will. The December 15 vote was 233 yes to 191 no.
YES: Negus
NO: Buck
VA COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: The House passed the VA Employee Fairness Act (HR 1948), enacted by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif. sponsored to change collective bargaining standards for Veterans Health Administration employees by including professional competency and compensation issues as eligible bargaining. Takano said the changes are necessary to help the VA “recruit and retain the best and brightest medical professionals our country has to offer.” One law opponent, Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., said if VA medical staff could negotiate pay and patient care arrangements, it could result in delayed treatment, undiagnosed critical illnesses and higher costs for patients. The vote on December 15 was 219 yes to 201 no.
YES: Negus
NO: Buck
Senate agrees
Court of Appeals Judge: The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves as a US Circuit Court Judge. Montgomery-Reeves has served as a Delaware judge since 2016, including a state Supreme Court justice since 2019. She previously practiced as a private attorney in Wilmington. One supporter, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said, “Justice Montgomery-Reeves is a highest-profile judge in our state and nation and has my utmost support.” The Dec. 12 vote was 53 yes to 35 no.
YES: Bennet D-CO
DO NOT CHOOSE: Hickenlooper D-CO
SECOND JUDGE OF APPEALS: The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Dana M. Douglas as a judge on the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Douglas has served as a federal judge in Louisiana since 2019; Prior to that, she practiced as a private attorney specializing in commercial law in New Orleans. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said, “Judge Douglas’ experience, qualifications and temperament will be an advantage in the Fifth Circuit.” The Dec. 13 vote was 65 yes to 31 no.
YES: Bennett
DO NOT VOTE: Hickenlooper
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE: The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Jay Curtis Shambaugh as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the Treasury Department. Shambaugh was an official on the White House Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration and before and after was an economics professor at Georgetown and Dartmouth Universities. The vote on December 13 was 70 yes to 27 no.
YES: Bennett
DO NOT VOTE: Hickenlooper
CHARTER SCHOOLS RULE: The Senate rejected a resolution (SJ Res. 60) sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, RS.C., to oppose and repeal a Department of Education rule issued in July governing grants to charter schools. Scott said the rule would hurt low-income families’ ability to receive a quality education by providing their children with alternatives to regular public schools. A resolution opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said repealing the rule “will cause unnecessary chaos, undermine simple accountability measures to ensure our federal funds are well spent, and delay funding by supporting new, quality charter schools and the disciples they would serve.” The December 14 vote was 49 yes to 49 no.
NAYS: Bennett
DO NOT VOTE: Hickenlooper
DIPLOMAT TO LATIN AMERICA: The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Francisco O. Mora as the Permanent Representative of the United States to the Organization of American States, an international cooperative group of 35 countries, most of them in Latin America. Mora has been a professor at various universities specializing in US-Latin American relations and served as a Department of Defense official for the Western Hemisphere during the first half of the Obama administration. The vote on December 14 was 51 yes to 45 no.
YES: Bennett
DO NOT VOTE: Hickenlooper
MILITARY APPEALS: The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Musetta Tia Johnson as the US Circuit Court of Appeals Judge for a 15-year term. Johnson, a retired colonel in the Army’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, is currently a national security attorney at Georgetown University. The vote on December 15 was 76 yes to 20 no.
JA: Bennet, Hickenlooper
MILITARY EXPENSES: The Senate approved the House amendment of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (HR 7776), sponsored by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., to authorize Army Corps of Engineers water resource projects and approximately $858 billion dollars in military spending in fiscal 2023. The military portion of the bill would authorize funding for new planes and ships, increase military salaries and benefits by 4.6 percent, and eliminate the military’s Covid vaccination requirement. One supporter, Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., said the military’s support was necessary to “protect our country and be able to defend ourselves and maintain the superpower status” that the US enjoys . The December 15 vote was 83 yes to 11 no.
JA: Bennet, Hickenlooper
SHORT-TERM GOVERNMENT FUNDING: The Senate approved the House of Representatives Amendment to the Other Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (HR 1437), sponsored by Rep. Mikie Sherrill, DN.J., to extend federal government funding through December 23 One proponent, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., said the extension would allow the time needed to finalize a bicameral bicameral bipartisan agreement on legislation for the 2023 tax year before the current Congress ends. One opponent, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said, “The Senate should be able to review the omnibus with a clear head without the pressure of an imminent Christmas-time closure.” The vote on December 15 was 71 yes to 19 no.
JA: Bennet, Hickenlooper
