Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Friday, February 28th.
In the United States House of Representatives
DESIGNATING LYNCHING A HATE CRIME: Voting 410 for and four against, the House on February 26th passed a bill (H.R. 35) that would designate lynching a federal hate crime. The bill is named in honor of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old African-American who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after having been falsely accused of signaling advances on a white woman.
The bill says “at least 4,742 people, predominantly African Americans, were reported lynched in the United States between 1882 and 1968,” and notes that more than 200 antilynching bills have been introduced in congressional history but then shelved. Although lynching can be prosecuted under federal laws including civil rights statutes, this marks its first specific designation as a federal crime.
The bill would add lynching to a 1968 hate-crimes law that already covers — and requires increased penalties for — offenses based on the victim’s perceived or actual gender, race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation. The four members voting against the bill were Republicans Louie Gohmert of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ted Yoho of Florida and independent Representative Justin Amash of Michigan.
Karen Bass, D‑California, said: “Make no mistake, lynching is terrorism… directed at African Americans. Lynching was commonly used for 256 years during the period of enslavement and for almost 100 years after slavery, well into the 1950s. And, frankly, even today, periodically you will hear news stories of nooses being left on college campuses, in work locker rooms to threaten and terrorize African Americans, a vicious reminder that the past is never that far away.”
Another supporter, Don Bacon, R‑Nebraska, concurred with Bass, remarking: “With at least 5,000 lynchings in our nation’s history, this bill is… acknowledgment that evil did occur, that millions felt fear in their houses, their homes and their communities; that many feared for the lives of their dads, their husbands and sons; and that this… will help facilitate reconciliation.”
No member spoke against the bill.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
 | Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher |
 | Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Greg Walden Not Voting (1): Democratic Representative Suzanne Bonamici |
 | Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 16 aye votes, 1 not voting
OUTLAWING FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS : Voting 213 for and 195 against, the House on February 28th passed a bill (H.R. 2339) that would:
- prohibit the manufacture and sale of flavored tobacco products including e‑cigarettes and traditional menthol cigarettes;
- impose an excise tax on the sale of products such as e‑cigarettes and vaping devices that deliver nicotine in liquid form;
- outlaw the marketing, advertising and online sales of e‑cigarettes and vaping products to individuals under twenty-one;
- require the Government Accountability Office to study the impact of liquid-nicotine products on public health;
- and fund stop-smoking demonstration programs in poor communities.
- In addition, the bill would require the Food and Drug Administration to start regulating products containing synthetic nicotine and require color coding to heighten the impact to warnings on cigarette packages.
Donna Shalala, D‑Florida, said tobacco companies “knew that the pipeline of lifetime smokers was dwindling, so they started marketing new vaping products to young people through Instagram ads and influencers and other social media platforms. They also handed out free vaping products at music events and movies. They clearly targeted children — our children — and their strategy worked. Today, 26.7 percent of 12th graders vaped in the last month. This rate has more than doubled in the last two years alone.”
Michael Burgess, R‑Texas, said the bill “claims to curb youth tobacco use, including vaping. The reality is it bans many types of tobacco products that are legally and voluntarily used by adults. While I do not support any form of tobacco use, it is a choice for law-abiding adults to make. The unintended consequences of suddenly making legal tobacco products illegal will likely push people to the black markets to seek the same product or worse.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
| Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Greg Walden |
| Voting Aye (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck Voting Nay (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 11 aye votes, 6 nay votes
PENALIZING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS FOR DEATHS OF NONVIABLE NEWBORNS: Voting 187 for and 220 against, the House the House on February 28th defeated a Republican measure that sought to add abortion-related language to a pending bill (H.R. 2339, above) that would outlaw the sale and manufacture of flavored tobacco products. The proposed Republican amendment was essentially a mirror of a bill (S. 311, below) debated earlier in the week by the Senate. A yes vote was to add the Republican language to the tobacco bill.
| Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Greg Walden Voting Nay (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader |
| Voting Aye (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck |
Cascadia total: 6 aye votes, 11 nay votes
In the United States Senate
PENALIZING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS FOR DEATHS OF NONVIABLE NEWBORNS: Voting 56 for and 41 against, the Senate on February 25th failed to reach sixty votes needed to advance a Republican-drafted bill (S. 311) that would prescribe rules of care for newborns that survive failed late-term abortions.
Healthcare providers including doctors could face up to five years in prison if they failed to immediately ensure the hospitalization of a newborn showing signs of life after an attempted abortion.
The newborn would have to receive the same level of care provided to “any other child born alive at the same gestational age.” The bill also would require medical practitioners or employees of hospitals, clinics or physician’s offices to report to law enforcement agencies any violation they witnessed.
NPI EDITOR’S NOTE: Planned Parenthood has repeatedly stated that the practice that Republicans want to outlaw is not actually performed in reproductive health clinics. “This legislation is based on lies and a misinformation campaign, aimed at shaming women and criminalizing doctors for a practice that doesn’t exist in medicine or reality,” former Planned President Leanna Wen stated last year. “When you’re providing abortion care, this isn’t something that happens,” Guttmacher’s Elizabeth Nash concurred in a statement to CBS News. For additional background, consider reading this op-ed by Dr. Jen Gunter.
A yes vote was to overcome a Democratic-led filibuster and advance the bill.
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Nay (2): |
Cascadia total: 2 aye votes, 4 nay votes
IMPOSING LIMITS ON REPRODUCTIVE CARE: Voting 53 for and 44 against, the Senate on February 25th failed to reach sixty votes needed to advance a Republican-drafted bill (S. 3275) that would outlaw abortions after twenty weeks of fertilization on grounds that the fetus can feel pain by then.
The bill repudiates the Roe v. Wade standard that abortion is legal up to when the fetus reaches viability — usually after 24-to-28 weeks of pregnancy — and after viability if the procedure is necessary to protect the health or life of the mother.
Under Roe, viability occurs when the fetus can potentially survive outside the womb with or without artificial aid. The bill allows exemptions for victims of rape or incest and to save the mother’s life. Rape victims must receive counseling and medical care at least 48 hours before the procedure could be exempted.
Doctors who violate the law could be criminally prosecuted.
James Inhofe, R‑Oklahoma, declared: “A baby is a baby whether in or outside of the womb, and each baby deserves a chance to live as an individual created in the image of God.”
Edward Markey, D‑Massachusetts, said: “This is more than a debate about access to safe abortion services. This is about fighting for gender equality” and “making sure that access to reproductive healthcare is never restricted.”
A yes vote was to overcome a Democratic-led filibuster and advance the bill.
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Nay (2): |
Cascadia total: 2 aye votes, 4 nay votes
Key votes ahead
The Senate will debate judicial nominations and a bill on geothermal energy during the first week of March. The House schedule was to be announced.
Editor’s Note: The information in NPI’s weekly How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted feature is provided by Voterama in Congress, a service of Thomas Voting Reports. All rights are reserved. Reproduction of this post is not permitted, not even with attribution. Use the permanent link to this post to share it… thanks!
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