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Sunday, June 26th, 2022
Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (June 20th-24th)
Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Friday, June 24th, 2022.
In the United States House of Representatives
The House chamber (U.S. Congress photo)
BIPARTISAN SAFER COMMUNITIES ACT: The House on June 24th gave final approval to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938), a bill that would establish a variety of measures intended to reduce mass shootings, including spending on behavioral health clinics, funding for school safety efforts, and restrictions on gun ownership by ex-convicts and those found by a court to be mentally ill. The bill was given swift consideration in the House after overcoming a filibuster in the Senate (see below). It was signed into law by President Joe Biden in a ceremony at the White House yesterday morning.
“This package represents the most significant action to prevent gun violence in nearly three decades. And it is a necessary step to honor our solemn duty as lawmakers to protect and defend the American people,” said Speaker Pelosi in a floor speech prior to final passage of the legislation.
The vote to send the legislation to President Biden was 234 yeas to 193 nays. Fourteen Republicans voted yea, but none of them were from our region.
Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader
Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland
Voting Nay (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 11 aye votes, 6 nay votes
INDUSTRIAL CYBERSECURITY: The House on June 21st passed the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Act (H.R. 7777), sponsored by Representative Eric Swalwell, D‑California. The bill would establish an effort at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for training cybersecurity workers on how to protect industrial control systems from cyber attacks.
Swalwell said the effort “will help strengthen small businesses, particularly those in critical infrastructure, who do not yet today have cybersecurity defense forces receiving that training.” The vote was 368 yeas to 47 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 17 aye votes
MENTAL HEALTH: The House on June 22nd passed the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act (H.R. 7666), sponsored by Representative Frank Pallone Jr., D‑New Jersey. The bill would reauthorize, through fiscal 2027, a number of mental and behavioral health programs, and expand eligibility for enrolling in opioid treatment programs. Pallone said the reauthorization “is going to help to support the mental health and well-being of millions of Americans, their families, and communities for years to come.” The vote was 402 yeas to 20 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 17 aye votes
HEALTH INNOVATIONS AGENCY: The House on June 22nd passed the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health Act (H.R. 5585), sponsored by Representative Anna G. Eshoo, D‑California, to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health agency, which would, like similar existing agencies for the military and energy, fund research into novel health and medicine technologies.
Eshoo said of her hopes for the agency: “Even if one deadly disease is addressed and cured, we will have succeeded. I think we are going to do better than that.”
The vote was 336 yeas to 85 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representative Mike Simpson
Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher
Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader
Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 15 aye votes, 2 nay votes
ACTIVE SHOOTER ALERT ACT: The House on June 22nd rejected the Active Shooter Alert Act (H.R. 6538), sponsored by Representative David Cicilline, D‑Rhode Island The bill proposed the establishment of an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network at the Justice Department, and have the network make plans for sending alerts about active shooters by working with local and state governments. Cicilline said that by using federal resources to set up an alert system, the network “will provide access to an important tool for law enforcement departments across the country, regardless of their size or location.”
An opponent, Representative Jim Jordan, R‑Ohio, said state and local governments already had adequate alert systems, and a federal program would be used not for public safety, but to further “Democrat fear-mongering that guns are ever-present threats.” The vote was 259 yeas to 162 nays, with a two-thirds threshold required for approval.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representative Mike Simpson
Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher
Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader
Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 15 aye votes, 2 nay votes
SCHOOL MEALS: The House on June 23rd passed the Keep Kids Fed Act (S. 2089), sponsored by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D‑New Hampshire. The bill would extend waivers for federal child nutrition programs that were first issued in response to closing school classrooms in early 2020 and have been used to provide free school meals, summer meals, and subsidies for childcare. A supporter, Representative Bobby Scott, D‑Virginia, said the extensions “would take a critical step to support child nutrition programs and prevent children from going hungry during the ongoing public health emergency.”
The vote was 376 yeas to 42 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 17 aye votes
MENTAL HEALTH AT COLLEGES: The House on June 23rd passed the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act (H.R. 5407), sponsored by Representative Susan Wild, D‑Pennsylvania, to require the Education Department to promote mental health and suicide prevention plans at colleges and universities. Wild said of the need for such plans: “In the last several years, young Americans have faced unprecedented challenges resulting in a rise in mental health needs.” The vote was 405 yeas to 16 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 17 aye votes
COLLEGIATE DRUG USE: The House on June 23rd passed the Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act (H.R. 6493), sponsored by Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, D‑New Mexico.
The bill would reauthorize, through fiscal 2028, the federal illicit drug and alcohol abuse prevention program for colleges and universities, and provide $15 million of annual funding for grants and other efforts to prevent alcohol and substance misuse at those campuses.
Leger Fernandez said it “will help to cut the chains of addiction and unlock access to treatment and prevention for countless students across the United States.”
The vote was 371 yeas to 49 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 17 aye votes
INCLUSIVE DATA PRACTICES: The House on June 23rd passed the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act (H.R. 4176), sponsored by Representative Raul Grijalva, D‑Arizona. The bill would require federal agencies to include information about people who aren’t straight in surveys that cover demographic data.
Grijalva said: “The LGBTQI+ community deserves to be visible and heard so public policy can better reflect their needs.”
An opponent, Representative James Comer, R‑Kentucky, said: “Federal surveys are no place to confront the American people or their children with intrusive questions and concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The vote was 220 yeas to 201 nays.
Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader
Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Aye (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland
Voting Nay (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Cascadia total: 11 aye votes, 6 nay votes
In the United States Senate
The Senate chamber (U.S. Congress photo)
COMBATING GUN VIOLENCE: The Senate on June 23rd agreed to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938, above) that would establish a variety of measures intended to reduce mass shootings, including spending on behavioral health clinics, funding for school safety efforts, and restrictions on gun ownership by ex-convicts and those found by a court to be mentally ill.
A supporter, Senator John Cornyn, R‑Texas, said the amendment sought to “create real changes in communities across this country–safer, healthier communities; stronger, more secure schools; saving lives.” An opponent, Senator Rand Paul, R‑Kentucky, argued that the restrictions would infringe “the constitutional right to bear arms for the innocent.” The vote was 65 yeas to 33 nays.
Voting Nay (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
ANA ISABEL DE ALBA, U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ana Isabel de Alba to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the eastern district of California. de Alba has been a superior court judge in Fresno County since 2018; for a decade previous, she was a private practice lawyer. A supporter, Senator Alex Padilla, D‑California, called de Alba “a dedicated, fair, and universally respected public servant, respected by her colleagues.”
The vote, on June 21st, was 53 yeas to 45 nays.
Voting Nay (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
MARY BOYLE, CONSUMER PRODUCTS COMMISSIONER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Mary Boyle to be on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a 7‑year term ending in fall 2025. Boyle, currently the commission’s executive director, has been at the CPSC for more than a decade.
A supporter, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D‑Minnesota, said Boyle “is deeply knowledgeable about consumer product safety and the functioning of the CPSC. I have every confidence that she will be ready to lead on day one.”
An opponent, Senator Roger Wicker, R‑Mississippi, cited “significant concerns about major administrative failures at the agency during Ms. Boyle’s tenure as executive director there, including the improper disclosure of unredacted manufacturer and consumer data.” The vote was 50 yeas to 48 nays.
Voting Nay (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
ADDITIONAL SENATE VOTE: Along with the week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed one measure by voice vote: the Fixing Our Regulatory Mayhem Upsetting Little Americans Act (S. 4261), to suspend duties and other restrictions on the importation of infant formula to address the shortage of infant formula in the United States. The long name allows the bill to have the acronym “FORMULA.”
LWIC will be on hiatus until mid-July
The House of Representatives and Senate have begun their Independence Day recesses, so Last Week In Congress will be on hiatus for the next two Sundays.
Editor’s Note: The information in NPI’s weekly How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted feature is provided by Targeted News Service. 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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# Written by Targeted News Service :: 7:30 AM
Categories: Legislative Advocacy, Series & Special Reports
Tags: Last Week In Congress, U.S. House Roll Call Votes, U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes
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