Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues on July 29th and during the legislative week ending September 23rd, 2022.
In the United States House of Representatives
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REFORM ACT: The House on September 21st passed the Presidential Election Reform Act (H.R. 8873), sponsored by Representative Zoe Lofgren, D‑California. The bill would make numerous changes to Congress’s procedures for registering the Electoral College votes for president, including requiring support from one-third of the members of both the Senate and House for an objection to the Electoral College vote to be heard.
Lofgren said: “This bill will make it harder to convince people that they have the right to overthrow the election.” An opponent, Representative Rodney Davis, R‑Illinois, said the existing Electoral Count Act was an adequate law for allowing politicians “to raise constitutional objections to state electoral slates if they determine something may be improper.” The vote was 229 yeas to 203 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 (8): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 12 aye votes, 5 nay votes
STUDENT LOAN RELIEF: The House on September 21st passed the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act (S. 1098), sponsored by Senator Mark Warner, D‑Virginia The bill would allow two joint federal student loan borrowers to petition the Education Department to split the joint loan into two separate loans.
A supporter, Representative Bobby Scott, D‑Virginia, said: “The bill provides a pathway for an individual to apply to separate a loan from a spouse, a current spouse or former spouse, including in the event of an absentee or unresponsive spouse, for an act of violence or economic abuse.”
An opponent, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R‑North Carolina, said it would give a joint borrower the ability to “use this new legislation as a weapon” by leaving the spouse with the balance remaining in the separated loan.
The vote was 232 yeas to 193 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 (8): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 12 aye votes, 5 nay votes
LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANTS FOR SMALL DEPARTMENTS: The House on September 22nd passed the Invest to Protect Act (H.R. 6448), sponsored by Representative Josh Gottheimer, D‑New Jersey, to have the Justice Department award community-oriented policing grants to local government law enforcement agencies with fewer than 200 officers. Gottheimer said of the need for more funding: “We must ensure that local police departments across our country have what they need to recruit and retain the finest officers, provide necessary training, and invest in providing mental health resources for our officers.”
A bill opponent, Representative Jim Jordan, R‑Ohio, said ample Justice Department grant programs for local policing were already available.
The vote was 360 yeas to 64 nays.
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher |
| Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz |
| Voting Aye (9): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Not Voting (1): Democratic Representative Adam Smith |
Cascadia total: 16 aye votes, 1 nay vote
MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT GRANTS: The House on September 22nd passed the Mental Health Justice Act (H.R. 8542), sponsored by Representative Katie Porter, D‑California, to establish a grant program for state and local governments to provide mental health treatments instead of law enforcement responses to people with behavioral health problems.
Porter said: “When we send police to people in crisis, we fail to get those people desperately needed healthcare, and we take law enforcement away from tackling the violent crime that they are trained to take on. This hurts everyone in our community.” An opponent, Representative Kelly Armstrong, R‑North Dakota, said deploying mental health officials instead of police “will endanger the mental health professional, the suspect, the person experiencing the mental health crisis, and the person who called 911” due to being in danger.
The vote was 223 yeas to 206 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 (8): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 12 aye votes, 5 nay votes
VIOLENCE PREVENTION GRANTS: The House on September 22nd passed the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (H.R. 4118), sponsored by Representative Steven Horsford, D‑Nevada. The bill would direct the Health and Human Services Department to issue grants to communities disproportionately impacted by violence, including homicides, and create several entities related to the grants effort. Horsford said the multiple billions of dollars of grants authorized by the bill “will invest in proven, community-based violence intervention programs to build safer communities.” An opponent, Representative Matt Gaetz, R‑Florida, said he objected to the grants because “the police power is not a power of the federal government, it is a power of our state and local governments.”
The vote was 220 yeas to 207 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
GRANTS TO FIGHT VIOLENT CRIME: The House on September 22nd passed the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods Act (H.R. 5768), sponsored by Rep. Val Butler Demings, D‑Florida, to establish a Justice Department grant program for state and local law enforcement agencies.
Demings said that by helping police investigate violent crime, the grants would help “make sure that our men and women in blue — remember, back the blue — have the support they need to do their jobs.”
An opponent, Representative Tom McClintock, R‑California, questioned whether grants issued by “the increasingly corrupt and politicized Department of Justice” would improve law enforcement. The vote was 250 yeas to 178 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 (9): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 13 aye votes, 4 nay votes
REAUTHORIZING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COMMISSION: The House on September 19th passed the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act (S. 3895), sponsored by Senator Marco Rubio, R‑Florida, to authorize funding for the Commission through fiscal 2024. A supporter, Representative Tom Malinowski, D‑New Jersey, said sustaining the Commission “is critically needed to ensure that our country maintains the tools we need to stand up for human rights and, in particular, religious freedom around the world.”
The vote was 402 yeas to 4 nays.
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher Not Voting (1): Republican Representative 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: 16 aye votes, 1 not voting
BRIDGING THE GAP FOR NEW AMERICANS ACT: The House on September 19th passed the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act (S. 3157), sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar, D‑Minnesota, to require the Labor Department to make a study of ways to improve the ability of legal aliens and naturalized citizens to obtain employment that fits their level of skills.
A bill supporter, Representative Bobby Scott, D‑Virginia, said it “will help us better understand not only the employment barriers facing immigrants and refugees but also steps we can take to ensure that new Americans can join our economic growth and pursue careers in which they can succeed to their fullest potential.”
The vote was 363 yeas to 52 nays.
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher Not Voting (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson |
| Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz |
| Voting Aye (9): 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 Not Voting (1): Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal |
Cascadia total: 15 aye votes, 2 not voting
PEACE CORPS REAUTHORIZATION: The House on September 19th passed the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1456), sponsored by Representative John Garamendi, D‑California, to reauthorize the Peace Corps through fiscal 2024 and make changes to the program, including a zero tolerance drug use policy for volunteers and new safety and security measures for volunteers.
Garamendi said the bill “will reinvigorate the Peace Corps and ensure that its essential work can continue to shape and inspire people around the world for years to come.” An opponent, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R‑North Carolina, criticized the bill’s increase in the pay and government benefits grade level assigned to Peace Corps volunteers, which she said “sets a terrible precedent for other programs that will inevitably ask for an increase in” benefits.
The vote was 290 yeas to 125 nays.
| Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher Not Voting (1): Republican Representative 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 (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: 14 aye votes, 2 nay votes, 1 not voting
MULTI-BILL PACKAGE: The House on September 20th adopted a motion sponsored by Representative Steny Hoyer, D‑Maryland, to pass a set of ten bills en bloc, without separate roll call votes. The bills addressed such issues as: Syria’s exports of narcotic drugs, sanctions against Russia’s government and Russian individuals, and global telecommunications systems.
The vote was 361 yeas to 69 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
NEW NPS UNIT AT SITE OF BLACKWELL SCHOOL: The House on September 20th passed the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act (S. 2490), sponsored by Senator John Cornyn, R‑Texas, to establish a National Park System unit in Marfa, Texas, memorializing the Blackwell School, which taught Mexican-Americans from 1885 to 1965.
A supporter, Representative Tony Gonzalez, R‑Texas, said: “Designating the Blackwell School as a national park site would improve the ability of the Park Service to oversee conservation efforts, promote regional tourism, and share important stories about the Mexican-American community in the U.S.”
The vote was 414 yeas to 12 nays.
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher |
| 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
ADDITIONAL HOUSE VOTES TAKEN BY VOICE: Along with this week’s roll call votes, the House also passed these measures by voice vote:
- the Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act (H.R. 7566), to increase the punishment for human trafficking in a school zone;
- the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (H.R. 7181), to direct the Secretary of Transportation to seek to provide for the posting of contact information of the national human trafficking hotline in the restrooms of each aircraft, airport, over-the-road bus, bus station, passenger train, and passenger railroad station operating within the United States;
- the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (H.R. 4330), to maintain the free flow of information to the public by establishing appropriate limits on the federally compelled disclosure of information obtained as part of engaging in journalism;
- … and the Keep America’s Refuges Operational Act (H.R. 6734), to reauthorize the volunteer services, community partnership, and refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
When a vote is taken by voice, there is no record of how individual members voted. Voice votes are sometimes used to pass bipartisan bills.
In the United States Senate
KIGALI AMENDMENT TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: The Senate on September 21st ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, a treaty reached in 2016 that would have industrial countries seek to cut hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) use by eighty percent or more by 2050 in order to reduce global warming.
A supporter, Senator Tom Carper, D‑Delaware, said: “Kigali ratification will ensure U.S. companies continue to have access to international markets so that modern, efficient, economical air-conditioners and refrigerators across the world will be stamped ‘Made in America,’ not ‘Made in China.’ ”
A treaty opponent, Senator Mike Lee, R‑Utah, said “HFCs contribute only five one-hundredths of 1 degree Celsius to projected increases in global temperature.”
The vote to ratify the treaty was 69 yeas to 27 nays.
| Not Voting (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 not voting
CHINA’S STATUS/CLASSIFICATION WITH RESPECT TO KIGALI AMENDMENT: The Senate on September 21st passed an amendment sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan, R‑Alaska, to the Kigali Amendment on hydrofluorocarbons (above) that would declare that China is not a developing country for the purposes of implementing the Kigali Amendment. Sullivan said the amendment rightly recognized China’s current economic status and the country’s responsibility to meet the same treaty obligations that the U.S., Japan, and other peer nations have. The vote was unanimous with 96 yeas.
| Not Voting (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 not voting
FLORENCE PAN, U.S. APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate on September 20th confirmed the nomination of Florence Pan to be a judge on the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals. Pan has been a U.S. District Court judge for D.C. for a year, and previously was a D.C. Superior Court judge and federal prosecutor in the District. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D‑New York, called Pan “experienced, balanced, and above all, committed to the rule of law.”
The vote was 52 yeas to 42 nays.
| Voting Nay (1): Republican Senator Mike Crapo Not Voting (1): Republican Senator Jim Risch |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 1 nay vote, 1 not voting
AMANDA BENNETT, GLOBAL MEDIA CEO: The Senate on September 22nd confirmed the nomination of Amanda Bennett to be Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees six government media entities, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
Bennett was director of Voice of America from early 2016 to June 2020, and previously was an editor at various newspapers and a Wall Street Journal reporter.
A supporter, Senator Robert Menendez, D‑New Jersey, said Bennett “will be a tireless advocate for the journalists working at USAGM and an effective steward of its operations.” The vote was 60 yeas to 36 nays.
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Senator Jim Risch Not Voting (1): Republican Senator Mike Crapo |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 5 aye votes, 1 not voting
ARATI PRABHAKAR, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR: The Senate on September 22nd confirmed the nomination of Arati Prabhakar to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a White House entity that advises the president. Prabhakar has headed the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and been an executive at technology companies and a venture capital firm.
A supporter, Senator Maria Cantwell, D‑Washington, said Prabhakar “has the exact experience we need to advise the president on semiconductor manufacturing, on bringing the supply chain and security that we need here in the United States, and on continued growth in science and technology jobs that come along with it.”
The vote was 56 yeas to 40 nays.
| Voting Nay (1): Republican Senator Mike Jim Risch Not Voting (1): Republican Senator Mike Crapo |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (1): Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell Not Voting (1): Democratic Senator Patty Murray |
Cascadia total: 3 aye votes, 1 nay vote, 2 not voting
Key votes ahead
Upon its return, the Senate is slated to resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 6833, the legislative vehicle for a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open and funded.
The House will take up the Mental Health Matters Act, Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, and the PAVA Program Inclusion Act in addition to the continuing resolution to keep the federal government open and funded. Legislation related to the STOCK Act may also be considered.
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