Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Friday, November 5th, 2021.
In the United States House of Representatives
BARRING AGE DISCRIMINATION IN HIRING: The House on November 4th passed the Protect Older Job Applicants Act (H.R. 3992), sponsored by Representative Sylvia R. Garcia, D‑Texas, to bar potential employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying job applicants based on their age.
Garcia said “some hiring practices might seem age-neutral on their face, but they actually impact job applicants that are older disproportionately.”
An opponent, Representative Bob Good, R‑Virginia, said the bill “abandons congressional precedence and imprudently allows disparate impact claims by job applicants.” The vote was 224 yeas to 200 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
ADVOCACY FOR FAIR ELECTIONS IN NICARAGUA: The House on November 3rd passed the Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act (S. 1064), sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez, D‑New Jersey.
The bill would direct U.S. diplomacy to be used to encourage free, fair elections in Nicaragua on November 7th and uphold human rights in the country. A supporter, Rep. Theodore Deutch, D‑Florida, said the bill “makes clear that the United States will not sit by quietly as another country in our hemisphere slides further away from our democratic values.” The vote was 387 yeas to 35 nays.
Voting Aye (1): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher Not Voting (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson | |
Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz Voting Present (1): Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio | |
Voting Aye (8): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (2): Democratic Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith |
Cascadia total: 13 aye votes, 2 nay votes, 1 present vote, 1 not voting
RESOLUTION ON DETAINEES IN CUBA: The House on November 3rd passed a resolution (H. Res. 760), sponsored by Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D‑Florida, to call for Cuba’s government to release arbitrarily detained citizens and stop repressing the citizenry.
Schultz said the resolution would “send a message to the brave Cubans who are desperately yearning for freedom and legitimate self-governance: The American people are firmly by your side.” An opponent, Representative Barbara Lee, D‑California, said Congress should instead “have an honest debate about a new Cuban policy that talks about and supports what real human rights for the Cuban people mean.” The vote was 382 yeas to 40 nays.
Voting Aye (1): Republican Representatives 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, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal |
Cascadia total: 13 aye votes, 2 nay votes, 1 present vote, 1 not voting
RECOGNIZING THE LUMBEE TRIBE: The House on November 1st passed the Lumbee Recognition Act (H.R. 2758), sponsored by Representative G.K. Butterfield, D‑North Carolina, to federally recognize the Lumbee Indian tribe in North Carolina, with associated member eligibility for benefits and the potential formation of a tribal reservation. Butterfield said the Lumbee’s case for recognition was not in dispute, so “it is long past time for Congress to give the Lumbee the respect they deserve and to treat them with the fundamental fairness that has been withheld for so many years.” The vote was 357 yeas to 59 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
DESIGNATING TRIBAL LAND IN CALIFORNIA: The House on November 2nd passed the Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act (H.R. 1975), sponsored by Representative Darrell E. Issa, R‑California, to have 721 acres in San Diego County already owned by the Pala Band designated as part of the band’s reservation. The vote was 397 yeas to 25 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson | |
Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz Not Voting (1): Democratic Representative Kurt Schrader | |
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
DESIGNATING TRIBAL LAND IN ARIZONA: The House on November 2nd passed the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act (H.R. 4881), sponsored by Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D‑Arizona. The bill would assign to the Pascua Yaqui Indian tribal reservation certain lands in Pima County. Grijalva said it “will raise the tribal standard of living, improve system coordination and integration of service delivery, and promote the ongoing transmission of Yaqui knowledge, culture, history, and traditions for future generations.” The vote was 375 yeas to 45 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
DESIGNATING TRIBAL LAND IN TENNESSEE: The House on November 2nd passed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act (H.R. 2088), sponsored by Representative Chuck Fleischmann, R‑Tennessee, to add seventy-six acres of land, including two memorials and one museum, to the Eastern Band’s reservation. The vote was 407 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
EASING INVESTMENT IN SMALL BUSINESSES: The House on November 2nd passed the Investing in Main Street Act (H.R. 4256), sponsored by Representative Judy Chu, D‑California to increase the amount of money that banks can invest in small business investment companies, which fund small companies. Chu said the change “will deliver more investments and more financing to our small businesses for whom even small investments can mean so much.”
The vote was 413 yeas to 10 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
SUPPORTING ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: The House on November 4th passed the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act (H.R. 1339), sponsored by Rep. Sharice Davids, D‑Kan., to establish an interagency working group in the Transportation Department that will support advanced air mobility, a term that refers to small airplanes with vertical takeoff and landing capacity and electric propulsion. A supporter, Representative Sam Graves, R‑Missouri, said the new aviation technology could “connect cities, towns, and neighborhoods all across the country in a very safe, quiet, and environmentally friendly way.”
The vote was 383 yeas to 41 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
WHAT ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE VOTE?
The House’s vote on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act came after Targeted News Service compiled this week’s votes. Accordingly, it will be in next week’s installment of Last Week In Congress. The roll call is, however, available now in this Cascadia Advocate post summarizing the breaking news.
In the United States Senate
PROCEDURAL VOTE ON JOHN R. LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT: The Senate on November 3rd rejected a cloture motion to end debate on a motion to consider the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (S. 4), sponsored by Senator Patrick J. Leahy, D‑Vermont.
The bill would change the criteria for federal review of changes to voting procedures by state and local governments by requiring those governments to seek federal preapproval, before making changes, if they are found to have violated voting rights too many times in the past 25 years.
The vote was 50 yeas to 49 nays, with a three-fifths threshold required to end debate. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to vote aye.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
BETH ROBINSON, APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate on November 1st confirmed the nomination of Beth Robinson to serve as a judge on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Robinson has been a justice on the Vermont Supreme Court since 2011. A supporter, Senator Patrick J. Leahy, D‑Vermont, said: “Her unwavering, decade-long dedication as a jurist and her loyalty to the law above all else has made Beth Robinson an outstanding Vermont Supreme Court justice.” The vote was 51 yeas to 45 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
TOBY HEYTENS, APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate on November 1st confirmed the nomination of Toby J. Heytens to serve as a judge on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Heytens, Virginia’s solicitor general since 2018, was previously a law professor at the University of Virginia and lawyer in the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office. A supporter, Senator Dick Durbin, D‑Illinois, called Heytens “an accomplished appellate advocate, with a depth of experience and a fair-mindedness that would make him an asset to the Fourth Circuit.”
The vote was 53 yeas to 43 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
ISABEL COLEMAN, USAID: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Isobel Coleman to be deputy administrator for policy and programming at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Coleman has been a longtime senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a policy ambassador to the United Nations during President Obama’s second term. A supporter, Senator Robert Menendez, D‑New Jersey, called Coleman “a well-known and trusted foreign affairs professional, and I am confident she will execute her duties with distinction.”
The vote was 59 yeas to 39 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
JEFFREY PRIETO, EPA GENERAL COUNSEL: The Senate on November 3rd confirmed the nomination of Jeffrey Prieto to serve as general counsel for the Environmental Protection Agency. Prieto was the Agriculture Department’s general counsel in the Obama administration’s second term; currently, he is general counsel for the Los Angeles Community College District. A supporter, Senator Tom Carper, D‑Delaware, said Prieto “has the intellect, temperament, and experience to serve in this important role.” The vote was 54 yeas to 44 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
RAJESH NAYAK, ASSISTANT LABOR SECRETARY: The Senate on November 3rd confirmed the nomination of Rajesh Nayak to serve as assistant secretary for policy at the Labor Department. Nayak, a senior official at the agency during the Obama administration, this year returned to the agency as a senior advisor. A supporter, Senator Patty Murray, D‑Washington, said: “As an advocate and a policymaker, he has shown time and again his commitment to empowering workers, supporting families, and advancing equity.”
The vote was 52 yeas to 45 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
ROBERT SANTOS, CENSUS DIRECTOR: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robert Santos to serve as director of the U.S. Census Bureau for a term ending at the close of 2026. A supporter, Senator Gary Peters, D‑Michigan, said Santos, currently vice president of the Urban Institute, “brings over forty years of experience in both the public and private sectors as a manager and expert in the field of survey design and statistical research.”
The vote was 58 yeas to 35 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): | |
Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
Key votes ahead
The Senate is slated to be in recess this week. The House’s plans were to be announced, but House leadership anticipates holding a vote on the Build Back Better framework by November 15th under Congress’ reconciliation rules.
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!
© 2021 Targeted News Service, LLC.