Washington D.C. Roll Call Report

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending April 1.

Along with this week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed the Chiricahua National Park Act (S. 1320), to establish the Chiricahua National Park in Arizona as a unit of the National Park System; and the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (S. 3580), to amend United States code with respect to prohibited acts by ocean common carriers or marine terminal operators.

House

ACQUITTALS AND SENTENCING: The House has passed the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act (H.R. 1621), sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., to prevent federal courts from considering acquittals when sentencing criminals to prison sentences. Cohen said the ban “would ensure that no one spends time in jail for conduct prosecutors were not able to prove at trial.” The vote, on March 28, was 405 yeas to 12 nays.

YEAS

Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

STATUES OF FEMALE JUSTICES: The House has passed a bill (S. 3294), sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., to place in the Capitol in Washington, D.C., statues of Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A supporter, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said: “Both overcame formidable barriers and defied the odds, paving the way for future generations of women.” The vote, on March 28, was 349 yeas to 63 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

COAST GUARD SPENDING: The House has passed the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act (H.R. 6865), sponsored by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., to authorize fiscal 2022 and 2023 spending on the Coast Guard. DeFazio said bill measures would “begin to address several unfair shipping practices that have contributed to inflation across every sector of the American economy” by more aggressively regulating the shipping industry. The vote, on March 29, was 378 yeas to 46 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

COLD HOMICIDE CASES: The House has passed the Homicide Victims Families Rights Act (H.R. 3359), sponsored by Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., to create a legal framework for the immediate relatives of murder victims who were killed more than three years ago to request that a relevant federal agency review the case file for the killing. Swalwell said changing circumstances since a murder case went cold can justify a new review and effort at “identifying new leads and witnesses to solve crimes and obtain justice that victims’ families and loved ones so rightfully deserve.” The vote, on March 29, was 406 yeas to 20 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

COVID ORAL HISTORIES: The House has passed the COVID-19 American History Project Act (H.R. 4738), sponsored by Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., to fund an oral history project at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The project would gather stories from people who contracted COVID and whose relatives died from COVID, and health care workers. Letlow said the project “will allow us to use our voices as citizens to write the history of this time. Personal stories are powerful and can promote healing while also helping others who are hurting.” The vote, on March 29, was 376 yeas to 47 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

PUBLIC TRANSIT AND SEX CRIMES: The House has passed the Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act (H.R. 5706), sponsored by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore. The bill would require transportation providers to establish policies for handling sexual assault and sexual harassment, and establish reporting and disclosure requirements for such incidents. DeFazio said: “We can no longer allow sexual violence and abuse to persist on our roads, our waters, or in our skies. We must ensure our transportation system is safe for those who work in it and those who wish to use it.” The vote, on March 30, was 339 yeas to 85 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

GRANT APPLICATIONS: The House has passed the Care is an Economic Development Strategy Act (H.R. 5547), sponsored by Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., to require applicants for federal grants to explain how they plan to use the funding to increase their provision of affordable, quality, care-based services. Williams said: “Investing in care will help get people back to work, create good-paying jobs, and create a stronger economy for everyone.” The vote, on March 30, was 304 yeas to 122 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

NEGOTIATING ECONOMIC STRATEGY LEGISLATION: The House has passed a motion to instruct conferees with the Senate on negotiating the two chambers’ versions of the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521), which would increase spending on various U.S. economic strategy efforts. A motion supporter, Rep. Frank D. Lucas, R-Okla., said that accepting a Senate provision to block funding of entities of concern controlled by the Chinese government “ensures that we aren’t giving taxpayer dollars to the adversaries who are trying to steal U.S. technology and use it against us.” The vote to instruct, on March 31, was 351 yeas to 74 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

INSULIN PRICING: The House has passed the Affordable Insulin Now Act (H.R. 6833), sponsored by Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., to cap an insured individual’s payments for insulin under Medicare or private insurance plans. Craig called a cap “an opportunity to save American families thousands of their hard-earned dollars.” An opponent, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said: “This bill will lower out-of-pocket costs for insulin for a minority of Americans by bloating premiums and other health care costs for the majority of Americans and leave our health care system worse off.” The vote, on March 31, was 232 yeas to 193 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

Senate

ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS: The Senate has passed the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521), sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, to increase spending on various economic strategy efforts, including domestic manufacture of semiconductor chips, scientific research, and trade and security, especially as it relates to China. A supporter, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the bill “is about growing the capacity for us to innovate in many different parts of the United States and across many different sectors of our economy.” The vote, on March 28, was 68 yeas to 28 nays.

YEAS

Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Patty Murray, D-Wash.

BUDGETING OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Nani Coloretti to be the Office of Management and Budget’s deputy director. Coloretti has been a government staffer in San Francisco and in various federal agencies during the Obama administration; she has more recently been a senior vice president at the Urban Institute. A supporter, Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-Mich., said Coloretti “has over 20 years of experience at the federal, state, and local level executing complex government programs, improving service delivery, and managing large organizations.” The vote, on March 29, was 57 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

WEAPONS DIPLOMACY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of C.S. Eliot Kang to be the assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. Kang has been in the role on an acting basis since the start of the Biden administration. A supporter, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said of Kang: “He has the substantive expertise to lead ISN and advance U.S. national security interests. During his 18-year career at the State Department, Dr. Kang has worked on a wide variety of nonproliferation issues.” The vote, on March 29, was 52 yeas to 46 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Judith Pryor to be first vice president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Pryor, currently a member of the bank’s board of directors, was an international finance official during the Obama administration, and before that was an executive in the satellite industry. A supporter, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said: “It is essential that our manufacturers have every tool at their disposal so they can compete globally. That is why we need Judith Pryor at Ex-Im.” An opponent, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said Pryor’s confirmation would advance the “badly flawed agenda” of having the bank subsidize loans to domestic manufacturing businesses and infrastructure projects. The vote, on March 30, was 69 yeas to 30 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

FAMILY SERVICES: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of January Contreras to be assistant secretary for family support at the Department of Health and Human Services. Contreras was a citizenship and immigration official in the Obama administration, and previously was head of the Arizona Department of Health Services. A supporter, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Contreras would use her experience to help implement the Family First program, which provides addiction treatment services to a family without assigning its children to foster care. The vote, on March 30, was 54 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

GEORGIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Sarah Geraghty to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the northern district of Georgia. Geraghty has been a lawyer at the Southern Center for Human Rights since 2003. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Geraghty “has received numerous letters of support, including from law enforcement officials and attorneys who have opposed her in litigation.” The vote, on March 31, was 52 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

NEW JERSEY JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Georgette Castner to be a judge on the U.S. district court for New Jersey. Castner has been a lawyer at a private practice law firm in New Jersey since 2007, specializing in civil litigation and white collar crime. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called Castner “an experienced litigator with a deep knowledge of the district of New Jersey.” The vote, on March 31, was 52 yeas to 47 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray