WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending June 10.
House
INJURED GOVERNMENT WORKERS: The House has passed the Improving Access to Workers Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (H.R. 6087), sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn. The bill would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide treatment for federal government employees under workers’ compensation protocols. Courtney said expanding treatment options would give government workers the same level of access to health care as other workers, particularly in underserved parts of the country. An opponent, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said “increasing the scope of practice of nurse practitioners or physician assistants can lead to increased health care costs.” The vote, on June 7, was 325 yeas to 83 nays.
NAYS
Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-3rd
BANKRUPTCY LAW: The House has passed the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment and Technical Corrections Act (S. 3823), sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. The bill would change bankruptcy law for small businesses and individuals, including by increasing the amount of debt covered by a bankruptcy filing and indexing future debt amounts to inflation. A supporter, Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said the changes responded to the needs of “hardworking Americans and their families trying to stay afloat in a world that can get turned upside down by global economic shocks.” The vote, on June 7, was 392 yeas to 21 nays.
YEAS
Herrera Beutler
GUN REGULATIONS: The House has passed the Protecting Our Kids Act (H.R. 7910), sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to make assorted changes to federal laws concerning guns and ammunition. Changes would include banning the purchase of some types of semiautomatic firearms by people younger than 21, outlawing some types of gun trafficking, and placing capacity limits on magazines and other ammunition-feeding devices. Nadler said: “We must pass this bill to save our police officers, to save our communities, to save our children.” An opponent, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said: “There are steps we can take to prevent tragedies from occurring without endangering and infringing upon the rights of law-abiding citizens.” The vote, on June 8, was 223 yeas to 204 nays.