Washington, D.C., Roll Call

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending June 17.

House

MARINE SHIPPING: The House has passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (S. 3580), sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. The bill would change Federal Maritime Commission practices, including requiring the commission to review fines charged by common ocean carriers, and bar common ocean carriers from refusing to ship goods if they have adequate cargo space for the goods. A supporter, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., called the bill “vital for ensuring fair and efficient shipping, which is integral to the well-being of our economy.” The vote, on June 13, was 369 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS: Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

VERTICAL AVIATION: The House has passed the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act (H.R. 6270), sponsored by Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., to authorize a $25 million Transportation Department pilot program for issuing grants to fund advanced air mobility infrastructure. Such infrastructure includes vertical airplane takeoff and landing facilities, known as vertiports. A supporter, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., said the grants would help federal regulators get ahead of the curve on how to handle an emerging technology with tremendous potential to improve transportation. The vote, on June 13, was 338 yeas to 73 nays.

YEAS: Herrera Beutler

POLICE FOR SUPREME COURT RELATIVES: The House has passed the Supreme Court Police Parity Act (S. 4160), sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to authorize the Supreme Court Police force to provide protection for immediate relatives of justices if the court’s marshal deems such protection necessary. A supporter, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said the protection would help ensure that justices “are free from fear of violence or physical intimidation to make decisions based on the Constitution and law as applied to the facts of the cases before them.” The vote, on June 14, was 396 yeas to 27 nays.

YEAS: Herrera Beutler

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: The House has passed the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 2773), sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., to provide about $1.4 billion of annual supplemental funding for Interior Department efforts to conserve plant and wildlife species, including endangered species. Dingell said: “We have a conservation, economic, and moral rationale to act in order to protect and recover America’s wildlife for future generations.” An opponent, Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., criticized the bill’s lack of legislative oversight provisions and its increase in deficit spending. The vote, on June 14, was 231 yeas to 190 nays.

NAYS: Herrera Beutler

RURAL DISASTERS: The House has passed the Small State and Rural Rescue Act (H.R. 7211), sponsored by Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., to expand the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Small State and Rural Advocate office in reviewing requests for FEMA to provide disaster assistance. Katko said the bill “will go a long way in providing support for the rural communities and small states” of the U.S. when they endure disasters. The vote, on June 14, was 396 yeas to 14 nays.

YEAS: Herrera Beutler

RACE AND FINANCE: The House has passed the Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act (H.R. 2543), sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. The bill would require the Federal Reserve to prioritize eliminating racial and ethnic economic disparities in its activities. A supporter, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said it “will reorient our financial systems to support wealth creation in historically underserved communities.” An opponent, Rep. John W. Rose, R-Tenn., said it “would impose additional and burdensome reporting requirements on public companies, reduce access to credit, distract the Federal Reserve from pursuing its statutory mandate, and further politicize our regulatory agencies.” The vote, on June 15, was 215 yeas to 207 nays.

NAYS: Herrera Beutler

SALES OF MEAT PRODUCTS: The House has passed the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act (H.R. 7606), sponsored by Rep. Abigail Davis Spanberger, D-Va. Among other measures, the bill would create the Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters at the Agriculture Department, and charge the investigative office with prosecuting violations of meatpacking and poultry marketing laws. Spanberger said the bill responded to Americans’ desire for “lower meat prices both now and in the future. They want lower gas prices and to make biofuels accessible to more Americans.” An opponent, Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., said the bill’s new regulations would be decreasing “American farmers’ abilities to meet global food demand and doubling down on the idea that more spending and big government will feed the world.” The vote, on June 16, was 221 yeas to 204 nays.

NAYS: Herrera Beutler

Senate

AMBASSADOR TO DENMARK: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Alan M. Leventhal to be the U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Leventhal is chairman and CEO of the office properties company Beacon Capital, and serves on the board of several Boston-area charities and universities. The vote, on June 15, was 63 yeas to 32 nays.

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

VETERANS AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES: The Senate has passed the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (H.R. 3967), sponsored by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif. The bill would take various measures to treat and record health problems in military veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their time in the military, including the war in Iraq. A supporter, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said the measures would connect “toxic-exposed veterans with the care they need and they deserve and to provide veterans with certainty and support.” The vote, on June 16, was 84 yeas to 14 nays.

YEAS: Cantwell, Murray