WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending March 3.
House
TURKEY EARTHQUAKES: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 132), sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., mourning the more than 40,000 Turks and Syrians killed by the recent earthquakes in Turkey, and condemning Syria’s Assad regime for failing to provide adequate relief to victims. Wilson said: “Syria’s brutal dictator Assad is stealing humanitarian aid, and even worse, has continued bombing the affected areas at least 10 times since the earthquake.” The vote, on Feb. 27, was 414 yeas to 2 nays.
YEAS:
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd
INTERNET-CONNECTED DEVICES: The House had passed the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act (H.R. 538), sponsored by Rep. John R. Curtis, R-Utah, to require makers of products that are connected to the internet and use a camera or microphone to inform consumers that their products have such features. Curtis said the requirement “will ensure consumers are aware of the capabilities of items they are putting in their homes without hamstringing the technology pioneers” who are making the products. The vote, on Feb. 27, was 406 yeas to 12 nays.
YEAS:
Perez
RETIREMENT PLANS: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 30), sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., to disapprove of and void a Labor Department rule issued in December 2022 that authorized fiduciaries of retirement plans to consider environmental, social, and governance issues in their management of the plans. Barr said the rule would put Americans “into less diversified, higher fees, and lower-performing portfolios at precisely the time that we need to maximize financial security for Americans approaching retirement.” A supporter of the rule, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., said: “Allowing ESG considerations can help financial professionals identify investments that will be sustainable in the long term and in the best interest of their clients.” The vote, on Feb. 28, was 216 yeas to 204 nays.