Washington, D.C., roll call report

Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

House

SEARCHES OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS: The House has passed the Nondisclosure Orders Fairness Act (H.R. 3089), sponsored by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis. The bill would place restrictions on the power of government entities to conduct searches of an individual’s records that are stored remotely by third-party service providers, in the practice known as cloud computing and storage. Fitzgerald said that law enforcement agencies have been using secrecy orders imposed on the service providers to prevent the disclosure of searches of individual records, and the bill “would stop this abuse, which has allowed the circumvention of Fourth Amendment protections in favor of simple convenience.” The vote, on May 15, was unanimous with 412 yeas.

YEAS:

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

NATIONAL POLICE WEEK: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 363), sponsored by Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., to express support for National Police Week, which is taking place this week, and recognize the work of U.S. law enforcement officers and the risk of violence that they face. Guest said: “It is of the utmost importance that we honor the men and women of law enforcement and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in this noble pursuit.” The vote, on May 15, was 413 yeas to 2 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

EXPELLING HOUSE MEMBER: The House has passed a motion to refer to the House Ethics Committee a resolution (H. Res. 114), sponsored by Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., that would expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from the House. The sponsor of the motion, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., called Santos “a stain on this institution, a stain on the state of New York, a stain on Long Island, and a stain on the beloved Nassau County.” The vote to refer the resolution to committee, on May 17, was 221 yeas to 204 nays.

PRESENT:

Perez

SELLING GUNS TO RETIRING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS: The House has passed the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act (H.R. 3091), sponsored by Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., to authorize a retiring federal law enforcement agency officer in good standing to purchase the retired handgun that the agency issued to the officer. Fry said: “Not only does this legislation have the potential to save millions of dollars in waste, but it would offset the cost of purchasing new weapons and fund other agency expenses.” An opponent, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., said: “The good-standing qualification in this bill is too subjective to accurately protect Americans.” The vote, on May 17, was 232 yeas to 198 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

IMMIGRATION AND LAW ENFORCEMENT: The House has passed the Protect Our Law Enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2494), sponsored by Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino, R-N.Y., to make an assault on a law enforcement officer a deportable offense. Garbarino said the change would “show our brave men and women in law enforcement that we have their backs as they continue to battle the criminal element currently taking advantage of our unsecured southern border.” An opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said: “The bill is so broad and overinclusive that it could lead to truly absurd results and to the deportation of people who had no intention of ever harming a law enforcement officer.” The vote, on May 17, was 255 yeas to 175 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

POLICE BILL OF RIGHTS: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to a resolution (H. Con. Res. 40). The amendment would encourage states to adopt “Bill of Rights” legislation setting out the rights offered to law enforcement officers being investigated or prosecuted for alleged official misconduct as a way to help ensure mutually respectful dialogue between the police and community residents. D’Esposito said: “My amendment works to ensure law enforcement officials have fair administration of justice during investigations and encourages states to adopt their own bill of rights to support the brave men and women of law enforcement.” An amendment opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said: “This type of legislation has been one of the greatest obstacles to police accountability, hindering investigations, and shielding misconduct from public scrutiny.” The vote, on May 18, was 268 yeas to 156 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

SUPPORTING THE POLICE: The House has passed a resolution (H. Con. Res. 40), sponsored by Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., to state support for the efforts of local law enforcement officers to keep communities safe, and condemn calls to defund or abolish the police. Buck said: “These individuals put their lives on the line every single day to protect our communities and keep us safe, and it is time that we acknowledged their selflessness and dedication.” An opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said: “We should oppose this resolution because it is blatantly one-sided, it blames leftist agitators improperly, and it does not deal with federal law enforcement agencies.” The vote, on May 18, was 301 yeas to 119 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

Senate

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Bradley N. Garcia to be a judge on the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals. From 2013 to 2022, Garcia was a private practice lawyer at the O’Melveny & Myers law firm; for the past year, he has been a deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said that in his time at Justice, Garcia “has continued to demonstrate his commitment to public service and defending the rule of law.” The vote, on May 15, was 53 yeas to 40 nays.

YEAS:

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

D.C. POLICING POLICIES: The Senate has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 42), sponsored by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., to disapprove of and void the Washington, D.C., Council’s adoption of a law changing policing policies for D.C. police officers. A supporter, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said voiding the law “makes D.C. safer, but it also sends a message to the entire country — a message that we want safe streets, we want safe communities, we want safe schools, and we want to do it in a bipartisan way.” The vote, on May 16, was 56 yeas to 43 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

ILLINOIS DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jeremy C. Daniel to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Daniel has been a federal prosecutor in the district since 2014, after working for six years as a private practice lawyer in Chicago. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited Daniel’s “breadth of experience practicing in the Northern District of Illinois and his expertise in intellectual property and criminal law.” The vote, on May 17, was 56 yeas to 40 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

IMMIGRANTS AND GOVERNMENT AID: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 18), sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., to disapprove of and void a Homeland Security Department rule that would allow immigrants into the U.S. to obtain legal residency status, regardless of whether they appear likely to become reliant on government assistance. Marshall said: “The Biden administration’s public charge rule makes a mockery of the law and the intent of Congress to ensure that immigrants are self-sufficient.” The vote, on May 17, was 50 yeas to 47 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Nancy G. Abudu to be a judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Abudu was a lawyer and then official at the American Civil Liberties Union from 2005 to 2019; since then, she has been a lawyer at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Atlanta. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Abudu “has dedicated her career to ensuring that dream is alive and well for everyone in this country.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Abudu was “unfit for judicial service” due to her fearmongering about alleged racist designs to the legal system and membership in groups that undermine the rule of law. The vote, on May 18, was 49 yeas to 47 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray