Washington, D.C., Roll Call report

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending April 12.

Along with this week’s roll call votes, the House also passed these bills without roll calls: a bill (H.R. 1246) to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Native American tribes; the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act (H.R. 6492), to improve recreation opportunities on, and facilitate greater access to, federal public land; and the Community Reclamation Partnerships Act (H.R. 6233), to authorize partnerships between states and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of reclaiming and restoring land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining activities.

The Senate also passed a resolution (S. Res. 638), calling for the immediate release of Ryan Corbett, a U.S. citizen who was detained by the Taliban on Aug. 10, 2022.

House

WORKER TRAINING: The House has passed the A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R. 6655), sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., to change and reauthorize federal worker training programs. Foxx said the bill represented “a promise that as the economy changes, we will always ensure that workers have an opportunity to gain the right skills for the job,” including by increasing funding for worker upskilling efforts, and by improving oversight of training programs. The vote, on April 9, was 378 yeas to 26 nays.

YEAS:

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

MUSEUM OF PLAY: The House has passed the National Museum of Play Recognition Act (H.R. 3250), sponsored by Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., to designate a play-focused museum in Rochester, N.Y., as the National Museum of Play, without making it part of the National Park System. Morelle said the museum is unique in that it “exists for the exclusive purpose of exploring the ways in which play encourages learning, creativity, and discovery, and how it illuminates cultural history.” The vote, on April 10, was 385 yeas to 31 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

STRANDED SEA TURTLES: The House has passed the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act (H.R. 2560), sponsored by Rep. William R. Keating, D-Mass., to establish a grant program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for rescuing marine turtles stranded on beaches. Keating said that by supporting a network of groups that rescue the turtles, the program would ensure that “the populations of this much-loved species continue to thrive into the future, helping to preserve a unique part of the ocean’s biodiversity for our children and grandchildren.” The vote, on April 11, was 332 yeas to 82 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

Senate

NEBRASKA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Susan M. Bazis to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Nebraska. Bazis took her current role as a federal magistrate judge in 2017; before that, she was a county court judge in the state and had her own law firm in Omaha, and was a public defender. The vote, on April 9, was 78 yeas to 21 nays.

YEAS:

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

MICHIGAN JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robert J. White to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. White has been an assistant U.S. attorney in the district since 2018, after several years in the same post in Texas. A supporter, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said: “Mr. White has spent his career upholding the rule of law and keeping our communities safe.” The vote, on April 9, was 58 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

UTAH JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ann Marie McIff Allen to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Utah. Allen has been a judge on a District Court in Utah’s court system for four years, after spending time as a private practice lawyer, lawyer for Southern Utah University, and attorney for Iron County, Utah. A supporter, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said: “Judge Allen’s record and qualifications make it clear that she is exceptionally qualified to serve on the federal bench. She is an exemplary jurist.” The vote, on April 10, was unanimous with 100 yeas.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

HG EMISSIONS AND INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 61), sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., to disapprove of and void a Federal Highway Administration rule requiring state regulators to set reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide from vehicles traveling on their state’s portion of the National Highway System. Cramer called the rule a Biden administration effort to circumvent Congress’ action to deny such regulatory authority to the FHA, and said overturning it in Congress would avert “the gross expense of litigating this demonstration of bureaucratic arrogance.” A resolution opponent, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said the FHA rule was essential because “it is simply not possible to meet our climate goals without addressing emissions from the transportation sector.” The vote, on April 10, was 53 yeas to 47 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

JOINT EMPLOYER RULE: The Senate has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 98), sponsored by Rep. John James, R-Mich., to disapprove of and void a National Labor Relations Board rule for determining whether two or more employers qualify as joint employers when they have the same employee. A supporter, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said the rule “forces legal liability onto franchisers for the labor decisions of individual franchise owners despite the franchiser having no operational authority over the business’s employees,” and would result in substantial harm to restaurant and other franchise owners. The vote, on April 10, was 50 yeas to 48 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray