HOUSE VOTES
HUMAN TRAFFICKING: The House has passed the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6552), sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J. The bill would reauthorize, through fiscal 2026, a set of programs addressing human trafficking, and change some aspects of the programs. Smith said of the need for the bill: “Every human life is of infinite value. We as lawmakers have a duty to protect the weakest and most vulnerable from harm.” The vote, on July 26, was 401 yeas to 20 nays.
YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District
STUDYING PFAS CHEMICALS: The House has passed the Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act (H.R. 7289), sponsored by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas. The bill would direct the National Academies to report to Congress on how to develop a federal government plan for researching impacts of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are unregulated chemicals used in a variety of products and thought to possibly cause serious health effects. The vote, on July 26, was 359 yeas to 62 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
MATH EDUCATION: The House has passed the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act (H.R. 3588), sponsored by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., to provide $10 million of annual funding, through 2027, to the National Science Foundation for coordinating efforts to improve math education by using mathematical and statistical modeling. Houlahan said the funding would “provide tangible critical thinking skills to the next generation that will enable them to succeed in the workplace and beyond.” The vote, on July 26, was 323 yeas to 92 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
COVID AND BRAIN DAMAGE: The House has passed the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act (H.R. 7180), sponsored by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, to authorize $10 million of National Science Foundation grants for research into the possibility that Covid impairs brain processes. Gonzalez said: “Despite the significant progress made by researchers to improve our understanding of COVID-19, it remains unclear how the virus alters brain function, who is most at risk, and what can be done to quickly diagnose and treat impacted patients.” The vote, on July 26, was 350 yeas to 69 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH: The House has passed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (H.R. 8454), sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., to establish a new process at the Drug Enforcement Administration for overseeing research into medical marijuana and cannabidiol substances. Blumenauer said the process “would remove barriers for research into cannabis and facilitate access to an increased supply of cannabis for research purposes.” The vote, on July 26, was 325 yeas to 95 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
BANK ACTIVITY REPORTS: The House has passed the Timely Delivery of Bank Secrecy Act Reports Act (H.R. 7734), sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., to require the Treasury Department to deliver to Congressional staff, within 30 days, suspicious activity reports that relate to banks. Waters called the requirement a needed response to Treasury’s recent refusal to allow staffers to copy the reports, which she said has left staff unable “to effectively capture and analyze needed information in such complex documents.” An opponent, Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., cited the hazard of the requirement increasing the number of people who can access hard copies of the reports, and therefore increasing leaks of a bank’s sensitive information. The vote, on July 26, was 349 yeas to 70 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
AUTOWORKER PENSION BENEFITS: The House has passed the Susan Muffley Act (H.R. 6929), sponsored by Rep. Daniel T. Kildee, D-Mich., to fully restore pension benefits for retired workers at the Delphi auto parts company who lost their benefits following the 2009 General Motors bankruptcy. Kildee said the roughly 20,000 retirees were wrongly treated in the aftermath of the bankruptcy, and the federal government, through Congress, had “the responsibility to fix the mess that itself created” when it slashed benefits in 2009. An opponent, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said Delphi’s pension plans were already badly underfunded before the bankruptcy, and granting payments to the Delphi retirees could pressure Congress to act similarly to bail out other underfunded private pension plans. The vote, on July 27, was 254 yeas to 175 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
HEART HEALTH IN SOUTH ASIAN ETHNICITY: The House has passed the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act (H.R. 3771), sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to direct the Health and Human Services Department to create grant programs for funding work to resolve diabetes and cardiovascular health problems in the South Asian population. Jayapal said the grants would not only “prevent deaths within the South Asian community, but we will also increase awareness and understanding of cardiovascular disease that will benefit the health and well-being of every American.” An opponent, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., said: “The ever-expanding portfolio of public health issues is simply not sustainable. We don’t need another duplicative public health prevention initiative that further erodes the CDC’s focus.” The vote, on July 27, was 237 yeas to 192 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
TELEHEALTH AND MEDICARE: The House has passed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act (H.R. 4040), sponsored by Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., to extend through 2024 authorization for the expanded use of telehealth remote technologies under Medicare by patients and health care providers. Cheney said the extension “will expand freedom for patients by giving them more flexibility and more capability to use telehealth services.” The vote, on July 27, was 416 yeas to 12 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
PASSING LEGISLATION EN BLOC: The House has passed a motion sponsored by Rep. Daniel T. Kildee, D-Mich., to pass 12 different bills at once, en bloc. Issues addressed by the bills included pediatric cancer research, safety standards for small batteries, and weather alert messaging systems. The vote, on July 27, was 336 yeas to 90 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
MICROCHIP MANUFACTURING: The House has passed the Senate amendment to the CHIPS and Science Act (H.R. 4346). The amendment would provide about $76 billion of various types of subsidies for domestic production of microchips, and another $204 billion of spending on scientific research and development programs. A supporter, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, called the bill “vital to ensuring a bold and prosperous future for American science and innovation, maintaining our international competitiveness, and bolstering our economic and national security.” An opponent, Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., cited moves to tie the bill to “a massive tax hike and spending spree,” amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, in the budget reconciliation bill currently being negotiated. The vote, on July 28, was 243 yeas to 187 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
SENATE VOTES
SUBSIDIES FOR MICROCHIP INDUSTRY: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to a bill (H.R. 4346). The amendment would provide about $76 billion of various types of subsidies for domestic production of microchips, and another $204 billion of spending on scientific research and development programs. Schumer said the amendment “is going to create good-paying jobs. It will alleviate supply chains; it will help lower costs; and it will protect America’s national security interests.” An opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, ID-Vt., questioned whether microchip manufacturers needed the subsidies given that they “are making tens of billions of dollars in profit right now and paying the head of Intel some $170 million a year in compensation.” The vote, on July 27, was 64 yeas to 33 nays.
YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine
WATER PROJECTS: The Senate has passed the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 7776), sponsored by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., to authorize an array of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water management projects over the next two years. A supporter, Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., said it “provides crucial authority for projects and guidance for the Army Corps of Engineers to engineer better solutions to our nation’s toughest water infrastructure supply and quality challenges.” The vote, on July 28, was 93 yeas to 1 nay.
YEAS: Collins, King
HUNGARY AMBASSADOR: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David Pressman to be the U.S. ambassador to Hungary. Pressman, currently a partner at the Jenner & Block law firm, has been a national security and human rights official in various federal government agencies, including as ambassador to the United Nations for special political affairs. The vote, on July 28, was 61 yeas to 30 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
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