WASHINGTON – Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.
Along with the week’s roll call votes, the House also passed these measures by voice vote: the Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act (H.R. 7566), to increase the punishment for human trafficking in a school zone; the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (H.R. 7181), to direct the Secretary of Transportation to seek to provide for the posting of contact information of the national human trafficking hotline in the restrooms of each aircraft, airport, over-the-road bus, bus station, passenger train, and passenger railroad station operating within the United States; the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (H.R. 4330), to maintain the free flow of information to the public by establishing appropriate limits on the federally compelled disclosure of information obtained as part of engaging in journalism; and the Keep America’s Refuges Operational Act (H.R. 6734), to reauthorize the volunteer services, community partnership, and refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The Senate also passed: a bill (S. Res. 775), expressing the sense of the Senate that violence and threats of violence against the employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation are unacceptable and should be condemned; and the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (H.R. 4693), to advance targeted and evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of global malnutrition and to improve the coordination of such programs.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: The House has passed the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act (S. 3895), sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to authorize funding for the Commission through fiscal 2024. A supporter, Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., said sustaining the Commission “is critically needed to ensure that our country maintains the tools we need to stand up for human rights and, in particular, religious freedom around the world.” The vote, on Sept. 19, was 402 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Pappas D-NH (1st), Kuster D-NH (2nd)
IMMIGRANTS AND JOBS: The House has passed the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act (S. 3157), sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., to require the Labor Department to make a study of ways to improve the ability of legal aliens and naturalized citizens to obtain employment that fits their level of skills. A bill supporter, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., said it “will help us better understand not only the employment barriers facing immigrants and refugees but also steps we can take to ensure that new Americans can join our economic growth and pursue careers in which they can succeed to their fullest potential.” The vote, on Sept. 19, was 363 yeas to 52 nays.
YEAS: Pappas, Kuster
PEACE CORPS: The House has passed the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1456), sponsored by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., to reauthorize the Peace Corps through fiscal 2024 and make changes to the program, including a zero tolerance drug use policy for volunteers and new safety and security measures for volunteers. Garamendi said the bill “will reinvigorate the Peace Corps and ensure that its essential work can continue to shape and inspire people around the world for years to come.” An opponent, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., criticized the bill’s increase in the pay and government benefits grade level assigned to Peace Corps volunteers, which she said “sets a terrible precedent for other programs that will inevitably ask for an increase in” benefits. The vote, on Sept. 19, was 290 yeas to 125 nays.
YEAS: Pappas, Kuster
PASSING LEGISLATION: The House has passed a motion sponsored by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., to pass a set of 10 bills en bloc, without separate roll call votes. The bills addressed such issues as: Syria’s exports of narcotic drugs, sanctions against Russia’s government and Russian individuals, and global…
Read More: No difference between Hassan and Shaheen – How area members of Congress voted over the previous week