Ohio in Congress

Voterama in Congress

Here are area lawmakers’ decisions on major roll-call votes in

Washington for the week ending April 8.

U.S. House
Seventh Stopgap Budget: Voting 348 for and 70 against, the House on
April 9 sent President Obama a bill (HR 1363) to keep the government in
full operation for the next several days. Congress then will take up a bipar-
tisan funding bill for the remaining five-plus months of fiscal 2011, a mea-
sure cutting spending by nearly $39 billion and containing several Republi-
can-backed policy changes. Because Obama and congressional leaders
negotiated the latter bill, it is expected to become law by mid-week, ending
a marathon dispute during which Congress passed seven stopgap 2011
budgets, including HR 1363. The Senate passed HR 1363 April 8 on a non-
record vote.
LaTourette: Yes Fudge: No

GOP Budget Bill: Members passed, 247-181, a GOP bill to fund the mili-
tary through Sept. 30 while funding the rest of the government through
April 15 with $12 billion in budget cuts and a ban on locally funded abor-
tions in the District of Columbia. A yes vote backed HR 1363 over Demo-
cratic assertions it will never become law.
LaTourette: Yes Fudge: No

Democratic Budget Bill: Voting 236-187, members tabled (killed) a Dem-

ocratic bid to bring an alternative to HR 1363 (above) to a vote. A yes vote
was to block consideration of a bill to keep the government open through
April 15 but without the Republicans’ budget cuts or policy changes.
LaTourette: Yes Fudge: No

Military Pay: Members defeated, 191-236, a Democratic bid to ensure

no loss of military pay in a government shutdown. The underlying GOP bill
(HR 1363) contains the same guarantee. Both sides appear to agree mili-
tary pay could be interrupted but never reduced as a result of a shutdown.
A yes vote backed the Democratic motion.
LaTourette: No Fudge: Yes

Greenhouse Gases: Members passed, 255-172, a bill denying the Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) power to regulate greenhouse-gas emis-
sions linked to climate-change and challenging the science upon which
those regulations are based. A yes vote was to pass HR 910.
LaTourette: Yes Fudge: No

Climate Change Science: Climate Science Members defeated, 184-240,

a measure stating Congress accepts EPA’s “scientific findings...that cli-
mate-change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses
significant risks for public health and welfare.” A yes vote backed the
amendment to HR 910.
LaTourette: No Fudge: Yes

Child and Senior Health: Members defeated, 175-251, a Democratic bid

to add language ensuring that under HR 910 (above) the EPA would still
protect child and senior breathing from carbon pollution. A yes vote backed
the bid over GOP arguments it was a tactic intended to sidetrack the bill.
LaTourette: No Fudge: Yes

U.S. Senate
Presidential War Powers: Voting 90-10, senators tabled (killed) a chal-
lenge by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to President Obama’s authority to involve
the U.S. military in Libya’s civil war without prior congressional approval. A
yes vote was to portray the March 19 presidential troop deployment as con-
stitutional.
Brown: Yes Portman: Yes

Health-Law Paperwork: Voting 87-12, the Senate sent President Obama

a bill to strip the new health law of its rule that businesses issue an IRS
Form 1099 to any vendor to whom they pay at least $600 annually. A yes
vote was to repeal the rule following small businesses’ objections to it.
Brown: Yes Portman: Yes

Greenhouse Gases: On a tie vote of 50-50, the Senate failed to reach

60 votes for passing a GOP measure to strip the EPA of authority to regu-
late large-scale carbon emissions associated with climate-change. The
amendment was offered to S 493, a bill that remained in debate.
Brown: No Portman: Yes

Key votes ahead

In the week of April 11, the House will take up the budget for the next
fiscal year, while the Senate will continue to debate the award of federal
technology contracts to small businesses.