Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues last week:

House

Republican energy package. Voting 249-174, the House on Thursday passed a GOP-drafted energy bill (HR 8) that would, in part, repeal the current ban on exporting U.S. crude oil; scale back environmental reviews of cross-border pipeline projects between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico; expedite Department of Energy approval of applications for exporting liquefied natural gas; increase energy efficiency in federal buildings; expedite decisions on the location of new gas pipelines, and allow construction of pipelines through national parks and other sensitive public lands.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Ryan Costello (R., Pa.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Tom MacArthur (R., N.J.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Matt Cartwright (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), and Donald Norcross (D., N.J.).

Drilling under property owners' land. Voting 206-216, the House on Wednesday defeated an amendment to HR 8 (above) requiring land owners to be notified when companies take steps to drill into government-owned minerals beneath their property. At present, the Bureau of Land Management only has to make a "good faith" notification of applications for permits and other drilling plans.

A yes vote was to adopt the property-rights amendment.

Voting yes: Boyle, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Costello, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, and Norcross.

Voting no: MacArthur, Meehan, Pitts, and Smith.

Five-year transportation bill. Voting 359-65, the House on Thursday adopted the conference report on a bill (HR 22) that would set spending of $305 billion over five years for highway and mass-transit construction, auto and road safety and other transportation programs.

A yes vote was to send the conference report to the Senate, which then sent it to President Obama.

Voting yes: Boyle, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Costello, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, and Smith.

Elementary and secondary education. Voting 359-64, the House on Wednesday adopted the conference report on a bill (S 1177) that would extend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for four years while giving states and localities expanded authority over the spending of federal K-12 school funds. The bill would continue mandatory reading and math testing in grades three through eight and once in high school that was required under the 2001 No Child Left Behind law. But it would allow state and local authorities to develop their own measures for improving school, teacher and student performance in response to test scores. A yes vote was to approve the conference report, which is now before the Senate.

Voting yes: Boyle, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Costello, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, and Smith.

To kill rule on carbon emissions. Voting 242-180, the House on Tuesday adopted a measure (SJ Res 24) that would kill a new Environmental Protection Agency rule to limit carbon emissions from existing natural gas- and coal-fired power plants. A yes vote was to send the measure to President Obama, who has promised a veto.

Voting yes: Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Pitts, and Smith.

Voting no: Boyle, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, and Norcross.

2016 intelligence budget. Voting 364-58, the House on Tuesday approved a fiscal 2016 budget (HR 4127) estimated at $80 billion or more for the 16 civilian and military intelligence agencies. The actual figure is classified. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where prompt approval was expected.

Voting yes: Boyle, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Norcross, and Smith.

Voting no: Fattah.

Not voting: Pitts.

Senate

Repeal of Affordable Care Act. Voting 52-47 against, the Senate on Thursday joined the House in passing a Republican bill (HR 3762) that would repeal key parts of the Affordable Care Act while defunding the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for one year.

A yes vote was to send the bill to President Obama, who said he will veto it.

Voting yes: Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

Voting no: Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Unplanned pregnancies, uninsured women. Voting 54-46, the Senate on Thursday tabled (killed) a Democratic-sponsored amendment intended to keep HR 3762 (above) from increasing the number of unintended pregnancies or women without health insurance in the U.S. The amendment proposed a special fund to support women's health care as well as measures to protect abortion clinics against violence.

A yes vote was to kill an amendment that also sought to preserve Planned Parenthood funding.

Voting yes: Toomey.

Voting no: Booker, Carper, Casey, Coons, and Menendez.

Five-year transportation bill. Voting 83-16, the Senate on Thursday joined the House in adopting the conference report on a bill (HR 22) that would provide $305 billion over five years for highway construction and other transportation programs while reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank for four years. A yes vote was to send the conference report to President Obama for his signature.

Voting yes: Booker, Casey, Coons, Menendez, and Toomey.

Voting no: Carper.

New chief of foreign aid. The Senate on Monday voted, 79-7, to confirm Gayle E. Smith as the 17th administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which disburses and oversees American assistance to underdeveloped nations. A yes vote was to confirm Smith as USAID administrator.

Voting yes: Booker, Carper, Casey, Coons, Menendez, and Toomey.

Guns, explosives, terrorist watch list. By a vote of 45-54, the Senate on Thursday defeated an amendment to a bill repealing the 2010 health law (HR 3762) that sought to prohibit the sale of firearms or explosives to individuals on the FBI's terrorist watch list. Such transactions are now legal. A yes vote supported the amendment.

Voting yes: Booker, Carper, Casey, Coons, and Menendez.

Voting no: Toomey.

Expanded gun background checks. The Senate on Thursday defeated, 48-50, an amendment to HR 3762 (above) that sought to require criminal and mental-health background checks of those seeking to buy guns in virtually all commercial transactions, including those made online and at gun shows.

A yes vote was to expand gun background checks.

Voting yes: Booker, Carper, Casey, Coons, Menendez, and Toomey.

This week. The House will take up a bill to tighten the visa-waiver program to guard against entry by terrorists, while the Senate will vote on an elementary and secondary education bill. Congress faces a Friday deadline for passing a bill to fund the government beyond that date.