Area Votes in Congress
WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major roll calls last week. House Children's health care. The House passed, 265-159, and sent to the Senate a five-year renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program set to cost $60 billion, up $35 billion from current spending on the program designed mainly to insure needy youth not covered by Medicaid.
WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major roll calls last week.
House
Children's health care
. The House passed, 265-159, and sent to the Senate a five-year renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program set to cost $60 billion, up $35 billion from current spending on the program designed mainly to insure needy youth not covered by Medicaid.
A yes vote was to pass HR 976.
Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Schwartz (D., Pa.), Joe Sestak (D., Pa.) and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).
Voting no: Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.) and H. James Saxton (R., N.J.).
Popcorn additive. The House passed, 260-154, and sent to the Senate a bill that would begin federal workplace regulation of the food additive diacetyl, which has been linked to lung diseases in some workers who handle microwave popcorn.
A yes vote was to pass HR 2693.
Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Dent, Fattah, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Murphy, Saxton, Schwartz, Sestak and Smith.
Voting no: Castle, Pitts.
Flood insurance. The House passed, 263-146, and sent to the Senate a bill to renew the National Flood Insurance Program and expand it by raising overall coverage limits and adding coverage for such categories as windstorm damage and business interruption.
A yes vote was to pass HR 3121.
Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Dent, Fattah, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Murphy, Saxton, Schwartz, Sestak and Smith.
Voting no: Castle and Pitts.
Senate
Children's health care.
The Senate passed, 67-29, the renewal and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (HR 976, above). The bill now goes to President Bush, who has threatened to veto it.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) and Arlen Specter (R., Pa.).
Not voting: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.).
Partitioning Iraq. Senators endorsed, 75-23, a call to split Iraq into three self-governing regions - Kurdistan, in the north, a Sunni entity based in the west and a Shiite entity in the south. The nonbinding vote took place during debate of the 2008 defense budget (HR 1585), which remained in debate.
All Philadelphia-area senators voted for the partition proposal.
Iran policy. Senators adopted, 76-22, a call for "the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of U.S. power" in confronting Iran. The nonbinding vote added the wording to HR 1585, above.
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Voting yes: Carper, Casey, Lautenberg, Menendez and Specter.
Voting no: Biden.
Hate crimes. The Senate voted, 60-39, to expand the federal law against hate crimes to include offenses based on sexual orientation, gender or disability, as well as the existing categories of national origin, religion and race. The vote added the legislation to HR 1585, above.
All Philadelphia-area senators backed the amendment.
This week. The House will take up bills on overseas contracting fraud and mortgage-debt forgiveness, while the Senate will continue to debate the 2008 defense budget and Iraq policy.