Area Votes in Congress

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

House

Legislative-branch budget. Voting 408-13, the House endorsed a cut of $35.2 million, or less than 1 percent, in the $4.6 billion legislative-branch budget. The cut amounts to 2.6 percent of the House's $1.37 billion share of that yearly budget. The $35.2 million is to be trimmed from House committee and leadership accounts as well as from members' office allowances. This measure (H Res 22) will be in effect through fiscal 2012.

A yes vote backed the cuts.

Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Patrick Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Not voting: Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), and Jon Runyan (R., N.J.).

112th Congress rules. Voting 238-191, the House adopted GOP-written rule changes for the 112th Congress that require entitlement-spending increases, but not tax cuts, be offset elsewhere in the budget; prevent increases in the national debt limit without record votes; require the 21 standing committees to post members' votes online within 48 hours; set a three-day wait between the time bills are reported out of committee and the time they are debated on the floor; require bills to cite their constitutional authority; require committee hearings and markups to be broadcast over the Internet; and strip the six delegates from nonstates of their limited floor-voting privileges (below). These and other GOP changes were added to the body of standing rules that has governed House procedures since the first Congress in 1789.

A yes vote was to adopt the Republican rules.

Voting yes: Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Fattah, Holden, and Schwartz.

Not voting: Fitzpatrick.

Congressional health coverage. Voting 191-238, the House defeated a Democratic bid to require members to publicly disclose whether they will continue to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. There was no floor debate on this attempt to add the disclosure requirement to H Res 5 (above).

A yes vote was to require disclosure.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Fattah, Holden, and Schwartz.

Voting no: Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Not voting: Fitzpatrick.

Delegates' voting rights. Voting 223-188, the House blocked a bid to retain limited voting rights on the House floor for the six delegates representing the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. This preserved a GOP rule in H Res 5 (above) to strip these delegates of their standing to vote when the House is in the Committee of the Whole if the vote is not decisive in passing or defeating a measure. These delegates will continue to cast committee votes in the 112th Congress.

A yes vote was to strip delegates of voting rights on the House floor.

Voting yes: Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Fattah, Holden, and Schwartz.

Not voting: Fitzpatrick.

Health-care repeal. Voting 236-181, the House approved the parliamentary rule for debating within days a Republican bill (HR 2) to repeal the 2010 health-care law. The procedural step drew the support of all 232 Republicans who voted and was opposed by 181 of the 185 Democrats who voted.

A yes vote was to advance the bill.

Voting yes: Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Fattah, Holden, and Schwartz.

Answering present: Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick-Sessions error. Voting 257-159, the House approved a measure (H Res 27) to correct problems caused when two Republican members, Michael Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Pete Sessions of Texas, cast votes in the first two days of the 112th Congress while not yet sworn in. In part, the measure expunged their votes and corrected vote totals.

Fitzpatrick and Sessions said in a letter: "We understand that our error allowed the integrity of this great legislative body's proceedings to be called into question. We regret that this incident adversely affected House proceedings."

A yes vote was to pass the resolution.

Voting yes: Brady, Dent, Fattah, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, Schwartz, and Smith.

Voting no: Andrews and Carney.

Answering present: Fitzpatrick.

This week. The House will take up a bill to repeal the 2010 health-care law. The Senate will be out of session.