Area Votes in Congress

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

House

Military spending increase. Voting 218-199, the House on Thursday sent the Senate a bill (HR 5652) to increase military spending by $55 billion, or 10 percent, in fiscal 2013 while cutting sharply into domestic programs such as food stamps, school lunches, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and subsidies to help low-income families buy medical insurance.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), Jon Runyan (R., N.J.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), and Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.).

Justice, commerce, science. Voting 247-163, the House on Thursday sent the Senate a bill (HR 5326) to appropriate $51.1 billion in fiscal 2013 for the Departments of Justice and Commerce and agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Holden and Schwartz.

Voter ID laws. Voting 232-190, the House on Wednesday passed an amendment to HR 5326 (above) to prevent the Justice Department from interfering with voter ID laws enacted by states. This follows the department's blocking of such laws in South Carolina and Texas as racially discriminatory. Under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, 16 states or parts of states with histories of racial bias in the voting process must receive the department's approval to change their voting laws.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

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

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

Violence against women. Voting 181-233, the House on Thursday defeated a Democratic bid to add $20 million to HR 5326 (above) for programs designed to prevent or deal with violence against women. Republicans said the bill already contained $7.5 million more than President Obama's budget had requested for such programs in fiscal 2013.

A yes vote backed the spending increase.

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

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

Export-import bank. Voting 330-93, the House on Wednesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 2072) to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank through fiscal 2014.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Senate

Student-loan interest. Voting 52-45, the Senate on Tuesday failed to reach 60 votes needed to end GOP blockage of a bill (S 2343) to prevent interest rates on newly issued Stafford student loans from doubling on July 1. The increase from today's 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent would add $1,000 on average to the lifetime cost of such loans. The bill would cost the Treasury $5.9 billion in lost revenue. To offset that sum, the bill would close a loophole used by some owners of S corporations to shield personal income from Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.

A yes vote was to start debate on the bill.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Voting no: Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

This week. The House will take up the fiscal 2013 defense budget and the Violence Against Women Act, while the Senate will debate a reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.