HOW YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATES VOTED
For the week ending September 7
Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510 Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121
SMALL-SCALE NATURAL GAS EXPORTS: Voting 260 for and 146 against, the House on Sept. 6 passed a bill (HR 4606) that would speed Department of Energy approval of applications to export relatively small quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries with which the United States does not have free trade agreements. This would codify a departmental regulation under which such applications are automatically approved if they are deemed compliant with environmental laws and certain other requirements.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, PEARCE, LUJÁN
CURBS ON METHANE EMISSIONS: Voting 195 for and 210 against, the House on Sept. 6 defeated an amendment to HR 4606 (above) that sought to require export applications to show that the natural gas was produced using technology to minimize methane emissions from leaks, venting and flaring. A greenhouse gas, methane is a cause of climate change when it escapes into the atmosphere.
A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
NO: PEARCE
MANDATORY STUDENT-LOAN COUNSELING: Voting 406 for and four against, the House on Sept. 5 passed a bill (HR 1635) that would require parents and students participating in federal student-loan programs to receive online counseling before signing up. In addition, students receiving loans and Pell grants would have to undergo annual online counseling on their loan obligations as a condition of continuing to receive aid.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, PEARCE, LUJÁN
COUNSELING TAILORED TO VETERANS: Voting 187 for and 224 against, the House on Sept. 5 defeated a Democratic effort to expand HR 1635 (above) to provide student-loan counseling tailored to veterans in higher education, who differ from other students in that they are older and often have financial obligations including family expenses and home mortgages.
A yes vote was to add specialized veterans counseling to the bill.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
NO: PEARCE
SHARPER DEFINITION OF VIOLENT CRIME: Voting 247 for and 152 against, the House on Sept. 7 passed a bill (HR 6691) that would more precisely define what constitutes a violent crime in the U.S. criminal code while listing the violent crimes for which non-citizens both undocumented immigrants and legal permanent residents — could be deported.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, PEARCE
NO: LUJÁN
ELAD ROISMAN, SECURITIES REGULATOR: Voting 85 for and 14 against, the Senate on Sept. 5 confirmed Elad L. Roisman, 37, the chief counsel of the Senate Banking Committee, for a five-year term on the Securities and Exchange Commission, whose mission is to protect investors, maintain orderly markets and foster capital formation. Roisman worked most recently as chief counsel of the Senate Banking Committee, where he helped advance GOP legislation that repealed parts of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financialregulation law.
A yes vote was to confirm Roisman.
YES: UDALL, HEINRICH