HOW THEY VOTED

How Virginia and North Carolina House and Senate members voted in major roll call votes last week

House

Approving $900 billion for COVID-19 relief: Voting 359 for and 53 against, the House on Dec. 21 approved a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package. The measure includes one-time payments of $600 to those with incomes under $75,000 and of $1,200 to couples earning less than $150,000; $300 per week through March 14 in added jobless benefits for laid-off employees as well as “gig economy” workers and the self-employed; $284 billion in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for businesses with fewer than 300 workers that retain or reinstate employees; an expansion of PPP to include newspapers, radio and TV broadcasters, religious institutions and nonprofits; $82 billion for K-12 and post-secondary education with a focus on making classrooms Covidfree; tax credits for employers granting paid sick leave; and expanded earned-income and child tax credits for low-income families impacted by the pandemic. The bill was sent to the Senate.

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

Voting yes: Elaine Luria, D-Va.; Bobby Scott, D-Va.; Donald McEachin, D-Va.; Rob Wittman, R-Va.; G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C.

Voting no: None Not voting: Greg Murphy, R-N.C.

Senate

Sending coronavirus aid to President Trump: Voting 92 for and six against, the Senate on Dec. 21 gave final congressional approval to a bill that would provide $900 billion in coronavirus relief along with $1.4 trillion in government-wide appropriations for fiscal 2021. In addition to outlays noted above, the bill would provide $29 billion for purchasing and distributing vaccines; $25 billion in emergency rental aid plus a moratorium on evictions through January; $22 billion to help states address COVID19; $20 billion targeted to Main Street businesses; $16 billion for airlines and $14 billion for mass transit plus a few billion for Amtrak and inner-city bus service; $15 billion for cultural venues and movie theaters; $13 billion for food stamps and nutrition programs to sustain hungry children; $13 billion for farmers and ranchers; $10 billion to keep child-care centers open; and $1.3 billion in forgiveness of federal loans for infrastructure repairs at historically Black colleges and universities. The bill also would expand Pell Grants for low-income college students and, for the first time, qualify those in prison for Pell grants to pay tuition costs.

A yes vote was to send the bill to President Trump.

Voting yes: Mark Warner, D-Va.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; Richard Burr, R-N.C.

Voting no: None

Key votes ahead

Congress will vote in the week of Dec. 28 on President Trump’s veto of the fiscal 2021 military budget.