HOW TEXAS VOTED

WASHINGTON — How the Texas congressional delegation voted on major issues last week:

Senate

1. Renewal of surveillance law: Voted, 65-34, to give final congressional approval to a six-year extension (S 139) of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The post 9/11 law is a key government tool for detecting and preventing foreign-based terrorist activity but also a target of criticism that it imperils the privacy rights of innocent Americans.

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

2. Defeat of stopgap budget bill: Failed, 5049, to reach the 60 votes it needed to advance a House-passed bill that would fund agencies from Jan. 20 through Feb. 16 and extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years. This led to a partial government shutdown that began nearly two hours later at midnight.

A yes vote was to advance HR 195 toward final passage.

House

1. Funding to keep government open: Passed, 230-197, a GOPdrafted bill (HR 195) that would fund agencies from Jan. 20 through Feb. 16 while renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years. The measure was intended to avert a partial government shutdown at midnight the next day. It was the fourth stopgap bill offered by the Republican majority after having failed to garner enough votes to pass a regular budget for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, 2017.

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

2. Call for impeachment of President Trump: Voted, 355-66, to table (kill) a resolution (H Res 705) calling for the impeachment of President Trump based on “high misdemeanors” primarily involving the president’s inflammatory and defamatory Twitter postings and public and private statements.

The measure was sponsored by Al Green, D-Houston, under a House rule that entitles any member, on two days’ notice, to offer a “privileged resolution” from the floor within broad limits on subject matter. There was no debate on the resolution.

A yes vote was in opposition to consideration of the impeachment measure.

3. Abortion, criminal penalties: Passed, 241183, a GOP-drafted bill (HR 4712) that restates a 2002 law intended to protect fetuses that survive an attempted abortion. The bill adds criminal penalties for doctors and nurses who fail to provide post-abortion medical treatment defined by Congress. Existing law makes it a federal crime for any health practitioner to fail to provide adequate care to a fetus that is alive outside the womb following an attempted abortion. The law defines a fetus in those circumstances as a person with full legal protections regardless of their stage of development.

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

4. Financial penalties on World Bank: Passed, 237-184, a GOP-drafted bill (HR 3326) that would slash U.S. support of the International Development Association unless it changes its criteria for delivering economic aid to impoverished nations. A World Bank agency, the IDA provides grants and loans to the world’s 77 poorest countries with populations totaling 450 million. The bill authorizes a $3.65 billion U.S. payment to the bank over three years. But it would withhold up to 30 percent of the outlay until the Treasury Department certifies reforms are underway, including an emphasis on quality over quantity in the disbursement of funds.

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