How Arkansas’ congressional delegation voted

Here is how Arkansas’ U.S. senators and U.S. representatives voted on major roll call votes during the week that ended Friday.

HOUSE

Legalizing marijuana under federal law. Passed 228-164, a bill (HR3884) that would allow marijuana to be used legally for medicinal and recreational purposes under federal law while allowing states to continue to set their own marijuana policies. The bill would federally decriminalize marijuana, or cannabis, by removing it from the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, which outlaws possession, sale and cultivation, and imposes stiff fines and potential jail time for all but the most minor offenses. In addition, the bill would:

■ Impose a 5% to 8% sales tax on cannabis products, which would fund programs in communities devastated by drug abuse as well as Small Business Administration lending to commercial marijuana operations.

■ Allow the Veterans Health Administration to write marijuana prescriptions in states and territories where medicinal use is legal.

■ Require the expungement and sealing of federal marijuana convictions and a review of sentences for those serving time for offenses, including the possession of small amounts.

■ Require the Department of Transportation to develop best practices to guide local, state and federal law enforcement in testing and recognizing drivers impaired by marijuana.

■ Prohibit any denial of benefits or protections under immigration law based on federal marijuana convictions.

■ Require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to regularly publish demographic data on marijuana enterprises.

At least 36 states and territories authorize the medicinal use of marijuana, nearly a third of which also permit recreational use. Several other states have eased marijuana rules to a lesser degree and six states — Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming — totally outlaw the drug.

Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., the federal marijuana policy “has failed our youth, failed to stem more harmful drug usage and, most notably, has failed communities of color … because when it comes to marijuana, there are two justice systems in the United States — a gentler, more understanding system mostly available to white Americans and the punitive, less forgiving system primarily enforced against Black and brown Americans.”

Gregory Murphy, R-N.C., said the bill fails to prevent “edibles from getting in the hands of adolescents and young adults whose brains are still growing. … Marijuana is a gateway drug [that] undoubtedly leads to further and much more dangerous drug use, and while I do believe that medical marijuana can [help] in chronic pain or those with cancer, this bill simply goes way too far.”

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

Rick Crawford (R)

French Hill (R)

Steve Womack (R)

Bruce Westerman (R)

Authorizing marijuana workplace testing. Defeated 174-218, a Republican measure to guarantee that employers, under the terms of HR3884 (above), would have the right to test job applicants and employees for marijuana impairment to ensure the safety of the workplace.

A yes vote was to adopt the motion.

Crawford (R)

Hill (R)

Womack (R)

Westerman (R)

SENATE

Speeding ALS disability benefits. Passed 96-1, a bill (S578) that would enable victims of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) to start receiving Social Security disability benefits at the time of their diagnosis. This would waive the statutory five-month wait period for receiving Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance benefits. The bill awaits House action. The negative vote was cast by Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the bill would ensure that ALS victims “don’t have to worry about benefits and can focus instead on the things that really matter during what could be their final months on earth.”

No senator spoke against the bill. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

John Boozman (R)

Tom Cotton (R)

Confirming Federal Reserve governor. Approved 4847, confirmation of Christopher J. Waller, 61, for a term on the Federal Reserve System board of governors due to expire in January 2030. Waller had been executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. His confirmation leaves one vacancy on the seven-member board.

A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.

Boozman (R)

Cotton (R)