congressional roll call
VOTERAMA CONGRESS IN Hereʼs how area members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending March 19.
HOUSE REMOVING ERA DEADLINE:
Voting 222 for and 204 against, the House on March 17 adopted a resolution (HJ Res 17) that would remove June 30, 1982, as the deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. When Congress sent the ERA to the states in 1972, it set a 1979 deadline that it later moved to 1982. As many as 38 states have voted for ratification. But five rescinded their approval and Virginia’s ratification last year is undercut by a Department of Justice ruling that the 1982 deadline must be obeyed. The ERA states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
Judy Chu, D-Calif., said: “It was not an accident that women were left out of the Constitution. The founders very much believed us to be unequal, and as such, we could not own property, vote, hold certain jobs or even serve on a jury….This is our chance to fix [that] by doing what they refused to do — assert in the Constitution that women, too, have rights. The ERA will not end discrimination, but it will empower us to fight it in court.”
Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., said men and women “are already equal under law. The Fifth and 14th amendments to the Constitution require as much, guaranteeing equal protection for all under the laws of this country. To me, the ERA is unnecessary, redundant and divisive. The only thing it will do is empower the far left’s special interest groups to [pursue] activist litigation….”
A yes vote was to send the resolution to the Senate.
ARKANSAS
Voting no: Bruce Westerman, R-4
TEXAS
Voting no: Louie Gohmert, R-1, Pat Fallon, R-4
RENEWING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT:
Voting 244 for and 172 against, the House on March 17 approved a fiveyear extension of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which uses federal grants and laws to reduce crimes directed primarily at women. In part, the bill (HR 1620) would prohibit persons convicted of domestic abuse, misdemeanor stalking or dating violence from possessing firearms; ensure that those losing work because of domestic violence qualify for unemployment benefits; require shelters to admit transgender individuals in their acquired sex; strengthen tribal jurisdiction over outsiders charged with committing crimes on reservations; improve the care of children exposed to domestic violence; expand rape prevention and education programs; and step up efforts to address sexual violence on campuses.
Lucy McBath, D-Ga., said domestic violence is “especially deadly when it occurs in the household with a gun…. Closing the `boyfriend loophole’ is a critical step to prevent abusers from obtaining a weapon that will likely be used to escalate abuse….”
Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., said the bill would “force women’s domestic-violence shelters to take in men who identify as women, strip away protections for religious organizations and eliminate Second Amendment rights without due process.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
ARKANSAS
Voting no: Westerman
TEXAS
Voting no: Gohmert, Fallon
PROTECTING DREAMERS, OTHER IMMIGRANTS:
Voting 228 for and 197 against, the House on March 18 passed a bill (HR 6) that would grant permanent legal status and a path to citizenship to as many as 2.1 million “dreamers” who were brought illegally to the United States as children and face potential deportation. The bill would grant relief to dreamers who were younger than 18 when they entered the United States and meet other qualifications. In addition, the bill would provide the same deportation protection and citizenship path to hundreds of thousands of aliens now the United States under a humanitarian program known as Temporary Protected Status.
Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said the bill allows dreamers “to get right with the law… and go on and become the full Americans that they are except for their paperwork.”
Buddy Carter, R-Ga., said the bill “does nothing to solve the problem” of a humanitarian crisis on the southern border and even encourages more illegal immigration.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
ARKANSAS
Voting no: Westerman
TEXAS
Voting no: Fallon
Not voting: Gohmert
PROHIBITING ALIEN GANG MEMBERS:
Voting 203 for and 216 against, the House on March 18 defeated a Republican motion that sought to prevent members of criminal gangs from using a law designed to protect dreamers (HR 6, above) as a subterfuge for acquiring legal status. Democrats said the bill already has safeguards to prohibit undocumented aliens who are a threat to national security, including gang members, from obtaining green cards and path to citizenship.
A yes vote was to adopt the motion.
ARKANSAS
Voting yes: Westerman
TEXAS
Voting yes: Fallon, Not voting: Gohmert
FARMWORKER Voting 247 for and 174 against, the House on March 18 passed a bill (HR 1603) that would overhaul the H-2A visa program, which admits undocumented migrants for temporary U.S. agricultural jobs the domestic workforce is unable or unwilling to fill. Over time, the bill could enable hundreds of thousands of these workers to apply for legal residency for themselves, spouses and minor children. In addition to meeting labor shortages, the bill would establish a mandatory federal E-Verify system by which agricultural employers could determine workers’ immigration status.
Under the bill, undocumented migrants employed in U.S. farm work (including at dairies) for at least 180 days over the two preceding years would qualify for Certified Agricultural Worker status, which they could continually renew by working at least 100 days annually in farm jobs. In addition, undocumented immigrants (and spouses and minor children) employed in U.S. agriculture before the law takes effect would qualify to pursue legal status. All applicants would have to clear several hurdles including criminal and national-security background checks.
Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., said the bill a creates a “merit-based program for foreign workers to legally work in agriculture, eliminating incentives for illegal migration and strengthening both our national security and our national food supply chain.”
Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said “this certainly is an amnesty bill” because “it says if you’re here illegally and you have a friend vouch for you and you worked 2,000 hours in agriculture — the equivalent of 13 40-hour weeks — you get legal status.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. ARKANSAS
Voting no: Westerman TEXAS
Voting no: Fallon
APPROVING MEDALS FOR CAPITOL POLICE: The House on March 17 voted, 413 for and 12 against, to award three Congressional Gold Medals in honor of U.S. Capitol and District of Columbia police who defended the Capitol against an armed insurrection on January 6. Those voting against the bill (HR 1085) were Republicans Andy Biggs of Arizona; Matt Gaetz and Greg Steube of Florida; Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Thomas Massie of Kentucky; Andy Harris of Maryland; John Rose of Tennessee; Bob Good of Virginia; and Louie Gohmert, Michael Cloud and Lance Gooden of Texas.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. ARKANSAS
Voting yes: Westerman TEXAS
Voting yes: Fallon Voting no: Gohmert
SENATE
CONFIRMING DEB HAALAND AS INTERIOR SECRETARY: The Senate on March 15 confirmed, 51-40, Deb Haaland, D-N.M., as secretary of the Department of the Interior. Haaland, 60, is the first native American appointed to a Cabinet position, and in 2018, she and Sharice Davids, D-Kan., became the first Native American women elected to Congress. A member of the Laguna Pueblo Nation, she identifies herself as a 35th-generation New Mexican.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
ARKANSAS
Voting no: Tom Cotton, R, John Boozman, R TEXAS
Voting no: John Cornyn, R, Ted Cruz, R
CONFIRMING XAVIER BECERRA AS HEALTH SECRETARY: Voting 50 for and 49 against, the Senate on March 18 confirmed Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the first Latino to hold that position. Becerra, 62, was a Democratic congressman from California between 1993-2018.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
Voting no: Cotton, Boozman TEXAS
Voting no: Cornyn, Cruz
CONFIRMING ISABEL GUZMAN AS SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR: Voting 81 for and 17 against, the Senate on March 16 confirmed Isabel C. Guzman, 49, as administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBS). She was a top official at the SBA during the Obama administration and worked most recently as director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate in California.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee. VOTE S-3 slugged GUZMAN
ARKANSAS
Voting no: Cotton, Boozman TEXAS
Voting yes: Cornyn Voting no: Cruz
KEY VOTES AHEAD
The Senate will vote on Biden administration nominees in the week of March 22, while the House will be in recess.