HOW THEY VOTED
Here’s a look at how Colorado members of Congress voted over the previous week.
Along with this week’s roll call votes, the House also passed these measures: the Securing the Cities Improvement Act (H.R. 4403), to make improvements to the Securing the Cities program; the Improving Travel for Families Act (H.R. 5969), to revise certain regulations to permit certain children to accompany their parents or legal guardians through Global Entry airport lanes; the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act (H.R. 498), to secure the suicide prevention lifeline from cybersecurity incidents; and the Diasporalink Act (H.R. 3385), to require a report on the value, cost, and feasibility of developing a trans-atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Ghana.
House votes
CHILDHOOD DISEASES >> The House has passed the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 (H.R. 3391), sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-VA., to reauthorize through fiscal 2028 a National Institutes of Health program for research into pediatric cancer and diseases. Wexton said the reauthorization was needed because “there is still a long fight ahead to better understand, treat, and ultimately cure childhood cancer.” The vote, on March 5, was 384 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Degette D-CO (1st), Boebert R-CO (3rd), Crow D-CO (6th), Neguse D-CO (2nd), Buck R-CO (4th), Pettersen D-CO (7th), Caraveo D-CO (8th)
NOT VOTING: Lamborn R-CO (5th)
MATERNAL DEATHS >> The House has passed the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3838), sponsored by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, Rtexas, to reauthorize federal programs that fund state maternal health care programs. Burgess said the bill “will help to ensure that resources are directed where they will have the most positive impact.” The vote, on March 5, was 382 yeas to 12 nays.
YEAS: Degette, Boebert, Crow, Neguse, Buck, Pettersen, Caraveo
NOT VOTING: Lamborn CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT SPENDING >> The House has passed an amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), sponsored by Rep. John R. Carter, R-texas, to provide fiscal 2024 funding for various federal departments, including Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs. A supporter, Rep. Kay Granger, Rtexas, said the bill “honors our commitment to our veterans, strengthens our energy security, holds agencies accountable, supports our farmers and ranchers, and makes our transportation systems safer.” An opponent, Rep. Chip Roy, Rtexas, criticized the bill for excessive spending that went beyond previously legislated limits for 2024, and for failing to secure the border with Mexico. The vote, on March 6, was 339 yeas to 85 nays.
YEAS: Degette, Lamborn, Crow, Neguse, Pettersen, Caraveo
NAYS: Boebert, Buck CANCER AND FIREFIGHTERS >> The House has passed the Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3821), sponsored by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., to reauthorize through fiscal 2028 the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health’s registry of nationwide information about firefighters and cancer. Pascrell said the registry could lead to more knowledge of “the ties between careerlong exposure to dangerous fumes and toxins and the incidence of firefighter cancer.” The vote, on March 6, was 413 yeas to 7 nays.
YEAS: Degette, Lamborn, Boebert, Crow, Neguse, Pettersen, Caraveo
NAYS: Buck
ILLEGAL ALIENS AND CRIME >> The House has passed the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 7511), sponsored by Rep. Mike Collins, R-GA., to require the Homeland Security Department to apprehend illegal aliens who are facing charges for theft in the U.S. Collins called the requirement “a key piece in our fight to restore the rule of law and get criminal illegal aliens off our street” by removing illegal aliens from the U.S. before they commit worse crimes than theft. An opponent, Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-MD., said Congress did not have the authority to set such a requirement. The vote, on March 7, was 251 yeas to 170 nays.
NAYS: Degette, Neguse, Pettersen
YEAS: Lamborn, Buck, Caraveo EXPANDING DENTAL WORKFORCE >> The House passed the Action for Dental Health Act (H.R. 3843), sponsored by Rep. Robin L. Kelly, Dill., to reauthorize, through fiscal 2028, a program for issuing grants to states for resolving local shortages of dental health providers. Kelly said: “By prioritizing early diagnosis, intervention, and preventive dental treatments, we can significantly improve the well-being of patients and alleviate strain on our healthcare system.” The vote, on March 7, was 391 yeas to 32 nays.
YEAS: Degette, Lamborn, Crow, Neguse, Pettersen, Caraveo
NAYS: Boebert
NOT VOTING: Buck
Senate votes
MILITARY STAFFING >> The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ronald Keohane to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Keohane, currently a partner at the veterans-focused Blue Rose consultancy, was previously a Clinton and Obama administration official in the Defense Department and the National Guard. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Keohane “understands the value of caring for our servicemembers and their families.” The vote, on March 6, was 69 yeas to 30 nays.
YEAS: Bennet D-CO, Hickenlooper D-CO REGULATING COAL, OTHER MINES >> The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Moshe Z. Marvit to be a member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission for a term ending in 2028. Marvit has been a lawyer at the Commission for a decade, and has been a law professor and a private practice lawyer representing the United Steelworkers union and other workers. A supporter, Sen. Bernie Sanders, ID-VT., called Marvit “a well-qualified nominee strongly supported by the United Mine Workers of America and the United Steelworkers.” The vote, on March 6, was 50 yeas to 49 nays.
YEAS: Bennet, Hickenlooper
MERIT SYSTEMS FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS >> The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Cathy Harris to be chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Harris is a lawyer at a private practice Washington,
D.C., law firm, specializing in federal government employment law. The vote, on March 6, was 51 yeas to 48 nays.
YEAS: Bennet, Hickenlooper
NUCLEAR RADIATION COMPENSATION >> The Senate has passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act (S. 3853), sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-MO. The bill would extend the deadline for filing compensation claims for exposure to radioactive waste from the 1940s Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear bomb and from working in uranium mines. Hawley said the extension “is about doing basic justice for the working people of this nation whom their own government has poisoned.” The vote, on March 7, was 69 yeas to 30 nays.
YEAS: Bennet, Hickenlooper
WASHINGTON, D.C., JUDGE >> The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Adrienne Jennings Noti to be a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Noti has been a magistrate judge on the Superior Court for a decade, and before that was a law professor and a lawyer specializing in family law. A supporter, Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-mich., said Noti “has proven herself to be fair and effective and has shown a deep commitment to the local community.” The vote, on March 7, was 51 yeas to 45 nays.
YEAS: Bennet, Hickenlooper