HOW TEXANS VOTED
WASHINGTON — How the Texas congressional delegation voted on major issues last week:
Senate
1. Curbs on domestic surveillance: Passed, 67-32, a bipartisan bill (HR 2048) that would end the National Security Agency’s collection and storage of bulk data on Americans’ phone calls and other telecommunications under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. Under the bill, when the government requests Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court permission to search telecom records involving U.S. citizens, it must provide specific information — short of probable cause — to identify its target in the context of a terrorism investigation. The government would then obtain its desired records as metadata (numbers, time and duration of the call) from telephone-company logs. Overall, the bill renews three sections of the USA Patriot Act that expired June 1. A yes vote was to send the bill to President Obama, who signed it into law.
2. Civil liberties panel: Refused, 42-56, to weaken a “friend of the court” panel of civil liberties specialists established by HR 2048 (above) to advise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. When the court weighs a novel or significant interpretation of the law, this panel would have standing to make arguments, possibly in opposition to the government’s petition. This amendment sought to keep the panel but hollow out its authority. A yes vote was to weaken the civilliberties panel.
3. Stryker combat vehicles: Voted, 61-34, to provide $371 million in the fiscal 2016 military budget (HR 1735) for adding firepower to the Army’s heavily armored, rapid-deployment Stryker combat vehicle. The upgrade would consist, in part, of replacing the Stryker’s 50–caliber machine gun with a 30-millimeter cannon at a projected cost of $3.8 million per vehicle. The $612 billion Department of Defense authorization bill remained in debate. A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
House
1. Cuba travel ban: Refused, 176-247, to uphold an executive order by President Barack Obama in January that would end a decades-long ban on most Americans’ travel to Cuba. The vote retained language in HR 2577 to keep the ban in place until the Cuban government has settled thousands of property claims filed by U.S. citizens. The underlying bill, which was later passed, authorizes a fiscal 2016 budget of $55.3 billion for several departments and agencies including the Department of Transportation. Under the order issued by Obama in January, Americans can avoid having to obtain a Treasury Department license to visit Cuba if they state broadly their travel is for educational or religious reasons or some other approved purpose. A yes vote was to lift the Cuba travel ban.
2. State laws on medical marijuana: Voted, 242186, to prohibit federal lawenforcement authorities from interfering with state laws that permit marijuana to be cultivated, distributed, possessed and used for medicinal purposes. The District of Columbia, Guam and 39 states have such laws. Under federal law, the use, sale and possession of marijuana are criminal offenses. This amendment was added to a bill (HR 2578), later passed, that would authorize $51.4 billion in fiscal 2016 for the departments of Justice and Commerce, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation and other agencies. A yes vote was to bar federal interference with state medicalmarijuana laws.
3. Commercial fishing stocks: Passed, 225-152, a bill (HR 1335) to extend through fiscal 2019 the federal law for regulating commercial fishing in coastal waters ranging from three to 200 miles offshore. The law was enacted in 1976 to conserve stocks and prevent overfishing while protecting declining species and fragile habitats. This bill gives regional councils rather than federal authorities authority to set catch limits, based on what they judge to be sound science. Critics said the bill would scrap federally administered 10-year plans to restore depleted stocks while downplaying laws such as the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
4. Compensation for California spill: Defeated, 155-223, a bid by Democrats to require the pipeline company responsible for an oil spill last month near Santa Barbara, Calif., to compensate fishing interests and others suffering economic losses as a result of the discharge of about 100,000 gallons of crude into the Pacific Ocean. Fishing has been suspended indefinitely in a 138,000-square-mile area. This vote occurred during debate on HR 1335 (above). A yes vote was to adopt the motion, which, had it prevailed, would have immediately amended the bill.