Times-Call (Longmont)

HOW THEY VOTED

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Targeted News Service Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

Along with roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed a resolution (S. Res. 309), expressing support for the Pledge of Allegiance; and the Veterans’ Compensati­on Costof-living Adjustment Act (S. 189), to increase, effective Dec. 1, 2021, the rates of compensati­on for veterans with service-connected disabiliti­es and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensati­on for the survivors of certain disabled veterans.

House votes

NORTH KOREAN FAMILIES:

The House has passed the Divided Families Reunificat­ion Act (H.R. 826), sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., to require the State Department to submit reports to Congress on its work with South Korea to help Korean Americans reunite with their family members in North Korea. The vote, on July 19, was unanimous with 415 yeas.

YEAS: Neguse D-CO (2nd), Buck R-CO (4th) PASSING LEGISLATIO­N: The House has passed a motion sponsored by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-MD., to pass a set of 21 bills and two resolution­s without an individual roll call vote on each bill. Subjects covered by the bills included transporta­tion security and disasters. The vote, on July 20, was 319 yeas to 105 nays.

YEAS: Neguse

NAYS: Buck CONSUMER LITIGATION:

The House has passed the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act (H.R. 2668), sponsored by Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-calif., to authorize the Federal Trade Commission to seek permanent injunction­s in the federal courts for monetary fines of businesses for violating commercial law that is enforced by the Commission. Cardenas said the authority would help ensure that defrauded consumers without other legal remedies will be supported by the Commission. An opponent, Rep. Greg Pence, R-ind., said: “The bill lacks sufficient guardrails that would provide checks and balances to the Commission’s expanded authority.” The vote, on July 20, was 221 yeas to 205 nays. YEAS: Neguse

NAYS: Buck REGULATING PFAS

CHEMICALS: The House has passed the PFAS Action Act (H.R. 2467), sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-mich., to designate perfluoroa­lkyl and polyfluoro­alkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances, with associated stricter regulatory control. PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in various products, frequently as a coating to repel water and other liquids. Dingell said the PFAS class of chemicals “is extremely persistent in the environmen­t and has long been linked with adverse health effects, including cancer.” An opponent, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-texas, said that if the bill became law, “a police department that purchases one of the most popular bulletproo­f vests to protect its officers against rising crime would now be subject to environmen­tal lawsuits.” The vote, on July 21, was 241 yeas to 183 nays.

YEAS: Neguse

NAYS: Buck AFGHAN IMMIGRATIO­N:

The House has passed the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVS Act (H.R. 3985), sponsored by Rep. Jason Crow, D-colo., to offer an additional 8,000 special immigrant visas to Afghan nationals who have worked for the U.S. government during the war in Afghanista­n. Crow said: “If we turn our back on the Afghans who served with us for the last two decades, it is going to be awfully hard to find future friends.” The vote, on July 22, was 407 yeas to 16 nays.

YEAS: Neguse, Buck

Senate votes

FEDERAL JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Tiffany Cunningham to serve as a judge on the U.S. Federal Circuit court. Cunningham has been a private practice lawyer for 19 years, specializi­ng in patent litigation. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-ill., said: “Given her years of experience working on issues germane to the Federal Circuit, she will be ready upon confirmati­on to hit the ground running.” The vote, on July 19, was 63 yeas to 33 nays.

YEAS: Bennet D-CO, Hickenloop­er D-CO ASSISTANT ATTORNEY

GENERAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kenneth Polite, Jr., to serve as an assistant attorney general for the criminal division of the Justice Department. Polite has been a U.S. attorney in Louisiana and New York. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, Dill., said that as a U.S. attorney in Louisiana, Polite “prosecuted several large, violent, criminal organizati­ons. He held local corrupt politician­s accountabl­e and stopped more human trafficker­s than during any prior U.S. attorney’s term in office.” An opponent, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-iowa, cited Justice’s failure to cooperate with informatio­n requests involving the criminal division. The vote, on July 20, was 56 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS: Bennet, Hickenloop­er

CRIME VICTIMS: The Senate has passed the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act (H.R. 1652), sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to send money from deferred prosecutio­n and nonprosecu­tion agreements into the Crime Victims Fund, which is managed by the Justice Department. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-ill., said the Fund “helps abused children, survivors of domestic violence, and other victims of violent crime access the profession­al services they desperatel­y need.” The vote, on July 20, was unanimous with 100 yeas. YEAS: Bennet, Hickenloop­er

LABOR RELATIONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jennifer Abruzzo to serve as general counsel at the National Labor Relations Board for a four-year term. A supporter, Sen. Patty Murray, D-wash., said Abruzzo “will protect workers’ rights and make sure their voices are heard if we are serious about building back a stronger, fairer economy.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., criticized President Biden’s firing of the incumbent general counsel just after being inaugurate­d, and said confirming Abruzzo would support the elevation of “partisan loyalty” above the traditiona­l independen­t status of the Board. The vote, on July 21, was 51 yeas to 50 nays, with Vice President Harris casting a 51st yea vote.

YEAS: Bennet, Hickenloop­er

ARMS CONTROL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Bonnie Jenkins to serve as the State Department’s under secretary for arms control and internatio­nal security. During the Obama administra­tion, Jenkins was an ambassador for threat reduction programs at State; previously, she was a Ford Foundation official and a Navy officer. A supporter, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said Jenkins “has consistent­ly empowered voices rarely heard in national security debates, providing a different but important perspectiv­e on how the United States should tackle the threats we confront.” The vote, on July 21, was 52 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS: Bennet, Hickenloop­er TRANSPORTA­TION SPENDING: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on a motion to consider the Invest in America Act (H.R. 3684), sponsored by Rep. Peter A. Defazio, D-ore. The bill would authorize through fiscal 2026 $715 billion of spending on drinking water and wastewater programs and various Transporta­tion Department programs, including new mass transit and climate change programs at the agency. The vote to end debate, on July 21, was 49 yeas to 51 nays.

YEAS: Bennet, Hickenloop­er

NUCLEAR WEAPONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jill Hruby to serve as the Energy Department’s under secretary for nuclear security. Hruby has been a research scientist and then a director at Energy’s Sandia National Laboratori­es since 1983, at sites in California and New Mexico. The vote, on July 22, was 79 yeas to 16 nays.

YEAS: Bennet, Hickenloop­er

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