Congress Votes

By Targeted News Service
[email protected]

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how Georgia’s members of Congress voted over the previous week.

Along with roll call votes this week, the House also passed these bills: the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act (H.R. 9151) to strengthen the Justice Department’s enforcement against trade-related crimes; the Protecting Americans from Russian Litigation Act (H.R. 9563) to limit the availability of civil actions affected by United States sanctions; the Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act (S. 4243); and the Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act (H.R. 7480) to require the exclusion of service-connected disability compensation when determining whether a person has low and moderate income, low income, or moderate income.

The Senate also passed the DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act (S. 4305) to improve the effectiveness of body armor issued to female agents and officers of the Homeland Security Department; a resolution (S. Res. 74) condemning Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of the country’s Baha’i minority; and the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act (H.R. 5863) to provide tax relief for losses due to wildfires and the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

HOUSE VOTES:

LAHAINA HERITAGE DESIGNATION: The House has passed the Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act (H.R. 8219) sponsored by Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, to require the Interior Department to study the possible creation of a Lahaina National Heritage Area on the island of Maui. Tokuda said the bill sought to “honor Lahaina’s past, while laying the foundation for a resilient and enduring future” following the August 2023 wildfires that killed more than 100 area residents. The vote, on Dec. 4, was 378 yeas to 25 nays.

YEAS: Loudermilk R-GA (11th), Bishop D-GA (2nd), Allen R-GA (12th), Scott, Austin R-GA (8th), Scott, David D-GA (13th), McBath D-GA (7th), Carter R-GA (1st), Ferguson R-GA (3rd), Johnson D-GA (4th), Williams D-GA (5th), McCormick R-GA (6th), Collins R-GA (10th)

NAYS: Clyde R-GA (9th), Greene R-GA (14th)

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: The House has passed the America’s Conservation Enhance Reauthorization Act (S. 3791) sponsored by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., to reauthorize and modify, through 2030, a variety of wildlife conservation measures. A supporter, Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-Va., said the bill “signifies our commitment to preserving the natural beauty of our great nation while promoting sustainable practices for future generations.” The vote, on Dec. 3, was 366 yeas to 21 nays.

YEAS: Entire Georgia delegation

AGENCY STRATEGIC REVIEWS: The House has passed the Federal Agency Performance Act (S. 709) sponsored by Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-Mich., to require federal government agencies to do regular strategic reviews of their performance goals that try to find ways of improving goal attainment. A supporter, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said: “The bill makes commonsense updates to ensure agencies are providing services to the people as efficiently and as effectively as possible.” The vote, on Dec. 5, was 389 yeas to 6 nays.

YEAS: Entire Georgia delegation

JIMMY CARTER POST OFFICE: The House has passed a bill (H.R. 9600) sponsored by Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, D-Ga., to designate a post office in Plains as the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office. Bishop called the naming “a small but meaningful gesture we can make to honor two dedicated servant leaders who spent their lives working on behalf of others.” The vote, on Dec. 5, was 381 yeas to 15 nays, with 2 voting present.

YEAS: Entire Georgia delegation

REGULATORY PROCEDURES: The House has passed the Prove It Act (H.R. 7198) sponsored by Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., to require federal regulatory agencies proposing new rules to account for the indirect costs of the rules, and impose various procedural requirements for developing the rules. Finstad said the bill “gives small businesses a seat at the table during the regulatory process and shields them from the most heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all regulations.” The vote, on Dec. 5, was 208 yeas to 196 nays.

YEAS: Loudermilk R-GA (11th), Allen R-GA (12th), Scott, Austin R-GA (8th), Clyde R-GA (9th), Greene R-GA (14th), Carter R-GA (1st), Ferguson R-GA (3rd), McCormick R-GA (6th), Collins R-GA (10th)

NAYS: Bishop D-GA (2nd), Scott, David D-GA (13th), McBath D-GA (7th), Johnson D-GA (4th), Williams D-GA (5th)

MATT GAETZ REPORT: The House has agreed to a motion to refer a resolution (H. Res. 1608) sponsored by Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., to the House Ethics Committee. Under the resolution, the committee would be ordered to release its report on its investigation of misconduct allegations brought against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who recently withdrew from consideration to be Attorney General in the upcoming Trump administration. The vote to refer, on Dec. 5, was 206 yeas to 198 nays.

YEAS: Loudermilk R-GA (11th), Allen R-GA (12th), Scott, Austin R-GA (8th), Clyde R-GA (9th), Greene R-GA (14th), Carter R-GA (1st), Ferguson R-GA (3rd), McCormick R-GA (6th), Collins R-GA (10th)

NAYS: Bishop D-GA (2nd), Scott, David D-GA (13th), McBath D-GA (7th), Johnson D-GA (4th), Williams D-GA (5th)

SENATE VOTES:

CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Anne Hwang to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Central California. Hwang has been a judge on California’s Los Angeles County Superior Court for six years; previously, she was a public defender in the Central District, and a private practice lawyer. The vote, on Dec. 2, was 48 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA

MASSACHUSETTS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Brian Murphy to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. A private practice lawyer at two different Boston and Worcester law firms for the past 15 years, Murphy had previously been a public defender for three years. A supporter, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said Murphy’s “educational background, life experience, and temperament qualify him to be an outstanding federal district judge.” The vote, on Dec. 2, was 47 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA

WASHINGTON, D.C., JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Sparkle L. Sooknanan to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. Sooknanan was a lawyer at the Jones Day law firm until 2021, when she joined the civil rights division of the Justice Department. The vote, on Dec. 3, was 50 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA

PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Catherine Henry to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Henry has been a public defender in the Philadelphia area for more than 2 1/2 decades, most of that time as a lawyer for the Eastern District. The vote, on Dec. 3, was 50 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA

SECOND PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Gail Weilheimer to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. A county court judge in Pennsylvania for a decade, Weilheimer previously was a private practice lawyer and assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. The vote, on Dec. 3, was 50 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA

NEW YORK JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Anthony Brindisi to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Brindisi was a lawyer in Utica before and after spending 2019 and 2020 as a member of the House; he has also been a legislator in the New York state assembly and, for the last two years, has been a judge on a New York court. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Brindisi “an exceptionally qualified attorney whose legal acumen and deep care for the Mohawk Valley and all of Central New York will make him an excellent addition to the Northern District.” The vote, on Dec. 4, was 50 yeas to 49 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA

SECOND NEW YORK JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Elizabeth C. Coombe to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Coombe has been a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the district since 2003. The vote, on Dec. 4, was 52 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA

NEW MEXICO JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Sarah Davenport to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for New Mexico. Davenport has been in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the state for close to two decades, currently as a supervisor of criminal prosecutors. The vote, on Dec. 5, was 52 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS: Ossoff D-GA, Warnock D-GA