Georgia delegation congressional voting

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 Senate also passed a bill (S. 544), to amend Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to modify the termination date for the Veterans Choice Program.

The House also passed a resolution (H. Res. 54), reaffirming the United States-Argentina partnership and recognizing Argentina’s economic reforms; it also concurred in the Senate amendment to the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act (H.R. 353), to improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s weather research.

HOUSE

NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 92), sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., condemning North Korea’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Wilson said the U.S. needed to take a forceful stance against North Korea’s rapid development of nuclear weapons technologies in recent months, and show its commitment to defense of South Korea and Japan. The vote, on April 3, was 398 yeas to 3 nays.

YEAS: Full delegation, except Sanford Bishop, D-2, did not vote.

NORTH KOREA AND TERRORISM: The House has passed the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act (H.R. 479), sponsored by Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, to require the State Department to report to Congress on whether to designate North Korea as a government sponsor of terrorism. Poe said North Korea was taken off the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2008 after agreeing to halt its nuclear weapons program, but has failed to meet that commitment, and has supported terrorist groups in the Middle East and cyber warfare against the U.S. and its allies. The vote, on April 3, was 394 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Full delegation, except Bishop did not vote.

EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP OF PRIVATE FIRMS: The House has passed the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act (H.R. 1343), sponsored by Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill. The bill would require the Securities and Exchange Commission to change its rules by raising the threshold amount for private companies to issue stock to employees as part of an employee’s compensation package. Hultgren said increasing the threshold, and indexing the future threshold level to inflation, would encourage employees to take ownership stakes in the companies they work for, increasing their commitment to productivity and boosting the economy as a result. The vote, on April 4, was 331 yeas to 87 nays.

YEAS: Rick Allen, R-12; Sanford Bishop, D-2; Buddy Carter, R-1; Doug Collins, R-9; Drew Ferguson, R-3; Tom Graves, R-14; Jody Hice, R-10; Barry Loudermilk, R-11; Austin Scott, R-8; David Scott, D-13; Rob Woodall, R-7

NAYS: Hank Johnson, D-4; John Lewis, D-5

EMPLOYER SELF-INSURANCE: The House has passed the Self-Insurance Protection Act (H.R. 1304), sponsored by Rep. David P. Roe, R-Tenn. The bill would exempt stop-loss self-insurance health programs instituted by employers for their employees from being defined as health insurance coverage for federal regulatory purposes. Roe said that by reaffirming the finding that employer self-insurance is not health insurance, the bill sought to continue to give employers flexibility to customize their health care plans free of the restrictive requirements imposed by health insurers. The vote, on April 5, was 400 yeas to 16 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Bishop, Carter, Collins, Ferguson, Graves, Hice, Loudermilk, A. Scott, D. Scott, Woodall

NAYS: Johnson, Lewis

REGULATING VENTURE CAPITAL: The House has passed the Supporting Americas Innovators Act (H.R. 1219), sponsored by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C. The bill would exempt venture capital funds with less than $10 million and fewer than 250 investors from federal securities regulation as an investment company. McHenry said that by decreasing regulation of small venture firms, the bill sought to preserve important investor protections while increasing the ability of innovative small businesses to access capital to expand their operations. The vote, on April 6, was 417 yeas to 3 nays.

YEAS: Full delegation

SENATE

FIRE SAFETY AND PADDLEWHEELERS: The Senate has passed the Old Vessels Exemption Act (S. 89). The bill would exempt the Delta Queen, a historic wooden paddlewheel boat operating on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, from a federal fire safety law and apply regulations specific to the Delta Queen. A supporter, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said adapting the regulations to take account of the unique nature of the Delta Queen would allow a popular tourist attraction to keep operating while keeping its patrons safe. An opponent, Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., said the Delta Queen had enjoyed the regulatory exemption for decades, and reinstating it would override Coast Guard concerns about dangerous combustible materials on the riverboat. The vote, on April 3, was 85 yeas to 12 nays.

YEAS: David Perdue, R

NOT VOTING: Johnny Isakson, R

HOMELAND SECURITY DEPUTY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Elaine C. Duke to serve as Deputy Secretary at the Homeland Security Department. A supporter, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said that in her three decades of experience at Homeland Security and other federal agencies, Duke had “earned a reputation for being an expert on issues of contracting, on acquisitions, on procurement, on property management, on organizational change, and on human resources.” The vote, on April 4, was 85 yeas to 14 nays.

YEAS: Perdue

NOT VOTING: Isakson

DEBATING GORSUCH NOMINATION: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on the nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to serve as a judge on the U.S. Supreme Court. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Gorsuch was an independent, fair, highly qualified judge who “will make a stellar addition to the Supreme Court.” An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., claimed that if confirmed to serve on the court, Gorsuch would “be a voice for the corporations, the corporate elite, and employers.” The vote to end debate, on April 6, was 55 yeas to 45 nays, with a three-fifths majority needed to end debate.

YEAS: Perdue, Isakson

DEBATING NOMINATIONS: The Senate has rejected a motion to overturn a ruling by the Senate Chair to change the threshold for approving cloture to end debate on Supreme Court nominations from a three-fifths majority to a simple majority. A motion supporter, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the change was a necessary response to a partisan filibuster of the Gorsuch nomination by Senate Democrats, and would establish a consistent single set of rules for Senate review of judicial nominations. A motion opponent, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the change would be a turn away from “principles of bipartisanship and moderation and consensus” in the Senate. The vote, on April 6, was 48 yeas to 52 nays.

NAYS: Perdue, Isakson

SECOND GORSUCH VOTE: The Senate has, upon reconsideration, passed a cloture motion to end debate on the nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to serve as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The vote, on April 6, was 55 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS: Perdue, Isakson

GORSUCH CONFIRMATION: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to serve as associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The vote, on April 7, was 54 yeas and 45 nays.

YEAS: Perdue

NOT VOTING: Isakson