Roll Call

WASHINGTON - Here's how area members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Oct. 30.

HOUSE
Interior Department Budget: Voting 247 for and 178 against, the House on Oct. 29 approved the conference report on a bill (HR 2996) to appropriate $32.2 billion for the Department of the Interior and other agencies in fiscal 2010. The figure is nearly 17 percent above 2009 outlays, with most of the increase allocated to restoring the Great Lakes, helping communities provide clean drinking water, suppressing wildfires, addressing climate change and funding programs for Native Americans.

In part, the bill provides $10.3 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, including $3.6 billion for drinking-water and sewage-treatment grants; $6.7 billion for Native American and Alaska Native programs; $3.5 billion for preventing and fighting wildfires; $2.8 billion for the U.S. Forest Service and $2.7 billion for the National Park Service.

Norman Dicks, D-Wash., said the bill "funds programs that cover a wide range of issues, from our cultural and historic heritage to the water we drink and the air we breathe."

Ken Calvert, R-Calif., noted the bill's 17 percent increase over 2009 and said: "Unfortunately, the bill simply spends too much money with too little in return." A yes vote was to pass the bill.

VOTE H-1 slugged INTERIOR



Voting yes: John Spratt, D-5, and James Clyburn, D-6

Voting no: Henry Brown, R-1, Joe Wilson, R-2, and Bob Inglis, R-4

Not voting: Gresham Barrett, R-3



Small Business Administration: Voting 389 for and 32 against, the House on Oct. 29 passed a bill (HR 3854) to raise from $2 million to $3 million the cap on federally guaranteed loans made by banks in the Small Business Administration's main lending program. Taxpayers would back up to 90 percent of each "Section 7(a)" loan. The SBA has many criteria for determining whether a business is small enough to qualify for its programs. Manufacturing and mining companies, for example, are defined as "small" if they have under 500 employees, and retail and construction firms qualify if they have annual sales in the range of $30 million to $40 million.

Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., called the bill needed because "available credit to small business consumers has contracted by billions of dollars," meaning "small businesses can't grow, can't hire, and too often end up going out of business."

Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., complained that the bill's many programs are not "sunsetted," or given an automatic expiration. She said Congress "constantly creates new programs" for "what usually becomes their eternal life."

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

VOTE H-2 slugged SMALL



Voting yes: Brown, Wilson, Inglis, Spratt and Clyburn

Voting no: None

Not voting: Barrett

SENATE
Extended Jobless Benefits: Voting 87 for and 13 against, the Senate on Oct. 27 advanced a bill (HR 3548) that would provide 20 more weeks of jobless checks for those whose current allotments have expired or soon will expire and who live in states with at least 8.5 percent unemployment. The bill provides 14 additional weeks of benefits for the long-term jobless in all other states. The $2.4 billion cost would be offset by payroll-tax increases on employers. Jobless checks average $300 per week.

Jean Shaheen, D-N.H., said: "For three weeks, this critical legislation has been delayed for nothing more than political reasons" by Republicans. "In that time, more than 100,000 Americans have exhausted their unemployment benefits. The American people should be outraged about these delays."

No senator spoke against the bill. A yes vote was to begin debate on the bill.

VOTE S-1 slugged SMALL



Voting yes: None

Voting no: Lindsey Graham, R, and Jim DeMint, R

Not voting: None



Interior Department Budget: Voting 72 for and 28 against, the Senate on Oct. 29 sent President Obama the conference report on a bill (HR 2996, above) to appropriate $32.2 billion for the Department of the Interior and other agencies in fiscal 2010.

In addition to items noted above, the bill provides $1.5 billion for cleansing toxic-waste sites; $1.1 billion for the Bureau of Land Management; $761 million for the Smithsonian Institution; $475 million for restoring the Great Lakes; $385 million for addressing climate change and $335 million for the National Foundation for the Arts and Humanities.

Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said the bill "will go a long way toward helping our communities tackle their crumbling infrastructure and provide their residents with more reliable and cleaner water."

John McCain, R-Ariz., objected to the bill's 542 earmarks totaling $341.3 million for projects not requested by the administration. He said the money would be better spent on firefighting and building water systems.

A yes vote backed the conference report.

VOTE S-2 slugged INTERIOR



Voting yes: None

Voting no: Graham and DeMint

Not voting: None



© 2009, Thomas Voting

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