House
Tobacco sales: Voting 387 for and 25 against, the House sent President Barack Obama a bill (S 1147) requiring sellers of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in interstate commerce to comply with state tax laws and register with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Under the bill, the bureau could inspect the premises of companies using the Internet, phone or mail to distribute or sell more than 10,000 cigarettes or 500 cans of smokeless tobacco per month. The bill addresses illegalities such as tobacco smuggling and the Internet purchase of cigarettes by minors.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: G.K. Butterfield, D-1; Bob Etheridge, D-2; Walter Jones, R-3; David Price, D-4; Virginia Foxx, R-5; Howard Coble, R-6; Mike McIntyre, D-7; Larry Kissell, D-8; Sue Myrick, R-9; Patrick McHenry, R-10; Heath Shuler, D-11; Melvin Watt, D-12; Brad Miller, D-13
Health care voting: The House blocked, 222 for and 203 against, a GOP bid (H Res 1190) to keep Democrats from using a "self-executing rule" to both pass the Senate health bill and change parts they dislike. The GOP strategy was pre-emptive because Democrats had not yet revealed procedures for this year's make-or-break voting on overhauling U.S. health care.
A yes vote was to defeat the GOP motion.
Voting yes: Butterfield, Etheridge, Price, Kissell, Watt, Miller
Voting no: Jones, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Myrick, McHenry,Shuler
Plain government writing: Voting 386 for and 33 against, the House sent the Senate a bill (HR 946) requiring federal agencies to use plain language in their forms, letters and other documents. The bill requires each agency to establish an Internet site to publicize its push for clarity and receive public comments on documents that are poorly written. The bill lacks a mechanism to ensure compliance.
Voting yes: Butterfield, Etheridge, Jones, Price, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller
Members' office allowances: Voting 413 for and one against, the House passed a bill (HR 4825) requiring unspent sums from members' office allowances to be applied to deficit reduction rather than recycled in the appropriations process. These accounts fund members' staff payrolls; postage costs; office supplies; travel to, from and within their districts, and other official business. Spending averages more than $1.3 million annually per member, with staff payroll the largest outlay.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Butterfield, Etheridge, Jones, Price, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller
Senate
Jobs creation: Voting 68 for and 29 against, the Senate sent President Barack Obama a jobs bill (HR 2847) that would temporarily exempt employers from having to pay their 6.2 percent share of Social Security withholding taxes on workers hired this year from the jobless ranks. Employers would also receive a $1,000 tax credit for each new hire that stays on the job for one year. The two incentives are designed to put 300,000 persons back to work by Dec. 31 at a cost to the Treasury of about $13 billion in deficit spending.
The bill also subsidizes state and local bond issues for public-works projects, authorizes businesses to depreciate up to $250,000 in capital investments in a single year rather than over many years and provides nearly $20 billion from the Highway Trust Fund that is projected to trigger $60 billion worth of road and transit construction.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Kay Hagan, D, Richard Burr, R
D.C. school vouchers: Voting 42 for and 55 against, the Senate refused to extend a program that provides about 1,300 District of Columbia students with up to $7,500 annually in tuition vouchers to pay for their enrollment in private or parochial schools in the D.C. area. The six-year-old Bush administration program is being phased out by the Obama administration. The amendment was offered to HR 1586, which remained in debate.
A yes vote backed school vouchers for D.C students.
Voting yes: Burr
Voting no: Hagan
Key votes ahead
This week, the Senate will debate the aviation budget, financial regulation and possibly health care. The House schedule was to be announced.
