n DISABILITIES ACT EXPANSION: Voting 402 for and 17 against, the House on June 25 passed a bill (HR 3195) to negate Supreme Court decisions that have narrowed the types of disabilities and number of disabled workers protected by the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act. The court has denied protection, for example, to people who have taught themselves to perform their jobs and conduct other major activities even though afflicted by diseases such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cancer and diabetes. The bill awaits Senate action. No member spoke against the bill. 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; Robin Hayes, R-8; Sue Myrick, R-9; Patrick McHenry, R-10; Heath Shuler , D-11; Melvin Watt, D-12; Brad Miller, D-13

n CHILD-ABUSE PROGRAMS: Voting 318 for and 103 against, the House on June 25 passed a bill (HR 6358) that would authorize nearly $1 billion through fiscal 2013 for federal programs to prevent and deal with the consequences of child abuse. The bill would set federal health and safety standards for residential treatment facilities that oversee teenagers with behavioral or emotional problems or mental-health disorders. The bill is now before the Senate. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

VOTING YES: Butterfield, Etheridge, Jones, Price, McIntyre, Hayes, Shuler, Watt, Miller

VOTING NO: Foxx, Coble, Myrick, McHenry

n MEDICARE DOCTOR PAYMENTS: Voting 355 for and 59 against, the House on June 24 passed a bill (HR 6331) that would avert the administration's 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments set for July 1. The bill would increase those payments by 1.1 percent in January. The bill also would lower the copayment rate for mental-health coverage from 50 percent to 20 percent, the same rate as for physical care. The bill's projected $19.8 billion, six-year cost would be offset mainly by cuts in the privately run, federally subsidized Medicare Advantage program. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

VOTING YES: Butterfield, Etheridge, Jones, Price, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Hayes, Myrick, Shuler, Watt, Miller

VOTING NO: McHenry

n ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX: Voting 233 for and 189 against, the House on June 25 sent the Senate a bill (HR 6275) to exempt 22 million middle-income households from the Alternative Minimum Tax this year. To offset the Treasury's loss of $61.5 billion in revenue, the bill would, in part, repeal certain tax breaks for oil and gas companies; change "carried interest" rules so that managers of investment partnerships and hedge funds would pay taxes at a 35 percent rather than 15 percent rate, and set the stage for more timely tax collection on payments from credit card firms to merchants. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

VOTING YES: Butterfield, Etheridge, Jones, Price, McIntyre, Hayes, Shuler, Watt, Miller

VOTING NO: Foxx, Coble, Myrick, McHenry

n GOP TAX PLAN: Voting 199 for and 222 against, the House on June 25 defeated a GOP bid to strip HR 6275 (above) of $61.5 billion in tax increases on certain equity managers and corporations, including oil companies. Democrats proposed the increases to pay for the bill's fix of the Alternative Minimum Tax in 2008. The GOP motion also sought to raise the mileage deduction for the use of personal vehicles for charitable purposes. A yes vote backed the GOP motion.

VOTING YES: Jones, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Hayes, Myrick, McHenry

VOTING NO: Butterfield, Etheridge, Price, Shuler, Watt, Miller

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