* COMBUSTIBLE DUST RULES: Voting 247 for and 165 against, the House on Wednesday passed a bill (HR 5522) directing the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to adopt rules for controlling combustible dust at factories. The regulations would pre-empt any state rules that do less to protect workers from dust explosions and fires. The federal rules would be in addition to existing OSHA regulations for grain silos. The bill would require interim rules within 90 days of enactment and final ones within 18 months. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill, which is now before the Senate. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

VOTING YES: G.K. Butterfield, D-1st; Bob Etheridge, D-2nd; David Price, D-4th; Mike McIntyre, D-7th; Heath Shuler, D-11th; Melvin Watt, D-12th; Brad Miller, D-13th

VOTING NO: Walter Jones, R-3rd; Virginia Foxx, R-5th; Howard Coble, R-6th; Robin Hayes, R-8th; Sue Myrick, R-9th; Patrick McHenry, R-10th

* REGULATIONS DELAY: Voting 178 for and 237 against, the House on Wednesday refused to delay action on new federal dust regulations until after completion of a government probe into causes of an explosion Feb. 7 at the Imperial Sugar refinery near Savannah, Ga., that killed 13 workers. The amendment was offered to HR 5522 (above). A yes vote was to delay the bill.

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

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

* GENETIC TESTING BIAS: Voting 414 for and one against, the House on Thursday sent the president a bill (HR 493) making it illegal for employers or health insurance firms to penalize individuals on the basis of their genetic testing results or family medical histories. The bill also would prevent employers from requiring gene tests, which are used to predict one's likelihood of contracting certain illnesses. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

* HIGHWAY, TRANSIT SPENDING: Voting 358 for and 51 against, the House on Wednesday sent the president a bill (HR 1195) that would speed the release of billions of dollars previously authorized for highway and transit projects. The bill gives a green light to hundreds of earmarked projects and makes technical changes to expedite spending on other projects. Additionally, the bill calls for a Department of Justice probe of a $10 million earmark sponsored in 2005 by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, for developing an interchange on I-75 near Naples, Fla., a project opposed by local authorities and never built. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

VOTING NO: Foxx

U.S. SENATE

* FEDERAL AVIATION BUDGET: Voting 88 for and none against, the Senate on Monday took a preliminary step toward debating a bill (HR 2881) authorizing $51 billion for Federal Aviation Administration programs through fiscal 2012. A threatened GOP filibuster rooted in disputes over amendments then delayed the bill. The Senate conducted no other votes during the week. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

VOTING YES: Richard Burr, R

NOT VOTING: Elizabeth Dole, R

VOTES IN CONGRESS NEWSPAPER SYNDICATE