Congressional votes for April 24

There were six key votes and 12 roll call votes in the House in the week ending Thursday; there were six key votes and 11 roll call votes in the Senate last week. The most important House votes were to pass two cybersecurity information sharing bills. The most important Senate vote was to confirm Loretta Lynch as Attorney General.

Along with roll call votes, the House also passed the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act (S. 535), sponsored by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to promote energy efficiency at government and other buildings; and the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act (H.R. 471), sponsored by Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., to improve enforcement efforts related to prescription drug diversion and abuse.

The Senate also passed the Medicare Independence at Home Medical Practice Demonstration Improvement Act (S. 971), sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to increase the limit on the length of an agreement under the Medicare independence at home medical practice demonstration program; and the Steve Gleason Act (S. 984), sponsored by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to provide Medicare beneficiary access to eye-tracking accessories for speech generating devices and remove Medicare's rental cap for durable medical equipment as it relates to speech generating devices.

HOUSE VOTES

MINORITIES AND SMALL BUSINESS: The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ann M. Kuster, D-N.H., to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Boards Act (H.R. 1195). The amendment would require that a Small Business Advisory Board to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau include parties that represent the interests of minority- and women-owned small businesses, and require that representatives of financial firms predominantly serving communities that have historically lacked access to banks be included on the Credit Union Advisory Council and Community Bank Advisory Council. The vote, on April 22, was 244 yeas to 173 nays.

YEAS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th)

NAYS: Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

NOT VOTING: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th)

SMALL BUSINESSES AND CONSUMER FINANCE: The House passed the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Boards Act (H.R. 1195), sponsored by Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C. The bill would require the establishment of a Small Business Advisory Board to advise the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on the effect the bureau's activities could have on small businesses and financial products and services. The vote, on April 22, was 235 yeas to 183 nays.

YEAS: Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

NAYS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th)

NOT VOTING: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th)

EXPIRATION OF CYBERSECURITY LAW: The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., to the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (H.R. 1560). The amendment would provide for the bill to expire seven years after its enactment as law. The vote, on April 22, was 313 yeas to 110 nays.

YEAS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th)

NAYS: Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

NOT VOTING: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th)

CYBERSECURITY INFORMATION: The House passed the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (H.R. 1560), sponsored by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. The bill would require the Director of National Intelligence to develop procedures to encourage the federal government to share information about signs of cybersecurity threats to state and local governments, as well as private parties, require the president to submit a cybersecurity threats strategy to Congress, and bar illicit surveillance of private individuals or requiring non-federal entities to provide cybersecurity information to the federal government. The vote, on April 22, was 307 yeas to 116 nays.

YEAS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

NOT VOTING: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th)

REPORT ON PRIVACY AND CYBERSECURITY: The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, to the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act (H.R. 1731). The amendment would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a report on the bill's effect on privacy and civil liberties five years after the bill's enactment as law. The vote, on April 23, was 405 yeas to 8 nays.

YEAS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

NOT VOTING: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th)

SHARING CYBERSECURITY DATA: The House passed the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act (H.R. 1731), sponsored by Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas. The bill would authorize the Homeland Security Department's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to exchange information relating to cybersecurity with private firms and non-federal government entities. The vote, on April 23, was 355 yeas to 63 nays.

YEAS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

NOT VOTING: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th)

SENATE VOTES

TREATING HOMELESS CHILDREN: The Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178). The amendment would have reauthorized the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and inserted a provision barring providers of shelter and treatment of homeless children from discriminating based on sexual orientation. The vote, on April 22, was 56 yeas to 43 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval.

YEAS: McCaskill D-MO

NAYS: Blunt R-MO

RAPE AND PARENTAL RIGHTS: The Senate passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178). The amendment would authorize the Justice Department to increase the value of grants provided under two laws pertaining to violence against women to states that have adopted laws to allow mothers of children conceived through rape to petition for the termination of parental rights of the child's rapist father.

YEAS: Blunt R-MO, McCaskill D-MO

MILITARY SEX OFFENDERS: The Senate passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178). The amendment would require the military to notify the Justice Department of soldiers who have been convicted of sex offenses in the military justice system, so those soldiers can be registered in sex offender databases. The vote, on April 22, was unanimous with 98 yeas.

YEAS: Blunt R-MO, McCaskill D-MO

ADVERTISING CHILD PROSTITUTES: The Senate passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178). The amendment would authorize penalties for websites that knowingly accept advertisements of child prostitutes. The vote, on April 24, was 97 yeas to 2 nays.

YEAS: Blunt R-MO, McCaskill D-MO

SEX TRAFFICKING: The Senate passed the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178), sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The bill would increase financial penalties for those found guilty of smuggling or sex trafficking and increase compensation to trafficking victims, authorize block grants for child trafficking deterrence programs and classify the production of child pornography as child abuse. The vote, on April 22, was unanimous with 99 yeas.

YEAS: Blunt R-MO, McCaskill D-MO

CONFIRMING ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Senate confirmed the nomination of Loretta E. Lynch to serve as U.S. Attorney General. The vote, on April 23, was 56 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS: McCaskill D-MO

NAYS: Blunt R-MO