Congressional votes for July 24

Besides roll call votes, the Senate and House also took action on legislation by voice vote. The Senate passed the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization (H.R. 23); passed the Veterans Entrepreneurship Act (H.R. 2499), to help veterans with small-businesses access capital; and passed the DHS IT Duplication Reduction Act (H.R. 1626) to reduce duplication of information technology at the Homeland Security Department. The House passed the FTO Passport Revocation Act (H.R. 237) to authorize the revocation or denial of passports and passport cards to individuals affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations.

HOUSE VOTES

DISCRIMINATION AND FEDERAL WORKERS: The House passed the Federal Employee Antidiscrimination Act (H.R. 1557), sponsored by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md. The bill would expand antidiscrimination enforcement rules at federal government agencies, including rules to prevent retaliation against whistleblowers, and require the agencies to annually report on cases of discrimination and the punishment of discriminatory employees. The vote, on July 21, was unanimous with 403 yeas.

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)

ANNUAL REPORTS ON VA MEDICAL CARE: The House passed the Veterans Information Modernization Act (H.R. 2256), sponsored by Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Mich. The bill would require an annual report from the Veterans Affairs Department to Congress on the VA's provision of medical and nursing home care. The vote, on July 21, was unanimous with 408 yeas.

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)

GROUNDWATER AND COAL ASH: The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., to the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act (H.R. 1734). The amendment would have required utilities with coal ash impoundments to disclose on their own websites information about groundwater quality near the impoundments. The vote, on July 22, was 177 yeas to 244 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)

WATER WELLS AND COAL ASH: The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., to the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act (H.R. 1734). The amendment would have required the surveying of drinking water wells within a half-mile of any coal ash waste impoundment, with the owner or operator of the impoundment required to supply alternative drinking water supplies within a day of finding the wells do not meet water quality standards. The vote, on July 22, was 192 yeas to 231 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)

REGULATING COAL ASH DISPOSAL: The House passed the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act (H.R. 1734), sponsored by Rep. David B. McKinley, R-W.Va. The bill would require states to adopt permitting programs for the disposal of coal-ash waste produced by burning coal in power plants, set out minimum standards for the programs and require monitoring of groundwater conditions in areas near coal-ash disposal sites. The vote, on July 22, was 258 yeas to 166 nays.

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

NAYS: Cleaver D-MO (5th)

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

RESERVATIONS AND GMO FOOD CROPS: The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., to the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 1599). The amendment would have preserved for states and Indian tribes the authority to prohibit or restrict the cultivation of genetically engineered plants on or near tribal lands. The vote, on July 23, was 196 yeas to 227 nays.

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

NAYS: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

NATURAL FOODS AND GMOS: The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., to the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 1599). The amendment would have barred foods that contain GMO ingredients from being labeled as "natural." The vote, on July 23, was 163 yeas to 262 nays.

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

NAYS: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

LABELING GMO FOODS: The House passed the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 1599), sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan. The bill would state the Food and Drug Administration must allow but not require food made from genetically modified organisms to be labeled as a GMO product, pre-empt state and local rules on labeling food as GMO or as natural and require companies making GMO foods to notify the FDA their foods are as safe as similar non-GMO foods. The vote, on July 23, was 275 yeas to 150 nays.

YEAS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th), Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th), Wagner R-MO (2nd)

SANCTUARY CITIES AND FEDERAL FUNDS: The House passed the Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act (H.R. 3009), sponsored by Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-Calif. The bill would bar the issuance of funds under three Justice Department immigration and policing programs to state and local governments that have barred their police from gathering information about the legal or illegal citizenship or immigration status of individuals and notifying the federal government of illegal residents. The vote, on July 23, was 241 yeas to 179 nays.

YEAS: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), 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)

SENATE VOTES

DEBATING HIGHWAY FUNDING BILL: The Senate approved a cloture motion to end debate on the Hire More Heroes Act (H.R. 22), sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill. The bill would authorize the government's Highway Trust Fund for highway construction and maintenance programs through fiscal 2021. The vote, on July 22, was 62 yeas to 36 nays.

YEAS: Blunt R-MO, McCaskill D-MO