Congressional votes for May 1

There were two key votes and three roll call votes in the Senate in the week ending Thursday, and nine key votes in the House, which held 34 roll call votes. The most important Senate vote was to reject an amendment that sought to classify the nuclear development agreement with Iran as a treaty requiring Senate approval. The most important House vote was to approve the conference report with the Senate for the 2016 federal government budget.

Along with roll call votes, the Senate also passed the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act (S. 665), sponsored by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., to promote Blue Alert plans for distributing information about threats to law enforcement officers as well as alerts about missing, wounded or killed law enforcement officers; and the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act (S. 304), sponsored by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to improve motor vehicle safety by encouraging employees of car manufacturers, dealers, and parts suppliers to share with the Transportation Department information about defects and violations that create health risks for consumers.

HOUSE VOTES

FEDERAL LANDS AND SEARCH-AND-RECOVERY MISSIONS: The House passed the Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act (H.R. 373), sponsored by Rep. Joseph J. Heck, R-Nev. The bill would direct the Interior and Agriculture Departments to expedite access to lands managed by the agencies for good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, and exempt such missions from a requirement to have liability insurance in order to access those lands. HThe vote, on April 28, was unanimous with 413 yeas.

YEAS: 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)

NOT VOTING: Clay D-MO (1st)

NATIONAL FOREST IN COLORADO: The House passed the Arapaho National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act (H.R. 1324), sponsored by Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo. The bill would add 92.95 acres of land to the Arapaho National Forest in north-central Colorado. The vote, on April 28, was 381 yeas to 30 nays.

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

NAYS: Smith (MO) R-MO (8th)

NOT VOTING: Clay D-MO (1st)

INCREASING FUNDING FOR THE VA: The House sustained a point of order against an amendment sponsored by Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, D-Ga., to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2029). The amendment would have provided an added $1.5 billion of funding for the VA and military construction projects. The vote, on April 29, was 237 yeas to 180 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)

NOT VOTING: Cleaver D-MO (5th)

CONFERENCE REPORT FOR BUDGET PLAN: The House agreed to the conference report with the Senate to accompany a resolution (S. Con. Res. 11), sponsored by Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo. The resolution would set forth a fiscal 2016 budget for the federal government and outline budgets for fiscal 2017 through 2025. The vote, on April 30, was 226 yeas to 197 nays.

YEAS: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th)

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

NOT VOTING: Wagner R-MO (2nd)

ACCOUNTING FOR MILITARY SPENDING: The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2029). The amendment would have struck from the bill a paragraph regarding the use of overseas contingency account funds meant for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to help fund the base military budget. The vote, on April 30, was 191 yeas to 229 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)

NOT VOTING: Wagner R-MO (2nd)

UNION ACTIVITIES AND FEDERAL WORKERS: The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jody B. Hice, R-Ga., to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2029). The amendment would have blocked pay for federal government workers that are using official time to work on union-related activities. The vote, on April 30, was 190 yeas to 232 nays.

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

NAYS: Clay D-MO (1st), Cleaver D-MO (5th), Graves (MO) R-MO (6th)

NOT VOTING: Wagner R-MO (2nd)

VA, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION FUNDING: The House passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2029), sponsored by Rep. Charles W. Dent, R-Pa. The bill would appropriate funds for the VA and military construction projects in fiscal 2016, including $163.2 billion for the VA and $7.7 billion for construction. The vote, on April 30, was 255 yeas to 163 nays.

YEAS: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th)

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

NOT VOTING: Wagner R-MO (2nd)

D.C. BIRTH CONTROL DISCRIMINATION LAW: The House passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 43), sponsored by Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., expressing disapproval of the Washington, D.C., Council's passage of a law to protect employees from discrimination by an employer based on the employee's reproductive health decisions, including abortion and birth control. The vote, on April 30, was 228 yeas to 192 nays.

YEAS: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th)

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

NOT VOTING: Wagner R-MO (2nd)

LIGHT BULB EFFICIENCY RULES: The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas, to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2028). The amendment would bar funding for the Energy Department to enforce rules regarding energy efficiency standards for incandescent light bulbs. The vote, on April 30, was 232 yeas to 189 nays.

YEAS: Graves (MO) R-MO (6th), Hartzler R-MO (4th), Long R-MO (7th), Luetkemeyer R-MO (3rd), Smith (MO) R-MO (8th)

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

NOT VOTING: Wagner R-MO (2nd)

SENATE VOTES

NUCLEAR DEAL WITH IRAN: The Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act (H.R. 1191). The amendment would have found any agreement between the U.S. and Iran involving Iran's nuclear development program to be a treaty requiring Senate approval to take effect. The vote, on April 28, was 39 yeas to 57 nays.

YEAS: Blunt R-MO

NAYS: McCaskill D-MO

IRAN AND TERRORISM: The Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., to the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act (H.R. 1191). The amendment would have required the president to certify, as part of a nuclear agreement with Iran, that Iran has not directly supported or carried out an act of terrorism against the U.S. or U.S. citizens. The vote, on April 29, was 45 yeas to 54 nays.

YEAS: Blunt R-MO

NAYS: McCaskill D-MO