Congressional votes for the week of Dec. 4-10

House votes:REPORT ON ANTI-AMERICAN INCITEMENT IN MIDDLE EAST: The House passed a measure (H.R. 2278), sponsored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., to direct the President to send Congress a report on anti-American incitement to violence in the Middle East. The proponents said: "Americans have witnessed the direct connection between the charged rhetoric of the jihadist narrative [and] it incites actual violence [therefore] this legislation requires the State Department to submit to Congress an annual report that details Middle Eastern media outlets that engage in anti-American incitement to violence and of the satellite companies that transmit them and also provides that terrorist entities can be legally designated as 'specially designated global terrorists' for perpetrating this incitement." The vote, on Dec. 8, was 395 yeas to 3 nays.

YEAS: Rep. W. Todd Akin R-MO (2nd), Rep. Roy Blunt R-MO (7th), Rep. Russ Carnahan D-MO (3rd), Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Jr. D-MO (1st), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver D-MO (5th), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson R-MO (8th), Rep. Sam Graves R-MO (6th), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer R-MO (9th), Rep. Ike Skelton D-MO (4th)

EXTENDING TAX INCENTIVES: The House approved the Tax Extenders Act (H.R. 4213), sponsored by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., to extend various tax incentive provisions while offsetting the cost of the extensions with two new tax measures. Proponents said the legislation attempted to provide some continuity in the law by maintaining the incentives for "certain things like research and development and other great things that we have in this package." Opponents said it "proposes permanent tax increases and just 1 year of tax relief" while leaving over two dozen expiring tax relief provisions out of the bill, including the largest, the alternative minimum tax patch. The vote, on Dec. 9, was 241 yeas to 181 nays.

YEAS: Rep. Russ Carnahan D-MO (3rd), Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Jr. D-MO (1st), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver D-MO (5th), Rep. Ike Skelton D-MO (4th)

NAYS: Rep. W. Todd Akin R-MO (2nd), Rep. Roy Blunt R-MO (7th), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson R-MO (8th), Rep. Sam Graves R-MO (6th), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer R-MO (9th)

CONSOLIDATED TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING APPROPRIATIONS: The House agreed to a conference report to accompany the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010 (H.R. 3288) that would approve appropriations levels for DOD, HUD and other agencies. The conference report allows for $14 billion above 2009 appropriations for war costs, $11 billion over fiscal 2009 levels for infrastructure programs, $6 billion to expand health care and $3 billion more for backlogged veterans' disability claims. Proponents said the report demonstrated a bipartisan commitment "to investing in the Nation's housing and transportation infrastructure; a mutual commitment to maintaining critical services in urban and rural communities; a mutual commitment to vulnerable populations such as the elderly and disabled; a mutual commitment to building sustainable communities for the Nation's families; and a mutual commitment to maintaining an efficient and safe transportation system that contributes to America's place in a global economy." Opponents said the costs were too high and that the package was "$390 billion and five appropriations bills too large." The vote, on Dec. 10, was 221 yeas to 202 nays.

YEAS: Rep. Russ Carnahan D-MO (3rd), Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Jr. D-MO (1st), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver D-MO (5th)

NAYS: Rep. W. Todd Akin R-MO (2nd), Rep. Roy Blunt R-MO (7th), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson R-MO (8th), Rep. Sam Graves R-MO (6th), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer R-MO (9th), Rep. Ike Skelton D-MO (4th)

PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION AGAINST CREDIT RATING AGENCIES: The House rejected an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, to the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173), which would have deleted from the legislation a proposal to allow consumers to sue credit agencies directly, instead of relying on the Securities and Exchange Commission's current enforcement authority. Proponents said that "instead of allowing the SEC to use [increased funding provided in] this legislation to enhance enforcement," new private rights of actions were assigned to allow trial lawyers to run wild with enforcement capacities. Opponents said that if credit rating agencies want to put investors at risk, they will suffer the consequences and pay for their "gross negligence" in a court of law. The vote, on Dec. 10, was 172 ayes to 257 nays.

YEAS: Rep. W. Todd Akin R-MO (2nd), Rep. Roy Blunt R-MO (7th), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson R-MO (8th), Rep. Sam Graves R-MO (6th), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer R-MO (9th)

NAYS: Rep. Russ Carnahan D-MO (3rd), Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Jr. D-MO (1st), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver D-MO (5th), Rep. Ike Skelton D-MO (4th)

OVERSIGHT OF CLEARING HOUSES: The House passed an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., to the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173) to provide for fair, unbiased governance of clearing houses and swap exchange facilities to avoid conflicts of interest in the derivatives market. Proponents noted that 7 percent of the derivatives market was controlled by only five U.S. banks and said that many of those banks had participated in risky behavior endangering the U.S. financial system. They said an amendment was needed to make sure the banks would not be allowed to buy into entities designed to police their activities. Opponents said: "The way to deal with concerns about conflicts of interest is through changes in governance, not through restricting ownership and investments." The vote, on Dec. 10, was 228 yeas to 202 nays.

YEAS: Rep. Russ Carnahan D-MO (3rd), Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Jr. D-MO (1st), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver D-MO (5th), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson R-MO (8th), Rep. Ike Skelton D-MO (4th)

NAYS: Rep. W. Todd Akin R-MO (2nd), Rep. Roy Blunt R-MO (7th), Rep. Sam Graves R-MO (6th), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer R-MO (9th)

TRANSPARENCY IN CREDIT SWAP CONTRACTS: The House rejected an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., to the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173) to require all non-cleared contract swaps to be made at a registered swap execution facility. Proponents said, "by adopting this amendment, the marketplace will become more open, and end users and other important swap users can accurately determine fair prices." Opponents said while the intention of the amendment was good, "the end user community doesn't buy it. They question whether the price information that will come out of the swap execution facility will actually be beneficial." The vote, on Dec. 10, was 98 yeas to 330 nays. The House subsequently passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act with a vote of 223 yeas to 202 nays on Dec. 11. This vote will be detailed in the TNS Vote Chart issued on Dec. 18.

NAYS: Rep. W. Todd Akin R-MO (2nd), Rep. Roy Blunt R-MO (7th), Rep. Russ Carnahan D-MO (3rd), Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Jr. D-MO (1st), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver D-MO (5th), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson R-MO (8th), Rep. Sam Graves R-MO (6th), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer R-MO (9th), Rep. Ike Skelton D-MO (4th)

Senate votes:

LONG-TERM CARE FOR THE DISABLED: The Senate approved an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., to the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act (H.R. 3590), to reform long-term health care for the disabled. Proponents said the amendment would resolve "a situation in which we have private industry operating at a 14-percent advantage and subsidy against Medicare" and "bring some discipline to Medicare Advantage." The vote, on Dec. 4, was unanimous with 98 yeas.

YEAS: Sen. Kit Bond R-MO, Sen. Claire McCaskill D-MO

PRESERVING MEDICARE BENEFITS: The Senate approved an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., to the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act (H.R. 3590), to guarantee the legislation's preservation of Medicare Advantage benefits. Proponents said the amendment would "clarify, once again, that we are not cutting any Medicare benefits" and not reducing any guaranteed Medicare benefits. The vote, on Dec. 4, was 97 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Sen. Kit Bond R-MO, Sen. Claire McCaskill D-MO

BAN ON FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ABORTION: The Senate rejected an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., to the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act (H.R. 3590), which would have barred the use of federal health care reform funds for abortion during the debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Proponents of the amendment said: "For more than three decades, taxpayer money has not been used for elective abortions, and it shouldn't under any new health reform legislation either." Opponents said: "It is wrong to single out women and to say to the women of this country that they can't use their own private funds to purchase insurance that covers the whole range of reproductive health care." The vote, to table the amendment, on Dec. 8, was 54 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS: Sen. Claire McCaskill D-MO

NAYS: Sen. Kit Bond R-MO

Targeted News Service