Here’s how the lawmakers who represent Centre County in Congress voted Dec. 3-9

Targeted News Service

December 13, 2021 9:45 AM

WASHINGTON

Here’s a look at how members of Congress from the area voted over the previous week.

HOUSE

MEDICARE, DEBT CEILING: The House has passed the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act (S 610), sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Bill provisions include a change in procedural rules to make it easier to approve an increase in the federal government’s debt ceiling, changes in Medicare’s conversion factor formula for payments to health care providers, and reducing the size of cuts to Medicare payments. A supporter, Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said: “This bill is about important and responsible measures to deliver for the American people.” An opponent, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said it was a mistake to tie a debt ceiling increase to changes in Medicare policies. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 222 yeas to 212 nays.

NAYS: Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, and Fred Keller, R-Kreamer

MILITARY SPENDING: The House has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (S 1605), sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to authorize fiscal 2022 spending on the military, military construction projects, and military-related programs at the Energy Department. A supporter, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said the bill “will adequately fund our defense needs and set clear priorities for our armed forces,” including a 2.7% pay increase for service members, and spending on new ships and weapons systems. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 363 yeas to 70 nays.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

OCEAN SHIPPING: The House has passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (HR 4996), sponsored by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., to change the regulation of U.S. and foreign-flagged ocean shippers by the Federal Maritime Commission. Garamendi said: “This legislation would ensure reciprocal trade to help reduce the United States’ longstanding trade imbalance with export-driven countries like China.” The vote, on Dec. 8, was 364 yeas to 60 nays.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

CATTLE SALES: The House has passed the Cattle Contract Library Act (HR 5609), sponsored by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., to require the Agriculture Department to develop a catalog of the various types of purchase contracts offered by packers to ranchers of beef cattle. Johnson said that with fewer cattle sales taking place on the open market, the catalog would help ranchers keep track of market changes and increase price transparency. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 411 yeas to 13 nays.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

FOREST MANAGEMENT: The House has passed the National Forest Restoration and Remediation Act (HR 4489), sponsored by Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., to require the U.S. Forest Service to place the proceeds from enforcement settlements into interest-bearing accounts. Schrier said the bill “will ensure that when we hold bad actors accountable for negligent behavior, the Forest Service can fully use the fines and the interest to rehabilitate the land.” The vote, on Dec. 8, was 385 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS: Thompson; NAYS: Keller

XINJIANG IMPORT BAN: The House has passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (HR 1155), sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., to bar importation into the U.S. of various goods produced in China’s Xinjiang region. McGovern said an import ban would “take a clear moral position to stand with those who are suffering from forced labor and not with the Chinese government.” The vote, on Dec. 8, was 428 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

CHINA AND THE OLYMPICS: The House has passed a resolution (H Res 837), sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., stating that the International Olympic Committee has failed to adhere to its own human rights commitments by failing to rebuke China for its mistreatment of tennis player and former Olympian Peng Shuai. Wexton said the IOC has been complicit in China’s cover-up of Peng’s allegations of sexual misconduct by a senior government official. The vote, on Dec. 8, was unanimous with 428 yeas.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

TREATING ALS: The House has passed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act (HR 3537), sponsored by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill. The bill would direct the Food and Drug Administration to issue grants in order to increase access to clinical drug trials for patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Quigley said that currently, most ALS patients cannot enroll in trials, and “for people with such an aggressive disease to have neither an effective FDA-approached treatment nor access to promising drugs is a tragedy.” The vote, on Dec. 8, was 423 yeas to 3 nays.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

CHILDHOOD DISABILITIES: The House has passed the Improving the Health of Children Act (HR 5551), sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., to reauthorize for five years the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. Carter said that with the center’s previous authorization having ended in 2007, a reauthorization was needed to enhance its ability to improve the health of children with disabilities. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 405 yeas to 20 nays.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS: The House has passed the Opioid Prescription Verification Act (HR 2355), sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., to require the Health and Human Services Department to, in its grant program and pharmacist training efforts, emphasize the prevention of opioid addiction and overdoses. Davis said the measures should reduce fraudulent opioid prescriptions and the resulting harm from illegal sales of opioids. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 410 yeas to 15 nays.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

FEMALE WARTIME WORKERS: The House has passed the Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act (HR 3531), sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C. The bill would authorize the construction on federal government land in Washington, D.C., of a memorial to women who worked in war-related industries during World War II. Norton said: “The work done by women on the homefront opened the doors for women in the workplace widely and has had a profound and lasting effect on the job market ever since.” The vote, on Dec. 8, was 425 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Thompson and Keller

FEDERAL GOVERNANCE: The House has passed the Protecting Our Democracy Act (HR 5314), sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Bill provisions include restrictions on presidential pardon powers, limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, various measures to increase oversight of the president, and measures to limit foreign interference in political campaigns for federal office. Schiff said the bill “will prevent presidential abuses of power, ensure the independence of our justice system, and reinforce the system of checks and balances.” An opponent, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said: “This bill unconstitutionally disrupts the separation of powers among the branches of government by diminishing the executive branch and ignoring the judicial branch.” The vote, on Dec. 9, was 220 yeas to 208 nays.

NAYS: Thompson and Keller

SENATE

FCC CHAIR: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission for a five-year term ending in mid-2025. Rosenworcel has chaired the FCC since January on an acting basis and previously was an FCC commissioner. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Rosenworcel “has set herself apart as one of the nation’s leading champions for more affordable and accessible internet.” The vote, on Dec. 7, was 68 yeas to 31 nays.

YEAS: Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; NAYS: Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

MEDIATION BOARD: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Deirdre Hamilton to serve as a commissioner on the National Mediation Board for a term ending in mid-2022. The board resolves employment and other disputes in the railroad and airline industries. Hamilton, a staff attorney at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union since 2014, was previously a staff attorney at the Association of Flight Attendants. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 52 yeas to 48 nays.