How Lehigh Valley-area lawmakers voted in U.S. House last week
Here’s how area lawmakers voted during the legislative week ending July 2. The Senate was in recess.
By DEBRA SCHNECKER
THE MORNING CALL |
JUL 04, 2021 AT 6:39 AM
HR 391: Global Health Security Act
Voting 307 for and 112 against, the House on Monday passed a bill that directs the President to create the Global Health Security Agenda Interagency Review Council to implement the Global Health Security Agenda, an initiative launched by nearly 30 nations to address global infectious disease threats. The council’s responsibilities includeproviding policy recommendations on agenda-related goals, objectives, and implementation; helping federal agencies with implementation; and reviewing the progress and challenges in achieving U.S. commitments, including assistance to help other countries meet agenda targets. The bill also directs the federal agencies involved with the agenda to prioritize its implementation and to take certain steps to achieve that goal. The President shall also appoint a U.S. Coordinator for Global Health Security to coordinate and report on the interagency process for responding to global health security emergencies.
Yes: Madeline Dean-D-4th (Montgomery, parts of Berks); Brian Fitzpatrick R-1st (Bucks, part of Montgomery and Philadelphia); Matt Cartwright, D-8th (most of Monroe); Susan Wild, D-7th (Lehigh, Northampton, parts of Monroe)
No: Dan Meuser, R-9th (Schuylkill, parts of Carbon and Berks)
HR 3593: Department of Energy Science for the Future Act
Voting 351 for and 68 against.
No summary provided.
Yes: Dean, Cartwright, Fitzpatrick, Meuser, Wild
HR 2225: National Science Foundation for the Future Act
Voting 345 for and 67 against, the House on Monday passed a bill that reauthorizes the National Science Foundation through 2026 and authorizes programs and activities at the NSF. The bill establishes requirements for the NSF, including to enter into a contract with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the status and opportunities for Pre-K through 12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science, education research.
Yes: Cartwright, Dean, Fitzpatrick, Meuser, Wild
HR 3005: Directing the Joint Committee on the Library to replace certain statues in the United States Capitol
Voting 285 for and 120 against, the House Tuesday voted to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to replace the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the United States Capitol with a bust of Thurgood Marshall to be obtained by the Joint Committee on the Library and to remove certain statues from areas of the United States Capitol which are accessible to the public, to remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in the United States Capitol, and for other purposes.
Yes: Cartwright, Dean, Fitzpatrick, Wild
No: Meuser
HR 2662: IG Independence and Empowerment Act
Voting 221 for and 182 against, the House Tuesday passed a bill that addresses issues regarding inspectors general and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Integrity Committee. The committee is charged with investigating allegations of wrongdoing against office of IG officials. The bill allows an IG to be removed only for cause, such as for documented malfeasance. Congress must be notified before an IG is placed on nonduty status. The bill requires the President to explain any failure to nominate an IG and adds provisions regarding acting IGs when an IG position is vacant. The committee must notify Congress when an allegation of wrongdoing made by a member of Congress is closed without referral for investigation.
Yes: Cartwright, Dean, Fitzpatrick, Wild
No: Meuser
HR 567: Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act
Voting 395 for and 15 against, the House Tuesday passed a bill that provides statutory authority for the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program, an interagency program launched in 2005 to partner with countries in the Sahel and Maghreb regions of Africa to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
Yes: Cartwright, Dean, Fitzpatrick, Wild, Meuser
HR 3684: INVEST in America Act
Voting 221 for and 201 against, the House passed a bill Thursday that addresses provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs of the Department of Transportation. Among other provisions, the bill extends 2021 enacted levels through 2022 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs; reauthorizes for 2023-FY2026 several surface transportation programs, including the federal-aid highway program, transit programs, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programs; addresses climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources; revises Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail; establishes a rebuild rural bridges program to improve the safety and state of good repair of bridges in rural communities; implements new safety requirements across all transportation modes; and directs DOT to establish a pilot program to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and achieve and maintain a state of good repair in the surface transportation system.
Yes: Cartwright, Dean, Fitzpatrick, Wild
No: Meuser
