October 24, 2011 In this MegaVote for Hawaii's 1st & 2nd Congressional Districts: Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Confirmation of John Edgar Bryson to be Secretary of Commerce Senate: Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act of 2011 Senate: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 Upcoming Congressional Bills House: Internal Revenue Code Editor's Note: The Senate is in recess this week.

Recent Senate Votes

Confirmation of John Edgar Bryson to be Secretary of Commerce - Vote Confirmed (74-26) The Senate confirmed John Bryson as Secretary of Commerce. Bryson succeeds Gary Locke, who is now the ambassador to China. Sen. Daniel Inouye voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Daniel Akaka voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act of 2011 - Vote Rejected (50-50) Last week the Senate rejected consideration of this bill that would allocate $30 billion in grants to state and local governments to pay to hire or retain teachers and $5 billion in grants to governments and other groups to pay for law enforcement officers and emergency personnel. This was one component of the president’s broader jobs bill that was rejected earlier in the month. Sen. Daniel Inouye voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Daniel Akaka voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 - Vote Agreed to (82-16, 2 Not Voting) The Senate reached the necessary 60 votes to end debate on a legislative package that combines the fiscal 2012 Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science (S 1572) and Transportation-HUD (S 1596) appropriations bills. When they return from a weeklong recess, senators will resume consideration of the bill. Sen. Daniel Inouye voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Daniel Akaka voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Upcoming Votes

Internal Revenue Code - H.R.674 The House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill to repeal a 3 percent withholding requirement on government contractor payments.