March 11, 2013 In this MegaVote for Hawaii's 1st & 2nd Congressional Districts: Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Committee Funding Resolution – Amendment Vote Senate: CIA Director Nomination – Confirmation House: Disaster Response and Preparedness – Suspension House: FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations Upcoming Congressional Bills Senate: Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 House: Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act House: Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013

Recent Senate Votes

Committee Funding Resolution – Amendment Vote - Vote Rejected (44-53, 3 Not Voting) The Senate passed a resolution authorizing funding levels for its standing committees through the remainder of fiscal year 2013. This is normally a non-controversial measure but Kentucky Republican Rand Paul objected to including funding for a body known as the National Security Working Group, essentially a forum for senators to discuss foreign policy and national security. Paul insisted on a vote for his amendment to strip funding from the Working Group. After the amendment was rejected, the resolution was agreed to by voice vote. Sen. Brian Schatz voted NO......send e-mail or see bio  Sen. Mazie Hirono voted NO......send e-mail or see bio  CIA Director Nomination – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (63-34, 3 Not Voting) The Senate confirmed President Obama's counterterrorism advisor John Brennan to be the next director of the CIA last week. Brennan looked to be on a glide path to confirmation until Kentucky Republican Rand Paul staged an unexpected "talking" filibuster that stretched over 13 hours. Paul stated that he was holding up Brennan’s nomination because he had not received adequate assurances from the administration that the president did not have authority to target American citizens on American soil with drone strikes if they were not an "imminent threat." During the course of the filibuster Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. released a brief letter to Paul stating that the president does not have the authority "to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil." This appeared to satisfy Paul, who yielded the floor after midnight on March 7. Following a successful cloture motion later that afternoon (Roll Call 31), Brennan was confirmed with a solid bipartisan majority.  Sen. Brian Schatz voted YES......send e-mail or see bio  Sen. Mazie Hirono voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Disaster Response and Preparedness – Suspension - Vote Passed (370-28, 33 Not Voting) The House cleared a bill under suspension last week reauthorizing various measures meant to strengthen preparation and response to pandemics and similar biological disasters. The House originally passed the bill in January (Roll Call 24). It was later amended in the Senate, extending the authorization through 2018, and sent back to the House. This latest vote moves the bill to the president's desk.  Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted YES......send e-mail or see bio  FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations - Vote Passed (267-151, 13 Not Voting) With a March 27 deadline to avert government shutdown looming, the House moved last week to pass a bill making appropriation for the rest of the fiscal year. The package contained full appropriations bills for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, (though it did not increase their funding levels) and essentially continues FY12 funding for all other accounts. The bill's overall funding level is in line with the $1.043 trillion cap agreed to under the 2011 debt ceiling agreement, but because of the sequester, net new budget authority would instead reach $984 billion. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Upcoming Votes

Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 - H.R.933 The Senate will take up the continuing appropriations measure on Monday and is expected to pass the measure this week. There appears to be agreement in the body to add full bills for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Homeland Security. Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act - H.R.803 This bill would largely consolidate several dozen workforce investment and job training programs into one in which funding would be doled out in block grants to states. The bill's committee markup last week was notable for Democrats' boycott of the proceedings. They said it was a partisan measure largely identical to a bill the committee passed last year along party lines. Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013 - H.R.890 The House is scheduled to consider this bill, passed out of the Ways and Means committee last week, to counteract a Health Human Services Department waiver program that Republicans say would dilute work requirements in the federal welfare program.