July 27, 2015
In this MegaVote for Hawaii's 1st & 2nd Congressional Districts:
Recent Congressional Votes
- Senate: Surface Transportation Reauthorization 'Shell' – Cloture
- House: Coal Combustion Residuals – Passage
- House: Genetically Engineered Food – Passage
- House: Sanctuary Cities – Passage
Upcoming Congressional Bills
- Senate: Hire More Heroes Act of 2015
- House: Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act
- House: TSA PreCheck Expansion Act
- House: Fiscal 2016 Defense Authorization
Recent Senate Votes
Surface Transportation Reauthorization 'Shell' – Cloture - Vote Agreed to (67-26, 7 Not Voting)
The Senate agreed to a motion to invoke cloture on amendment no. 2327 to the McConnell, R-Ky., substitute amendment, as modified, that would reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. The McConnell substitute amendment would provide a six-year authorization of surface transportation programs, with enough offsets to cover three years of shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund.
Sen. Brian Schatz voted YES
Sen. Mazie Hirono voted YES
Recent House Votes
Coal Combustion Residuals – Passage - Vote Passed (258-166, 9 Not Voting)
The House passed a bill that would establish minimum federal standards regarding the disposal and storage of coal combustion residuals (CCR) that would codify parts of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) rule regarding coal ash, while superseding other elements of the rule. Additionally, the bill would permit states to create their own coal ash permit programs, but would provide for EPA oversight of the bill's standards in cases when a state lacks its own program or fails to meet the standards set in the bill.
Rep. Mark Takai voted NO
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO
Genetically Engineered Food – Passage - Vote Passed (275-150, 8 Not Voting)
The House passed a bill that would require the Agriculture Department to establish a voluntary national genetically engineered (GE) food certification program under which food producers could label their product as including or not including genetically modified ingredients. The program created under the bill would pre-empt related state and local laws and prohibits mandatory labeling of GE or non-GE food.
Rep. Mark Takai voted NO
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO
Sanctuary Cities – Passage - Vote Passed (241-179, 13 Not Voting)
The House passed a bill that would withhold certain federal law enforcement grants to state and local governments that bar their officials from taking certain immigration-related actions, such as gathering or maintaining information on the immigration or citizenship status of individuals or sharing such information with federal immigration authorities. The withheld federal law enforcement grants include the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (which allows states to enter into a contractual arrangement with the federal government for compensation for the incarceration of undocumented criminal immigrants), the Community-Oriented Policing Services program (COPS, which helps support the hiring of police officers at the state and local level) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (Byrne-JAG, which supports a range of programs, including prosecutions and courts).
Rep. Mark Takai voted NO
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO
Upcoming Votes
Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 - H.R.22
The bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt employees with health coverage under TRICARE or the Veterans Administration from being taken into account for purposes of determining the employers to which the employer mandate applies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act - H.R.675
The bill would increase, effective as of December 1, 2015, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other purposes.
TSA PreCheck Expansion Act - H.R.2843
The bill would require certain improvements in the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck expedited screening program, and for other purposes.
Fiscal 2016 Defense Authorization - H.R.1735
The bill would reauthorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
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