November 13, 2017

In this MegaVote for Hawaii's 1st & 2nd Congressional Districts:

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Gibson Nomination – Confirmation
• Senate: Engel Nomination – Confirmation
• Senate: Wehrum Nomination – Confirmation
• House: Joint Employer Definition
• House: Hydropower Regulation
• House: Securities Regulations Exemptions

Upcoming Congressional Bills

• Senate: Kan Nomination
• Senate: Bradbury Nomination
• Senate: Zatezalo Nomination
• House: Defense Authorization
• House: Flood Insurance
• House: Reconciliation Tax Overhaul

Recent Senate Votes

Gibson Nomination – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (91-7, 2 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed the nomination of John Gibson to be deputy chief management officer of the Defense Department.

Sen. Brian Schatz voted YES
Sen. Mazie Hirono voted YES

Engel Nomination – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (51-47, 2 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed the nomination of Steven Engel to be an assistant Attorney General.

Sen. Brian Schatz voted NO
Sen. Mazie Hirono voted NO

Wehrum Nomination – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (49-47, 4 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed the nomination of William Wehrum to be an assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sen. Brian Schatz voted NO
Sen. Mazie Hirono voted NO

Recent House Votes

Joint Employer Definition - Vote Passed (242-181, 9 Not Voting)

Passage of the bill would define a joint employer as an entity with actual, direct and immediate control over employees, with significant control over essential terms of employment such as hiring, determining pay and benefits, day-to-day supervision of employees, and assigning individual work schedules.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted NO

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO

Hydropower Regulation - Vote Passed (257-166, 9 Not Voting)

Passage of the bill would specify a variety of timeframes and procedures for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to follow in carrying out required permitting and licensing activities for non-federal hydropower projects and would make FERC the lead agency for coordinating all applicable federal authorizations. It would extend, from three years to four, the duration of a preliminary permit for proposed non-federal hydropower projects and would allow project sponsors to initiate construction up to 10 years after a proposed project receives a license from FERC.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted NO 

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO

Securities Regulations Exemptions - Vote Passed (232-188, 12 Not Voting)

Passage of the bill would require an issuer of securities to meet a specific set of criteria in order for the issuer's transactions to constitute a sale of "nonpublic" securities that are exempt from registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission and from state regulation. It would require each purchaser to have a substantive pre-existing relationship with an officer or certain shareholders of the issuer, permit no more than 35 purchasers under the exemption over the preceding 12 months, and would cap, at $500,000, the total aggregate amount of securities sold in the 12-month period preceding the transaction.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted NO

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO

Upcoming Votes

Kan Nomination - PN458

The Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Derek Kan to be under secretary of Transportation for policy.

Bradbury Nomination - PN558

The Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Steven Bradbury to be general counsel for the Transportation Department.

Zatezalo Nomination - PN919

The Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of David Zatezalo to be an assistant secretary of Labor for mine, safety and health.

Defense Authorization - HR2810

The measure would authorize $692.1 billion in fiscal 2018 for discretionary defense spending within the Armed Services Committee's jurisdiction, $74.2 billion more than the fiscal 2017 enacted authorization and $26.4 billion more than the president's overall request. It would also authorize $7.5 billion in mandatory spending for a grand total of $699.6 billion. The discretionary total includes $65.7 billion for uncapped OCO funding and $626.4 billion for base activities that would be subject to the $549 billion cap on discretionary spending for fiscal 2018 defense spending set by the 2011 Budget Control Act. It would authorize major increases for missile defense as well as billions more than requested by the president for ships, aircraft and other weapons systems.

Flood Insurance - HR2874

The measure, which combines seven bills reported by the Financial Services Committee, reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years, through Sept. 30, 2022, and modifies the program to bolster its solvency and to promote a private flood insurance market. It raises annual surcharges and reserve fund assessments on federal flood insurance policyholders; provides for increased annual premiums for properties with subsidized premiums that experience multiple floods in the future; terminates flood insurance if future claims exceed three times a home's replacement value; ends the requirement that flood insurance be purchased for commercial and multifamily properties; requires FEMA to accept private flood insurance for mandatory coverage requirements; requires FEMA to provide public access to its flood loss and other data; and makes it easier for policyholders to switch between private and NFIP policies.

Reconciliation Tax Overhaul - HR1

The bill substantially restructures the U.S. tax code to simplify the code and reduce taxes on individuals, corporations and small businesses. For individuals, it consolidates the current seven tax brackets down to four and eliminates or restricts many tax credits and deductions, including by eliminating the deduction for state and local income taxes and limiting the deduction for property taxes to $10,000 and the interest deduction for home mortgages to the first $500,000 worth of a loan. It eliminates personal exemptions but nearly doubles the standard deduction so fewer taxpayers will itemize deductions. It also raises the child tax credit to $1,600 and for five years provides $300 per person adult credits, while eliminating the estate tax and Alternative Minimum Tax. On the business side, it reduces the corporate tax from 35% to 20% and establishes a "territorial" tax system that exempts most overseas income from U.S. taxation. It allows businesses to immediately expense 100% of the cost of assets acquired and placed into service, and establishes a 25% rate for a portion of pass-through business income that otherwise must be paid at the individual income rate. For small businesses where an individual would receive less than $150,000 in pass-through income, it taxes the first $75,000 of that income at a 9% rate.