March 5, 2012 In this MegaVote for Hawaii's 1st & 2nd Congressional Districts: Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Motion to Table Blunt Amendment House: Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act House: Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act Upcoming Congressional Bills Senate: Surface transportation authorization House: Tariffs on non-market economies House: Hydropower development House: Cost of going public for businesses

Recent Senate Votes

Motion to Table Blunt Amendment - Vote Agreed to (51-48, 1 Not Voting) The Senate rejected an amendment to the surface transportation bill that would have allowed employers to exclude certain health services from its insurance plans based on religious grounds. Sen. Daniel Inouye voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Daniel Akaka voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act - Vote Passed (303-114, 16 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would overturn an Education Department regulation defining credit hours and rules education institutions must adhere to in order to operate in a state. The bill is intended to ease regulations on the for-profit education industry. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Rep. Mazie Hirono voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act - Vote Passed (246-175, 1 Present, 11 Not Voting) This House bill is intended to increase access to water for agricultural and municipal uses in the San Joaquin Valley in California. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Rep. Mazie Hirono voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Upcoming Votes

Surface transportation authorization - S.1813 The Senate is scheduled to continue work on their two-year, $109 billion bill to fund transportation projects. Tariffs on non-market economies - H.R.4105 This House bill would impose higher tariffs on goods imported from state-controlled economies. Hydropower development - H.R.2842 The House is scheduled to take up this bill to speed up the approval process of hydropower projects. Cost of going public for businesses - H.R.3606 This bipartisan House bill is intended to make it easier for small and mid-sized companies to go public.