Along with roll call votes last week, the Senate also passed a resolution (S. Res. 309), expressing support for the Pledge of Allegiance; and the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act (S. 189), to increase, effective Dec. 1, 2021, 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.

HOUSE VOTES

NORTH KOREAN FAMILIES: The House has passed the Divided Families Reunification Act (H.R. 826), sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., to require the State Department to submit reports to Congress on its work with South Korea to help Korean Americans reunite with their family members in North Korea. The vote, on July 19, was unanimous with 415 yeas.

YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District

PASSING LEGISLATION: The House has passed a motion sponsored by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., to pass a set of 21 bills and two resolutions without an individual roll call vote on each bill. Subjects covered by the bills included transportation security and disasters. The vote, on July 20, was 319 yeas to 105 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

CONSUMER LITIGATION: The House has passed the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act (H.R. 2668), sponsored by Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., to authorize the Federal Trade Commission to seek permanent injunctions in the federal courts for monetary fines of businesses for violating commercial law that is enforced by the Commission. Cardenas said the authority would help ensure that defrauded consumers without other legal remedies will be supported by the Commission. An opponent, Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., said: “The bill lacks sufficient guardrails that would provide checks and balances to the Commission’s expanded authority.” The vote, on July 20, was 221 yeas to 205 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

REGULATING PFAS CHEMICALS: The House has passed the PFAS Action Act (H.R. 2467), sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., to designate perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances, with associated stricter regulatory control. PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in various products, frequently as a coating to repel water and other liquids. Dingell said the PFAS class of chemicals “is extremely persistent in the environment and has long been linked with adverse health effects, including cancer.” An opponent, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said that if the bill became law, “a police department that purchases one of the most popular bulletproof vests to protect its officers against rising crime would now be subject to environmental lawsuits.” The vote, on July 21, was 241 yeas to 183 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

AFGHAN IMMIGRATION: The House has passed the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act (H.R. 3985), sponsored by Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., to offer an additional 8,000 special immigrant visas to Afghan nationals who have worked for the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan. Crow said: “If we turn our back on the Afghans who served with us for the last two decades, it is going to be awfully hard to find future friends.” The vote, on July 22, was 407 yeas to 16 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

SENATE VOTES

FEDERAL JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Tiffany Cunningham to serve as a judge on the U.S. Federal Circuit court. Cunningham has been a private practice lawyer for 19 years, specializing in patent litigation. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said: “Given her years of experience working on issues germane to the Federal Circuit, she will be ready upon confirmation to hit the ground running.” The vote, on July 19, was 63 yeas to 33 nays.

YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kenneth Polite, Jr., to serve as an assistant attorney general for the criminal division of the Justice Department. Polite has been a U.S. attorney in Louisiana and New York. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said that as a U.S. attorney in Louisiana, Polite “prosecuted several large, violent, criminal organizations. He held local corrupt politicians accountable and stopped more human traffickers than during any prior U.S. attorney’s term in office.” An opponent, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, cited Justice’s failure to cooperate with information requests involving the criminal division. The vote, on July 20, was 56 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

CRIME VICTIMS: The Senate has passed the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act (H.R. 1652), sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to send money from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements into the Crime Victims Fund, which is managed by the Justice Department. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the Fund “helps abused children, survivors of domestic violence, and other victims of violent crime access the professional services they desperately need.” The vote, on July 20, was unanimous with 100 yeas.

YEAS: Collins, King

LABOR RELATIONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jennifer Abruzzo to serve as general counsel at the National Labor Relations Board for a four-year term. A supporter, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Abruzzo “will protect workers’ rights and make sure their voices are heard if we are serious about building back a stronger, fairer economy.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized President Biden’s firing of the incumbent general counsel just after being inaugurated, and said confirming Abruzzo would support the elevation of “partisan loyalty” above the traditional independent status of the Board. The vote, on July 21, was 51 yeas to 50 nays, with Vice President Harris casting a 51st yea vote.

NAYS: Collins

YEAS: King

ARMS CONTROL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Bonnie Jenkins to serve as the State Department’s under secretary for arms control and international security. During the Obama administration, Jenkins was an ambassador for threat reduction programs at State; previously, she was a Ford Foundation official and a Navy officer. A supporter, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said Jenkins “has consistently empowered voices rarely heard in national security debates, providing a different but important perspective on how the United States should tackle the threats we confront.” The vote, on July 21, was 52 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

TRANSPORTATION SPENDING: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on a motion to consider the Invest in America Act (H.R. 3684), sponsored by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore. The bill would authorize through fiscal 2026 $715 billion of spending on drinking water and wastewater programs and various Transportation Department programs, including new mass transit and climate change programs at the agency. The vote to end debate, on July 21, was 49 yeas to 51 nays.

NAYS: Collins

YEAS: King

NUCLEAR WEAPONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jill Hruby to serve as the Energy Department’s under secretary for nuclear security. Hruby has been a research scientist and then a director at Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories since 1983, at sites in California and New Mexico. The vote, on July 22, was 79 yeas to 16 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King