My Votes – Week of December 12

RULE BILLS

A rule bill is a bill passed through a full House vote under a rule that has been voted and agreed upon by the Rules Committee. Rule bills require a simple majority of the House to pass (218 votes) through a recorded vote.

12/12/2022

S. 4003

Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act of 2022

Passed  |  264-162
My Vote  |  NO

I believe local jurisdictions are best suited to make decisions related to policing and law enforcement. I voted against this bill because it would undermine localities by directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a federal standard for scenario-based training curricula (or identify existing curricula) that includes topics such as alternatives to the use of force, de-escalation tactics, and safely responding to an individual experiencing a mental, behavioral health, or suicidal crisis.

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12/12/2022

S. 3905

Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition Act

Passed  |  219-205
My Vote  |  NO

This bill requires the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council, the body responsible for setting federal procurement regulations, to identify situations susceptible to conflicts of interest. The FAR must then revise existing regulations to better identify and protect against conflicts of interest and ensure agencies include specific provisions in their contracts to implement the new regulations. I voted against this bill because the FAR already contains provisions to prevent conflicts of interest, which means this legislation will only expand the federal government bureaucracy and drive up costs by increasing the burdens on federal contractors.

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12/15/2022

H.R. 1948

VA Employee Fairness Act of 2021

Passed  |  219-201
My Vote  |  NO

This bill expands collective bargaining rights for VA employees by allowing them to bargain over issues of direct patient care, clinical competence, and employee compensation, among other areas. I voted against this legislation because it removes the VA Secretary’s discretion to make final decisions on these matters, weakening VA leadership’s accountability for patient safety and the delivery of medical care. The VA Secretary should be responsible to veterans for the quality of care that VA provides, but this bill would potentially allow non-medical arbitrators to intervene in these critical decisions.

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12/15/2022

H.R. 8393

Puerto Rico Status Act

Passed  |  233-191
My Vote  |  NO

This bill would remove congressional authority by authorizing an entirely new, self-executing process where Puerto Rico could choose independence, sovereignty in free association with the U.S., or statehood. The decision would be made as part of a  federally sponsored, taxpayer funded vote to be held on November 5, 2023. If there is not a majority in favor of one of the three options, then a runoff vote will be held on March 3, 2024 among the two options that received the most votes. I voted against this bill because it requires the U.S. to continue to provide certain federal benefits, even if Puerto Rican voters choose independence. It also authorizes the use of Americans’ taxpayer dollars to fund an education campaign prior to the election.

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SUSPENSION BILLS

A suspension bill is a bill passed by the House through suspending the rules to move quickly, circumventing the House Rules Committee. Suspension bills are typically less controversial pieces of legislation, and as the rules are being suspended, they require a higher threshold, two-thirds of those voting in the House, to pass. Additionally, these bills are often passed by a voice vote, without a formal roll call vote.

12/13/2022

H.R. 7535

Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act

Passed  |  420-3
My Vote  |  YES

This bill addresses the migration of executive agencies’ information technology systems to post-quantum cryptography. Post-quantum cryptography is encryption strong enough to resist attacks from quantum computers developed in the future.

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12/12/2022

S. 1466

Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act of 2022

Passed  |  356-56
My Vote  |  YES

This bill requires the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to establish a Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Assessment and Monitoring Program. Under the program, the USGS must assess, monitor, and conserve saline lake ecosystems in the Great Basin as well as the wildlife that depend on those ecosystems.

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12/14/2022

S. 5230

Help Find the Missing Act

Passed  |  422-4
My Vote  |  YES

This bill would increase accessibility to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as well as facilitate data sharing between such systems and the National Crime Information Center database of the FBI.