My Votes – Week of July 25

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.

7/26/2022

H.R. 7569,  H.R. 6933, H.R. 3952, H.R. 7361, H.R. 3588, H.R. 7132, H.R. 7624, H.R. 5313, H.R. 4551, H.R. 3962, H.R. 7733, H.R. 7910

Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Act of 2022, Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2022, NOAA Chief Scientist Act, National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act, Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act, Safe Connections Act of 2022, Spectrum Innovation Act of 2022, Reese’s Law, RANSOMWARE Act, Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act, CDFI Bond Guarantee, Public and Federally Assisted Housing Fire Safety Act Program Improvement Act of 2022

Passed  |  336-90
My Vote  |  YES

These bills were voted on together en bloc. The bloc included 12 bills. These bill include: 1) requiring the Secretary of Energy to establish an Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Program to provide financial assistance and research traineeship experiences to graduate and postdoctoral researchers; 2) requiring the Secretary of Energy to submit a report to Congress on the use of its authority to reduce or eliminate the cost-sharing requirements for research, development, and commercial application programs and activities; 3) clarifying the process of hiring, qualifications, and responsibilities for the Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); 4) authorize $3 million for each of FY2023 through FY2026 to upgrade the National Weather Service’s (NWS) personnel communication system known as NWSChat; 5) requiring private and commercial mobile service providers to separate victims of domestic abuse from shared mobile service contracts from their abusers; 6) allow federal agencies to request funding from the Office of Management and Budget for the purpose of making spectrum between 3100 megahertz (MHz) and 3540 MHz available for non-federal use, shared federal use, or a combination of the two; 7) directing the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create a new rule requiring companies to secure button cell and coin batteries in ways that reduce the possibility of ingestion by those age six and younger. The rule would require companies to apply warning labels to these batteries and products containing them; 8) requiring the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report to Congress on cross-border complaints received that involve ransomware or other cyber-related attacks committed by certain foreign individuals, companies, and governments, specifically Russia, China, North Korea and Iran; 9) allowing a notary public to notarize electronic records and perform virtual notarizations for remote individuals; 10) reauthorizing funding for an NIH pediatric disease research program; 11) reauthorize and expand the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions (CDFI) Bond Guarantee Program; and 12) requiring qualifying smoke alarms in federally assisted housing.

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7/27/2022

H.R. 3771

South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act

Passed  |  237-192
My Vote  |  NO

This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to establish programs that support heart-disease research and awareness among communities disproportionately affected by heart disease, including the South Asian population of the United States. I support overall research by HHS on heart health, however, this bill is duplicative of existing efforts related to heart-disease research and risks creating further bureaucracy within the CDC.

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7/28/2022

H.R. 4346

CHIPS Act of 2022 (Senate amendment added to the “Supreme Court Security Funding Act”)

Passed  |  243-187
My Vote  |  NO

I voted against this bill because it unlocks the Democrats’ radical tax and spending spree and will make President Biden’s inflation crisis worse. American competitiveness is suffering today as a result of harmful regulatory barriers and record government spending. This has resulted in unaffordable high prices on every family, supply chain issues, and an economic recession. Meanwhile, Democrats’ new reconciliation package spends hundreds of billions of dollars and raises taxes to achieve their grand socialist agenda for more control and more inflation.  To win the future, we need a reliable regulatory and permitting environment that unleashes innovation, secures our supply chains, and ensures American companies are creating jobs right here at home in the United States of America.

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7/29/2022

H.R. 263

Big Cat Public Safety Act

Passed  |  278-134
My Vote  |  NO

This bill revises requirements governing the trade of big cats, which includes any species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Specifically, it revises restrictions on the possession and exhibition of big cats, including to restrict direct contact between the public and big cats. I voted against this bill because it would overlay new federal regulations on top of existing state and USDA authorities. Some implementation deadlines in the bill are also unworkable, setting up individuals for immediate fines and penalties.

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7/29/2022

H.R. 5118

Continental Divide Trail Completion Act (Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act)

Passed  |  218-199
My Vote  |  NO

This bill failed to include critical wildfire and long-term forest health solutions that are needed to prevent catastrophic fires and address drought in the West. Instead, the bill creates duplicative work, endless red tape, and new requirements on existing forest management work.

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7/29/2022

H.R. 1808

Assault Weapons Ban

Passed  |  217-213
My Vote  |  NO

This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). I voted against this bill because it fails to strike a proper balance, and instead punishes law-abiding citizens. We should move forward with efforts to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have access while protecting the due process rights of law-abiding citizens. We also need to give law enforcement the tools they need to intervene when there are threats of gun violence.

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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.

7/26/2022

H.R. 6552

Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022

Passed  |  401-20
My Vote  |  YES

This bill reauthorizes programs to combat human trafficking and addresses related issues. It reauthorizes through FY2026 various programs, including (1) Department of State and Department of Justice activities to combat human trafficking internationally; and (2) the Angel Watch Center, a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement program that notifies foreign countries of the pending arrival of certain convicted sex offenders.

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7/26/2022

H.R. 7289

Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act

Passed  |  359-62
My Vote  |  YES

This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to complete various studies and reports related to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing.

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7/26/2022

H.R. 7180

Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID–19 Cognitive Research Act

Passed  |  350-69
My Vote  |  YES

This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to eligible entities, including through the RAPID funding mechanism, to support interdisciplinary research on the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with both short-term and long-term COVID-19 infections, including with respect to children and adolescents.

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7/26/2022

H.R. 8454

Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act

Passed  |  324-95
My Vote  |  YES

This bill establishes a new, separate registration process to facilitate research on marijuana.

Specifically, the bill directs the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to follow specified procedures to register (1) practitioners to conduct marijuana research, and (2) manufacturers to supply marijuana for the research.

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7/26/2022

H.R. 7734

The Benny C. Martinez Post Office Building

Passed  |  349-70

My Vote  |  YES

This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to provide Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) reports to a congressional committee or subcommittee not later than 30 days after a request. Under the BSA, financial institutions must keep records of certain transactions and report suspicious activity indicative of money laundering or other criminal activity.

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7/27/2022

H.R. 4040

Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID–19 Act of 2021

Passed  |  416-12

My Vote  |  YES

This bill modifies the extension of certain Medicare telehealth flexibilities after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Specifically, the bill provides that certain flexibilities continue to apply until December 31, 2024, if the emergency period ends before that date.