Jul 26, 2024
Press
My Votes – Week of November 15th
Nov 23, 2021
Votes
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.
11/17/2021
H.Res.789
Censuring Representative Paul Gosar
Passed | 223-207
My Vote | No (the Congressional record reflects my opposition to this bill)
I disagree with and disavow many of the statements and videos that have come out from Rep. Paul Gosar. I also believe it sets a dangerous precedent to allow members of the opposing party to hand down arbitrary punishments that impact an elected representative’s ability to serve their constituents. I hope Rep. Gosar takes that seriously and considers the impact his words and posts have as a representative of his constituents and the People’s House.
11/19/2021
H.R. 5376
Build Back Better Act
Passed | 220-213
My Vote | No (the Congressional record reflects my opposition to this bill)
This multi-trillion dollar tax and spending spree is an unprecedented lurch towards more government control in our lives that will saddle our children with a debt they can never pay back. While this process lacked all transparency, the consequences could not be more clear – more inflation, empty shelves, and higher costs. It will lead to blackouts and unaffordable electricity bills, with surging energy prices already hitting families hard this winter. Millionaires will get a $285 billion tax break on the backs of those who are struggling to make ends meet. Jobs will be destroyed, our defenses will be weakened, and funding for hospitals to care for vulnerable patients will be slashed. Its socialist price controls will also crush medical innovation and lead to fewer lifesaving cures.This is a reckless bill. At a time when families are battling record inflation, Democrats have doubled down on socialism. It’s not the will of the American people. This total government takeover of our lives is profoundly un-American, and it hurts hardworking families in Eastern Washington.
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.
11/15/2021
S.1031
A bill to require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on disparities associated with race and ethnicity with respect to certain benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess whether there are racial or ethnic disparities with respect to compensation paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to veterans who have disabilities resulting from medical conditions or injuries incurred or aggravated while on active military duty. The bill also would require GAO to develop recommendations to improve data collection on such disparities, brief the Congress on the results of the study, and submit a final report.
11/15/2021
S.894
Hire Veteran Health Heroes Act of 2021
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a program that will help actively recruit medical personnel, who are within one year of completing their military service, to remain in federal health care in departments like the VA.
11/15/2021
H.R. 3665
To designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in San Diego, California, as the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and to support the designation of a component of such medical center in honor of Kathleen Bruyere.
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill designates the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in San Diego, California as the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that the VA should designate a prominent physical space within the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to honor Kathleen Mae Bruyere.
11/15/2021
S. 1095
Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act of 2021
Passed | 424-0
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill will require public colleges and universities that receive GI Bill benefits to provide in-state tuition rates for students using the Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) program. The DEA program provides VA education benefits, including tuition, housing and book stipends, to the children or spouse of a servicemember who is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, died while on active duty prior to 9/11, or dies as a result of a service-connected disability.
11/15/2021
H.R. 5671
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish seasonal influenza vaccines to certain individuals, and for other purposes.
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill authorizes the VA to provide flu vaccines at VA health facilities.
11/16/2021
H.R. 4591
VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to report on the rapidly-rising costs of the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program, describing all expenses incurred by the program. This program is already greatly over-cost, and recent releases suggest the cost overruns may be even greater than has already been revealed.
11/16/2021
H.R. 5516
VITAL Assessment Act
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill enhances mental health care for students who are veterans.
11/16/2021
H.R. 2433
Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This legislation will strengthen and enhance the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ registry of service members and veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
11/16/2021
H.R. 4626
VA AIM Act
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to, at least once every 10 years, conduct an independent assessment of VA health care services, operations, budget, and delivery to uphold the highest standards for the veterans who rely on them.
11/16/2021
H.R. 5603
Protections for Student Veterans Act
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This legislation supports student veterans who are at risk of being academically penalized due to their ongoing military service. Currently, if a service member is assigned to a period of active service or inactive-duty training, they could face grade reductions, failing grades, and even financial penalties if they are forced to withdraw from classes to serve our country. This bill will ensure that service members using Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits can continue their education without penalty if they are called to serve.
11/16/2021
S. 796
Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021
Passed | 414-9
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill will commission the first-ever comprehensive study on the scope of America’s maternal health crisis among women veterans while also supporting maternal care coordination programs at VA facilities.
11/16/2021
H.R. 4233
Student Veterans Counseling Centers Eligibility Act
Passed | 420-4
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill would expand Vet Center GI Bill eligibility to student veterans who are using a VA education program. This would ensure that counseling and mental health support are available to student veterans who may be struggling with their transition out of the military, which is known to be a vulnerable time.
11/16/2021
H.R. 147
BRAVE Act
Passed | 427-0
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill provides servicemembers transitioning off active duty better access to information about and access to VA-certified registered apprenticeship programs. It also extends Post-9/11 GI Bill stipend benefits to participants in these registered apprenticeship programs.
11/16/2021
H.R. 2915
HOPR Act
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill aims to support U.S. small businesses by increasing the ability of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to purchase high-quality, American-made uniforms and personal protective equipment for frontline personnel.
11/16/2021
H.R. 5652
DHS Acquisition Review Board Act of 2021
Passed | VOICE
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill would strengthen accountability and uniformity within the Department of Homeland Security’s acquisition review process by codifying the Acquisition Review Board.
11/18/2021
H.R. 3730
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Advisory Committee on United States Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States, and for other purposes.
Passed | 420-4
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill requires the establishment of a board with representatives from the Marianas, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Freely Associated to advise the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on how to better serve veterans in the insular areas.
11/18/2021
H.R. 5574
TRANSLATE ACT
Passed | 369-49
My Vote | YES (the Congressional record reflects my support to this bill)
This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop a plan to ensure that TSA material disseminated in major airports is better understood by people accessing such airports, including by foreign language speakers and people with vision or hearing impairments.