My Votes – Week of September 19
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.
9/21/2022
S. 1098
Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act
Passed | 232-193
My Vote | NO
This bill allows two borrowers who had previously received a joint consolidation loan for their federal student loan debt to submit a joint application to the Department of Education to sever their consolidated loan into two separate loans. This bill passed with the intent to allow for joint consolidated loans to be separated. However, since its passage in the Senate, the Biden Administration has used an unlawful emergency declaration to cancel student loan debts, costing taxpayers an estimated $400 billion. I support efforts for joint borrowers to separate their loans in an expeditious manner, but this legislation goes beyond that by giving the Education Secretary broadened power for additional, unconstitutional loan forgiveness.
9/21/2022
H.R. 8873
Presidential Election Reform Act
Passed | 229-203
My Vote | NO
This bill revises the process of casting and counting electoral votes for presidential elections. I voted against this bill because of the manner and speed at which it was brought to the House floor for a vote. I believe election integrity is a serious issue that requires bipartisan action in order to restore trust and confidence in our democratic process. This bill did not receive any consideration in committee and has the potential to give Congress the ability to re-interpret state election law. Concerns about this bill should have been debated and addressed before it was brought forth for a vote.
9/19/2022
H.R. 8542
Mental Health Justice Act of 2022
Passed | 223-206
My Vote | NO
This bill creates a grant program for states, tribal entities, and local governments to train and dispatch mental health professionals to respond, instead of law enforcement officers, to emergencies that involve people with behavioral health needs. I voted against this bill because providing incentives to dispatch mental health professionals to crime scenes instead of law enforcement will result in higher levels of violent crime. Mental health professionals may also not be able to handle dangerous situations or address the commission of crimes that arise during their response. The bill uses this approach even when the person at issue is under the influence of an illegal substance.
9/20/2022
H.R. 4118
Break the Cycle of Violence Act
Passed | 220-207
My Vote | NO
This bill establishes federal grant programs for violence intervention initiatives. I voted against this bill because the rise of violent crime across the country has been a direct result of defund police movements we are seeing in too many cities. Any new crime-associated funding should have guardrails that prevent funding recipients from continuing the same soft-on-crime policies that have driven the recent crime crisis.
9/22/2022
H.R. 5768
VICTIM Act
Passed | 250-178
My Vote | NO
This bill directs the Department of Justice to establish a grant program for state, tribal, or local law enforcement agencies or prosecuting offices (or groups of tribal agencies or offices) to establish, implement, and administer violent incident clearance and technological investigative methods. I agree that steps must be taken to ensure local police departments are able to protect communities. However, this bill is effectively a political stunt by Democrats to try to distract from the fact that liberal policies have caused an explosion of crime around the nation over the past several years.
9/22/2022
H.R. 6448
Invest to Protect Act
Passed | 360-64
My Vote | YES
This bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to award a grant to a local or tribal government that employs fewer than 200 law enforcement officers. Grant funds may be used for various activities, including to purchase body cameras, provide de-escalation training, and improve recruitment and retention.
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.
9/19/2022
H.R. 1456
Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022
Passed | 290-125
My Vote | YES
This bill reauthorizes the Peace Corps through FY2024 and modifies operations to include increasing the readjustment allowance paid to volunteers when their service terminates and providing statutory authority for an executive order that grants returned volunteers noncompetitive eligibility for federal civil-service positions.
9/19/2022
S. 3895
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2022
Passed | 402-4
My Vote | YES
This bill reauthorizes the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom through FY2024.
9/19/2022
S. 3157
Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act
Passed | 363-52
My Vote | YES
This bill requires the Department of Labor to submit to Congress a study on the factors affecting employment opportunities for certain individuals with professional credentials obtained in a non-U.S. country, specifically individuals who are lawfully present noncitizens or naturalized U.S. citizens. The study shall include policy recommendations for better enabling such individuals to obtain skill-appropriate employment in the United States.
9/19/2022
S. 2490
Blackwell School National Historic Site Act
Passed | 414-12
My Vote | YES
This bill establishes the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Texas as a unit of the National Park System to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the Blackwell School, including (1) the role of the Blackwell School, which educated children of Mexican descent, as an academic and cultural cornerstone in Marfa, Texas; and (2) the function of the Blackwell School within a segregated system of education in Texas and the United States from the period of 1885 through 1965.