My Votes - Week of September 26 - Cathy McMorris Rodgers

My Votes – Week of September 26

Oct 05, 2022

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.

9/29/2022

H.R. 7780

Mental Health Matters Act

Passed | 220-205
My Vote | NO

This bill modifies certain federal actions on mental and behavioral health care programs. The bill would authorize tens of billions of dollars in new and duplicative spending on grant programs that have already seen significant increases. Additionally, I am concerned that this bill would result in patients losing access to their employer sponsored health insurance due to unclear parity requirements. . Furthermore, the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) language in Title II of the bill allows schools to discuss gender identity issues without informing parents. I am focused on helping to address the mental health crisis through my bipartisan bill, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act (H.R. 7666).

9/29/2022

H.R. 3843

Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022

Passed | 242-184
My Vote | NO

This bill modifies and expands the schedule for graduated merger filing fees and requires that such fees be adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index. I voted against this bill because I am concerned that exempting state-led antitrust cases from the federal multidistrict litigation process could increase litigation costs and, as the Administrative Office of the United States Courts wrote, lead to “inconsistent pretrial rulings pertaining to the same parties…. [that] may complicate proceedings and sow confusion not only among the courts and parties, but also in the marketplace.” It is also worth noting that this reform would not be limited to antitrust actions against Big Tech.

9/27/2022

H.R. 6833

Continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2023

Passed | 230-201
My Vote | NO

This bill funds the U.S. government at current levels through December 16, 2022. This includes $1.8 billion in funding for Refugee and Entrant Assistance without the safeguards needed to ensure the money is not being used to allow more migrants to illegally cross the border. I voted against this bill because it bails out the Biden administration for their failures and provides appropriations to put a temporary Band-Aid on these problems for a few months, instead of properly funding the government in a bipartisan manner and doing nothing to address border security, supply chains, and inflation.

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.

9/28/2022

S. 4900

SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022

Passed | 415-9
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.

9/26/2022

S. 3470

Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act of 2022

Passed | 351-73
My Vote | YES

This bill requires the head of each agency to establish a plan relating to the safety of Federal employees and contractors physically present at certain worksites during a nationwide public health emergency declared for an infectious disease.

9/29/2022

S. 2551

Artificial Intelligence Training for the Acquisition Workforce Act

Passed | 393-29
My Vote | YES

This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish or otherwise provide an artificial intelligence (AI) training program for the acquisition workforce of executive agencies (e.g., those responsible for program management or logistics), with exceptions.

9/26/2022

H.R. 6965

Visit America Act

Passed | 324-93
My Vote | YES

This bill implements measures to support the U.S. travel and tourism industry and to address the declining percentage of international visitors to the United States. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Commerce to develop a 10-year travel and tourism strategy with annual goals for the number of international visitors to the United States and for travel exports.

9/27/2022

H.R. 7321

Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act

Passed | 374-52

My Vote | YES

This bill addresses safety standards related to foreign aircraft repair stations. The bill requires that all foreign aircraft repair stations be subject to at least one unannounced safety inspection each year; requires air carriers to submit monthly reports to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with respect to maintenance, preventive maintenance, or alternations of an aircraft; sets forth minimum qualifications for mechanics and others working on U.S. registered aircraft at foreign repair stations; and establishes a moratorium on FAA certification of new foreign aircraft repair stations if certain regulations are not implemented within one year.

9/27/2022

H.R. 3482

Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in National Center for the Advancement of Aviation Act of 2022

Passed | 369-56
My Vote | YES

This bill establishes the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation to serve as a national independent forum to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between aviation and aerospace stakeholders to support and promote civil and military aviation and aerospace.

9/29/2022

S. 3662

Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act

Passed | 381-42
My Vote | YES

This bill temporarily allows the Federal Aviation Administration to cover 100% of the costs for airports to purchase and deploy equipment to test fire suppression systems that contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) without discharging such substances. (PFAS are manmade substances and may have adverse human health effects.)

9/29/2022

H.R. 8888

Food Security for All Veterans Act

Passed | 376-49
My Vote | YES

This bill establishes within the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of Food Security.

9/29/2022

H.R. 8446

Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022

Passed | 331-95
My Vote | YES

This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 activities to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, a whole-of-government strategy to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition. The bill also modifies aspects of the strategy, such as requiring the strategy to seek to improve the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural production.

9/29/2022

H.R. 8463

Millennium Challenge Corporation Eligibility Expansion Act

Passed | 334-87
My Vote | NO

This bill modifies income-related eligibility requirements for assistance from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a program that provides assistance through a competitive selection process to eligible developing countries based on various factors, including a country’s level of economic freedom and effectiveness of government. I voted against this bill because I believe we need to encourage programs that believe in an all-of-the-above energy strategy.

9/30/2022

H.R. 8987

Fairness for 9/11 Families Act

Passed | 400-31
My Vote | YES

This bill would amend the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act to authorize appropriations for catch-up payments from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.