The Missouri Delegation: How They Voted February 5-9, 2007

The House of Representatives took up three issues for roll call votes last week, and the Senate held two.

House Votes

Alternative Fuel Infrastructure (HR 574): Voting 400-3, the House passed a bill to enable the transport of clean alternative fuels through a U.S. pipeline and storage system now designed for petroleum. For example, the bill would fund research and development to speed the development of low-sulfur diesel fuels, and would authorize funding to help service stations convert tanks and pumps to handle alternative fuels. A Yes vote sent the bill to the Senate.

Liquefied Coal (HR 574): Voting 200-207, the House defeated a Republican motion to broaden the definition of alternative fuels to include natural gas and Hydrogen, as well as liquefied coal technologies that yield low-sulfur diesel and aviation fuels. A Yes vote backed the measure.

Speaker’s Aircraft (HR 547): Voting 385-23, the House added language to the alternative fuels measure to require production of such fuels for large aircraft. Republicans introduced the measure to criticize Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the assignment of a large military jet for her trips. The Republicans are criticizing the speaker because a larger jet is required to get from Washington to San Francisco non-stop than the smaller jet that carried Speaker Hastert from Washington to Chicago non-stop after the Speakers security was increased by legislative fiat in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A Yes vote backed the amendment.

In the House the votes from the Missouri delegation were:
Clay: 1-Yes, 2-No, 3-Yes
Akin: 1-Yes, 2-Yes, 3-Yes
Carnahan: 1-Yes, 2-No, 3-Yes
Skelton: 1-Yes, 2-No, 3-Yes
Cleaver: 1-Yes, 2-No, 3-Yes
Graves: 1-Yes, 2-Yes, 3-Yes
Blunt: 1-Yes, 2-Yes, 3-Yes
Emerson: 1-Yes, 2-Yes, 3-Yes
Hulsoff: 1-Yes, 2-Yes, 3-Yes

Senate Votes

Iraq Debate Dispute (S 470): Voting 49-47, the Senate fell short of the 60 votes needed to end a GOP delay and begin debate on a bipartisan, non-binding measure opposing president Bush’s plan to add 21,500 additional troops to Iraq. Republicans said they would allow such a debate only if it included their non-binding measure in opposition to any Iraq war cuts. A Yes vote was to begin debating the bipartisan measure.

General George W. Casey: Voting 83-14, the Senate confirmed General George W. Casey as Army Chief of Staff. Debate centered on the extent to which he should be held accountable for U.S. military failures while he was the top commander in Iraq. A Yes vote was to confirm.

(Bond voted No on both, and McCaskill voted Yes on both).

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The Missouri Delegation: How They Voted, Jan.22-26

This week, those we chose just didn’t get a whole lot done. The House took up exactly one floor vote, and the Senate deadlocked on the Minimum Wage bill that the House sent to them last week.

By a vote of 226-191, the House extended limited voting rights on the House floor to delegates from American Samoa, The District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It was a largely symbolic resolution that allows the five non-state representatives to vote on amendments to bills, but not for final passage. The measure is truly symbolic, as no issue can be decided on the votes of these “representatives.”

In the Senate, they failed to achieve the magic number of 60 to overcome GOP opposition and advance the bill that would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. GOP Senators opposed the House version of the bill because it omitted tax breaks for small businesses that might be forced to pay higher wages. The vote was 54 against to 43 for. A Yea vote was to pass the measure.

The Senate also voted 28 for and 69 against abolishing the federal minimum wage and sending the issue to the states. (D.C. and 29 states have a minimum wage higher than the federally mandated minimum.) A Yea was to abolish the federal minimum.

Voting 49 for and 48 against, the Senate also failed to achieve the 60 votes needed to advance a proposal that would empower presidents to block entitlements and discretionary spending in a line-item basis. Under the GOP sponsored amendment, presidents would be able to reject individual items within overall spending packages approved by the Congress. Such rescissions would be sent back to Capitol Hill where a simple majority in both chambers, conducted within eight days would be required to ratify the cuts. Under the legislation, presidents would have been able to exercise the line-item rescission four times per year. A Yea vote was for passage.

Next week the House will take up stopgap appropriations for agencies still operating without regular budgets for FY 2007 after the 109^th congress failed to pass the budget.

The Senate will be taking up floor debate on the presidents proposed troop escalation in Iraq.

Your handy-dandy reference chart on how each member of the Missouri delegation voted is here:

Senators	House: HR 78	Senate HR 2	Senate HR 2 (amnd)	Senate (HR 2)
Bond (Rep)		Nay	Yea	Yea
McCaskill (Dem)		Yea	Nay	Nay
Representatives
Clay (Dem)	Yea
Akin (Rep)	Nay
Carnahan (Dem)	Yea
Skelton (Dem)	Yea
Cleaver (Dem)	Yea
Graves (Rep)	Nay
Blunt (Rep)	Nay
Emerson (Rep)	Nay
Hulsof (Dem)	Nay

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The Missouri Delegation: How They Voted

Last week the House of Representatives voted 356-71 to reduce interest on Student Loans through the Stafford Loan program for undergraduates. the action will lower interest rates on Stafford Loans incrementally over four years, dropping the rate from the current 6.8% to 3.4% by 2011. (A "Yea" was to pass the bill). The GOP attempted to attach a means test to the interest relief, but the measure was voted down 186-241. (A "Yea" vote was to add means testing).

The House also voted 264-163 to repeal tax breaks (to oil companies) that were written to drive the extraction of fossil fuels and use the savings to develop renewable fuels and increase energy efficiencies. (A "Yea" vote was to pass the bill).

On the other side of the building, the Senate voted 96-2 to pass a sweeping lobbying reform and ethics package that is intended to rein in lobbyists and prevent them from providing perks, gifts and meals above minimal levels to Senators and their staff members. The legislation also mandates full disclosure of tax and spending earmarks before votes are taken. The ethics package also requires Ethics Committee pre-clearance of privately financed travel. Senators traveling by private (corporate) jets now must pay the substantially higher charter rates for the trip. (In the past, they merely paid the equivalent of a first-class ticket). The legislation limits the professional contacts that lobbyist spouses of lawmakers can pursue. The new legislation doubles the length of time that must elapse before a former Senator can register as a lobbyist. The Ethics package also does away with the practice of anonymous holds being placed on legislation. (A "Yea" vote was to send the bill to conference).

The Senate also voted 89-5 to outlaw the practice of lobbyists and lobbying organizations throwing lavish parties for members of Congress at the political nominating conventions. (A "Yea" was to add the ban).

The Senate voted 27-71 to reject and amendment to the Ethics package that would have established a non-partisan Office of Public Integrity to investigate complaints of misconduct by Senators and Senate staffers. (A "Yea" vote backed the amendment).

In a closer vote, the Senate voted 55-43 to strip the Ethics bill of a provision that would have initiated federal regulation of so-called "Astroturf" lobbying. The term refers to well-financed influence campaigns that misrepresent themselves as grass-roots efforts. (A 'Yea" vote opposed the regulation).

As you can see from the handy charts below, the Missouri delegation pretty much split across along party lines, with the exception of Roy Blunt, who can always be counted on to embrace partisan hack-dom, no matter what.

This Weeks's House Votes

Representative	Student Loan Interest Rates	GOP Income test (HR 5)	Oil Company taxation ((HR 6)
Clay (D)	Yea	No	Yea
Akin (R)	Yea	Yea	No
Carnahan (D)	Yea	No	Yea
Skelton (D)	Yea	No	Yea
Cleaver (D)	Yea	No	Yea
Graves (R)	Yea	Yea	No
Blunt (R)	No	Yea	No
Emerson (R)	Yea	Yea	Yea
Hulshof (R)	Yea	Yea	No

This Weeks Senate Votes

Senator	Ethics Reform Legislation	Convention Lobbying	Office of Public Integrity	“Astroturf” Lobbying
Bond (R)	Yea	No Vote	No	Yea
McCaskill (D)	Yea	Yea	Yea	No

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