By Targeted News Service
WASHINGTON >> Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.
House
Bosnia Peace Accords
The House on March 19 voted 365-30 in favor of passing the Upholding the Dayton Peace Agreement Through Sanctions Act (H.R. 4723), sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo. The bill would require sanctions against foreigners deemed to be threatening the peace, stability, or territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, or undermining the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the Bosnian War of the 1990s. Wagner said: “As a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the United States must use its economic toolkit to deter corruption, obstructionism, and secessionism in Bosnia and promote its accession to Euro-Atlantic institutions.”
U.S. Rep, Marc Molinaro, R-Catskill; and U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, D-Gardiner, voted yes.
Ukrainian Children and Russia
The House on March 19 voted 390-9 in favor of passing a resolution (H. Res. 149), sponsored by Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., declaring that Russian abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia in the past 2 years amounts to genocide. Wild said: “The Russian objective is clear: to eradicate the young generations of the Ukrainians by attempting to destroy their sense of national and cultural identity.”
Molinaro and Ryan voted yes.
Selling Data to U.S. Adversaries
The House on March 20 voted 414-0 in favor of passing the Protecting Americans Data from Foreign Adversaries Act (H.R. 7520), sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., to make it illegal for data brokers to send data on U.S. residents to North Korea, Russia, China, or Iran, with the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the prohibition. Pallone said without the bill, data brokers would continue to be able to “aggregate information with vast amounts of Americans’ sensitive data and sell it to the highest bidder, including foreign adversaries.”
Molinaro and Ryan voted yes.
Oil, Gas Drilling on Federal Lands
The House voted March 20 voted 216-200 in favor of passing the Restoring American Energy Dominance Act (H.R. 6009), sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., to require the withdrawal of a Bureau of Land Management rule that would increase fees for oil and natural gas production leases on federal lands. Boebert said the increase was unnecessary and “will ultimately harm returns and reduce revenues to state and local governments by disincentivizing development on federal lands.” A bill opponent, Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., said: “We need to require any energy developer, including Big Oil, to fully cover the cost of cleanup and reclamation of their extraction.” The vote, on March 20, was 216 yeas to 200 nays.
Molinaro voted yes. Ryan voted no.
Hydrocarbon Fracking
The House on March 20 voted 229-188 in favor of passing the Protecting American Energy Production Act (H.R. 1121), sponsored by Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., to bar an executive order by the president banning hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of oil and natural gas wells without Congressional authorization, and state that states should continue to be the primary regulators of fracking. A bill supporter, Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., said state governments have “comprehensive laws and regulations to provide for safe operations, to protect drinking water sources, and to have trained personnel effectively regulating oil and gas exploration and production.” An opponent, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., called it extreme legislation that “would limit the president’s ability to respond to public health, environmental, and climate risks.”
Molinaro voted yes. Ryan voted no.
Biden Energy Policies
The House on March 21 voted 217-200 in favor of a resolution (H. Res. 987), sponsored by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., to denounce the energy and federal land policies of the Biden administration as harmful and unpredictable, and promote domestic production of reliable and affordable energy. Newhouse said: “The result of this failed track record has been higher prices for consumers — we all know that — and increased dependency on our adversaries like Russia, China, and Venezuela for our energy needs.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said the administration was increasing production of oil and natural gas and renewable resources while “making sure that our economy grows, that gas prices don’t increase, and addressing the climate crisis.”
Ryan voted no. Molinaro did not vote.
Carbon Emissions Tax
The House on March 21 voted 222-196 in favor of passing a resolution (H. Con. Res. 86), sponsored by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon dioxide emissions tax would harm the U.S. economy. Zinke said “a carbon tax makes America less competitive” with energy-supplying rivals such as China and Russia, and increases costs for U.S. families. An opponent, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said the resolution was “ignoring the cost of climate change to communities hit hardest by flooding, wildfires, and other climate catastrophes.”
Ryan voted no. Molinaro did not vote.
Marine Shipping
The House on March 21 voted 393-24 in favor of passing the Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act (H.R. 1836), sponsored by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D. The bill would bar U.S. port authority agencies from using Chinese government-linked transportation data platforms, and require the Federal Maritime Commission to handle complaints about shipping exchanges while also increasing the commission’s authority to curtail market manipulation. Johnson cited China’s attempt “to get coercive economic power over our country and, frankly, every other country in the world, and one of the primary tools of that push for coercive economic power is data” such as would be obtained through the transportation data platforms.
Ryan voted yes. Molinaro did not vote.
Federal Water Regulations
The House on March 21 voted 213-205 in favor of passing the Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act (H.R. 7023), sponsored by Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C. The bill would change Clean Water Act regulations of water quality and water use permits, and require implementation of the Waters of the United States rule that complies with a Supreme Court ruling that limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory powers. Rouzer said: “This legislation will enable the law to be executed and enforced more effectively, save taxpayers money, and provide more consistency for permit holders, seekers, and writers.” An opponent, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano, D-Calif., said it “would increase levels of pollution in our water bodies, increase risk of downstream flooding, and increase certainty that communities like mine cannot maintain sustainable sources of drinking water.”
Senate
Appeals Court Judge
The Senate on March 19 voted 50-47 in favor of confirming the nomination of Nicole Berner to be a judge on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Berner has been a lawyer at the Service Employees International Union since 2006, after several years at Planned Parenthood and as a private practice lawyer. A supporter, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., cited “her understanding of the importance of the independent judicial branch of government and protecting our rights, and her commitment to the values which are the strength of our nation.”
U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., voted yes.
New Jersey Judge
The Senate on March 20 voted 50-49 in favor of confirming the nomination of Edward Kiel to be a judge on the U.S. district court for New Jersey. Kiel has been a federal magistrate judge in the state for five years; previously, he was a private practice lawyer for more than two decades. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Kiel’s “two decades of litigation experience combined with his distinguished career on the bench prove he is ready to handle the demands of the District of New Jersey from day one.”
Schumer and Gillibrand voted yes.
California Judge
The Senate on March 20 voted 50-49 in favor of confirming the nomination of Eumi K. Lee to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. A county-level judge in the Bay Area since 2018, Lee was previously a law professor in San Francisco and a private practice lawyer. A supporter, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said of Lee: “In private practice, in the classroom, and in the courtroom, she has demonstrated the intellect and independent mind needed to serve on the Northern District with distinction.”
Schumer and Gillibrand voted yes.
Assistant Labor Secretary
The Senate on March 21 voted 50-48 in favor of confirming the nomination of Jose Javier Rodriguez to be the Labor Department’s Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training. Rodriguez was a Florida state legislator from 2013 through 2020; currently he is a lawyer, specializing in labor and pension law, at a Miami law firm.
Schumer and Gillibrand voted yes.
Imports of Paraguay Beef
The Senate on March 21 voted 70-25 in favor of passing a resolution (S.J. Res. 62), sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., to disapprove of and void an Agriculture Department rule allowing imports of fresh beef from Paraguay. Imports had been disallowed due to concerns about foot-and-mouth virus being in the imported beef. Tester cited Paraguay’s history of foot-and-mouth disease in its cattle herds, and said it “does not currently meet the animal health standards that are in place to warrant access to our markets.”
Schumer and Gillibrand voted yes.
