Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues last week:

House

Presidential immigration order. Voting 219-197, the House on Thursday passed a bill (HR 5759) to nullify as unconstitutional an executive order by President Obama that would temporarily block the potential deportation of an estimated five million undocumented immigrants who are the parents of U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents born before Nov. 20, 2014.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was expected to die with the close of the 113th Congress.

Voting yes: Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), Jon Runyan (R., N.J.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Matt Cartwright (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Donald Norcross (D., N.J.), and Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.).

Cubans, military families, abuse victims. Voting 194-225, the House on Thursday defeated a Democratic bid to prevent HR 5759 (above) from causing the deportation of undocumented Cubans now in the U.S., undocumented family members of U.S. service personnel, or foreigners who are certified as victims of human trafficking or domestic violence back home.

A yes vote backed the Democratic motion.

Voting yes: Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, Norcross, and Schwartz.

Voting no: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Help for the disabled, Medicare cuts. By a vote of 404-17, the House on Wednesday passed a bipartisan bill (HR 647) to establish tax-free savings accounts for the disabled while using cuts in Medicare to help pay the program's $2.1 billion cost over 10 years. Under the bill, disabled people or their families could contribute unlimited sums to special savings accounts, then use the asset growth to pay housing, education or health-care bills as well as costs associated with finding and keeping jobs.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, Runyan, Schwartz, and Smith.

Fiscal 2015 military budget. Voting 300-119, the House on Thursday authorized a $585 billion military budget (HR 3979) for fiscal 2015, including $63.7 billion for actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other war zones. The bill authorizes funding of expanded operations including airstrikes against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. In addition, the bill authorizes nearly $60 billion for active-duty and retiree health care; $17.5 billion for nuclear-weapons programs run by the Department of Energy, and $8.9 billion for national missile defenses.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where quick passage was expected.

Voting yes: Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, Runyan, Schwartz, and Smith.

One-year extension of tax breaks. Voting 378-46, the House on Wednesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 5771) that would renew for one year a package of tax credits and deductions that mainly benefit U.S. businesses but which also help units of government, schools, charities, individuals, nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, college students and other recipients.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, Runyan, Schwartz, and Smith.

Senate

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Voting 53-43, the Senate on Wednesday confirmed David Lopez for a second term as general counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Established in 1965, the EEOC is charged with protecting employees and job applicants against workplace discrimination based on race, color, age, disability, religion, sex, genetic information or national origin. Its role is to investigate complaints and, if they have merit, to seek to resolve them informally or through mediation or lawsuits.

A yes vote was to confirm Lopez.

Voting yes: Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Voting no: Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

This week. Both chambers will vote on spending bills to keep the government open beyond Dec 11. The House will debate California drought relief and renewal of the terrorism-risk insurance program, while the Senate will vote on defense spending, presidential war authority and a retroactive extension of certain tax breaks through 2014.