WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

Along with roll call votes, the Senate also took action on the following legislation. It passed the STEM Education Act (H.R. 1020), to include computer science as a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics discipline, and support existing STEM education programs at the National Science Foundation; passed the Mandatory Price Reporting Act (H.R. 2051), to extend mandatory livestock price reporting rules; and passed a bill (S. 1632), to require the development of a regional strategy to address the threat posed by Boko Haram in West Africa.

HOUSE VOTES

House Vote 1

FUNDING FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD: The House has passed the Defund Planned Parenthood Act (H.R. 3134), sponsored by Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn. The bill would enact a one-year moratorium on federal funding for Planned Parenthood unless the group stops performing abortions or funding abortions by other entities. Black said the bill, by adding $235 million of funding for community health centers, would reallocate resources from Planned Parenthood to facilities “that provide true preventative care to those who need it the most.” A bill opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said the community health centers “don’t have the ability to provide the women’s health needs” that Planned Parenthood can provide. The vote, on Sept. 18, was 241 yeas to 187 nays.

NAYS: Chellie Pingree D-Maine (1st)

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YEAS: Bruce Poliquin R-Maine (2nd)

House Vote 2

INFANTS AND ABORTION: The House has passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 3504), sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. The bill would provide full legal protections for infants born alive after an attempted abortion, and stipulate punishment for those who kill such infants. Franks said the bill, by recognizing “the personhood of these little born-alive babies,” would protect them from the abortion industry. A bill opponent, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., said it “attempts to criminalize legal medical care and punish millions of women by rolling back reproductive choices.” The vote, on Sept. 18, was 248 yeas to 177 nays.

NAYS: Pingree

YEAS: Poliquin

SENATE VOTES

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Senate Vote 1

LATE-TERM ABORTIONS: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36), sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. The bill would bar abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, except in cases of rape or incest against a minor, or when the abortion is deemed necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman. A supporter, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said studies have shown “that at approximately 5 months babies can feel pain,” and that the bill “can save more than 18,000 lives each and every year.” A bill opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the restrictions imposed by it would leave women without “the choice to terminate a pregnancy for her own health protection and for the opportunity to have another baby.” The vote, on Sept. 22, was 54 yeas to 42 nays, with a three-fifths majority required to end debate.

NAYS: Susan Collins R-Maine, Angus King I-Maine

Senate Vote 2

DEBATING MILITARY SPENDING BILL: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 2685), sponsored by Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, R-Pa. The bill would provide $578 billion for the military in fiscal 2016, including $88.4 billion for war efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, and a 2.3 percent pay increase for military members. A supporter of ending debate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said resolving uncertainty about the military’s 2016 budget was an urgent matter “at a time with unprecedented international threats” to the U.S. An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats needed “a budget agreement that fairly prevents mindless sequester cuts to defense and the middle class alike” before agreeing to end debate on the bill. The vote, on Sept. 22, was 54 yeas to 42 nays, with a three-fifths majority required to end debate.

YEAS: Collins

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NAYS: King

Senate Vote 3

TEMPORARY GOVERNMENT FUNDING: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on the Hire More Heroes Act (H.J. Res. 61), sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill. The bill would provide continuing appropriations to fund the federal government through December 11. A supporter, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said the funding would avert a government shutdown that could begin on October 1. A bill opponent, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., said an alternative government budget was needed, one that cancels sequester spending cuts and increases spending on programs that boost the economy and diminish income inequality. The vote, on Sept. 24, was 47 yeas to 52 nays, with a three-fifths majority required to end debate.

NAYS: Collins, King


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