Along with roll call votes last week, the House also passed: the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act (H.R. 2566), to ensure the integrity of voice communications and prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination against rural areas regarding such communications; the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act (H.R. 4365), to amend the Controlled Substances Act with regard to the provision of emergency medical services; the Women, Peace, and Security Act (H.R. 5332), to promote the meaningful participation of women in conflict mediation and negotiations processes; the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act (H.R. 5732), to halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, encourage a negotiated political settlement, and hold Syrian human rights abusers accountable for their crimes.

The Senate also passed: the Northern Border Security Review Act (S. 1808), to require the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a Northern Border threat analysis; the First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act (S. 1915), to direct the secretary of Homeland Security to make anthrax vaccines available to emergency response providers; the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act (H.R. 5392), to direct the secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the Veterans Crisis Line; and the National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act (H.R. 845), to direct the secretary of the Department of Agriculture to publish a strategy to significantly increase the role of volunteers and partners in National Forest System trail maintenance.

HOUSE VOTES

BANNING SPOOFING CALLS: The House has passed the Anti-Spoofing Act (H.R. 2669), sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y. The bill would extend to calls that come from outside the U.S. a ban on phone calls and text messages that display inaccurate caller identification information on recipients’ phones, in order to mislead the recipient into providing financial and other information about themselves. Meng said the growth of spoofing calls from overseas has enabled the theft of millions of dollars from Americans, making the extension of the ban necessary to help protect immigrants, seniors, veterans, and other vulnerable groups. The vote, on Nov. 14, was 382 yeas to 5 nays.

YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, Bruce Poliquin, R-2nd District

EXTENDING IRAN SANCTIONS: The House has passed the Iran Sanctions Extension Act (H.R. 6297), sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Royce, R-Calif., to reauthorize the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. Royce said the extension was needed to preserve an important check on Iran’s power to develop nuclear weapons and fund international terrorism. The vote, on Nov. 15, was 419 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Pingree, Poliquin

DEMOCRACY IN THE CONGO: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 780), sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J., urging the Democratic Republic of the Congo to follow its constitution during a democratic transition of power in a presidential election later this year. A supporter, Rep. Edward R. Royce, R-Calif., said Congo President Joseph Kabila has suppressed his opponents and delayed the election indefinitely, blocking an orderly transfer of power that would preserve peace and the rule of law in the Congo. The vote, on Nov. 15, was 416 yeas to 3 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Poliquin

REGULATIONS PROPOSED BY OUTGOING PRESIDENTS: The House has passed the Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 5982), sponsored by Rep. Darrell E. Issa, R-Calif. The bill would authorize congressional reviews of groups of regulations that are proposed by federal agencies within the last 60 days of a session of Congress during the final year of a president’s term. Issa said that by enabling Congress to more speedily consider many rules proposed by an outgoing president, the bill would improve the balance of power and Congress’ capacity to oversee and pass judgment, rather than be forced to accept such rules. A bill opponent, Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., said it was “based on the fundamentally flawed premise that rules finalized during the final year of a president’s term are somehow rushed or improperly vetted.” The vote, on Nov. 17, was 240 yeas to 179 nays.

NAYS: Pingree

YEAS: Poliquin

IRAN AIRCRAFT SALES: The House has passed a bill (H.R. 5711), sponsored by Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., that would bar the Treasury secretary from authorizing transactions by U.S. banks or the government’s Export-Import Bank that facilitate the sale of passenger planes to Iran. Huizenga said the government should not support sales of planes to a country that seeks to undermine U.S. and global security by backing terrorism. A bill opponent, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said the ban would violate the nuclear weapons pact with Iran by breaching a U.S. promise to Iran not to undermine the pact’s successful implementation. The vote, on Nov. 17, was 243 yeas to 174 nays.

NAYS: Pingree

YEAS: Poliquin

SENATE VOTES

ORAL HISTORIES FROM FAMILIES OF WAR CASUALTIES: The Senate has passed the Gold Star Families Voices Act (H.R. 4511), sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J. The bill would authorize the Library of Congress to collect oral histories on audio and video from family members of soldiers who died in U.S. wars, as part of the Library’s Veterans History Project. A supporter, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said expanding the project’s scope would give the family members a chance “to share their stories so future generations of Americans may never forget the people we owe our freedom to.” The vote, on Nov. 15, was unanimous with 97 yeas.

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

SHARING REVENUE FROM ENERGY PRODUCTION: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on the American Energy and Conservation Act (S. 3110). The bill would change administration of oil and natural gas development in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and renewable energy development on federal lands, by sharing revenue from onshore and offshore energy production projects on those lands and waterways with states that host the projects. A supporter, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said “responsible revenue sharing allows states hosting energy production to mitigate for the historic and prospective infrastructure demands of energy production.” An opponent, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said revenue sharing would unfairly take $7 billion of royalties payments for offshore oil and gas production from the federal government within 10 years and give that money to a small number of coastal states. The vote to end debate, on Nov. 17, was 51 yeas to 47 nays, with a three-fifths majority required to end debate.

NAYS: Collins, King

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