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

HOUSE VOTES

INJURED GOVERNMENT WORKERS: The House has passed the Improving Access to Workers Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (H.R. 6087), sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn. The bill would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide treatment for federal government employees under workers’ compensation protocols. Courtney said expanding treatment options would give government workers the same level of access to health care as other workers, particularly in underserved parts of the country. An opponent, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said “increasing the scope of practice of nurse practitioners or physician assistants can lead to increased healthcare costs.” The vote, on June 7, was 325 yeas to 83 nays.

YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District

BANKRUPTCY LAW: The House has passed the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment and Technical Corrections Act (S. 3823), sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. The bill would change bankruptcy law for small businesses and individuals, including by increasing the amount of debt covered by a bankruptcy filing and indexing future debt amounts to inflation. A supporter, Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said the changes responded to the needs of “hardworking Americans and their families trying to stay afloat in a world that can get turned upside down by global economic shocks.” The vote, on June 7, was 392 yeas to 21 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

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GUN REGULATIONS: The House has passed the Protecting Our Kids Act (H.R. 7910), sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to make assorted changes to federal laws concerning guns and ammunition. Changes would include banning the purchase of some types of semiautomatic firearms by people younger than 21, outlawing some types of gun trafficking, and placing capacity limits on magazines and other ammunition feeding devices. Nadler said: “We must pass this bill to save our police officers, to save our communities, to save our children.” An opponent, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said: “There are steps we can take to prevent tragedies from occurring without endangering and infringing upon the rights of law-abiding citizens.” The vote, on June 8, was 223 yeas to 204 nays.

YEAS: Pingree

NAYS: Golden

SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING: The House has passed the Hubzone Price Evaluation Preference Clarification Act (H.R. 5879), sponsored by Rep. Marie Newman, D-Ill., to change price evaluation preferences for the Small Business Administration’s HUBZone program for assisting potential contractors to the federal government. Newman called the preferences change “a crucial step toward a more equitable distribution of resources to small businesses throughout our country.” The vote, on June 8, was 359 yeas to 61 nays.

YEAS: Pingree

NOT VOTING: Golden

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SMALL BUSINESS APPRENTICESHIPS: The House has passed the Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act (H.R. 7622), sponsored by Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., to allow the federal government’s small business development centers to issue information about apprenticeships and other job training programs. Crow said: “This bill would help workers gain the skills they need for in-demand jobs and help small businesses grow their business.” The vote, on June 8, was 358 yeas to 52 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

WATER PROJECTS: The House has passed the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 7776), sponsored by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., to authorize an array of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water management projects over the next two years. DeFazio said the authorization “significantly expands the Corps’ environmental infrastructure authorities to assist more communities in addressing drinking water and wastewater needs.” The vote, on June 8, was 384 yeas to 37 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

PRESCRIPTION DRUG FEES: The House has passed the Food and Drug Amendments of 2022 (H.R. 7667), sponsored by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., to reauthorize through fiscal 2027, and modify, the Food and Drug Administration’s user fee programs for prescription drugs and other medical products. The vote, on June 8, was 392 yeas to 28 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

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GUN RISK PROTECTION ORDERS: The House has passed the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (H.R. 2377), sponsored by Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., to authorize the federal courts system to issue extreme risk protection orders to pre-emptively bar individuals from having a gun on the basis of the potential risk of using the gun to commit a crime or commit suicide. McBath ssaid the orders would “provide law enforcement and family members the tools that they need to prevent these mass shootings.” An opponent, Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., said “this bill takes away due process from law-abiding citizens” and leaves them susceptible to false accusations that result in the loss of their right to have guns. The vote, on June 9, was 224 yeas to 202 nays.

YEAS: Pingree

NAYS: Golden

SENATE VOTES

AIR FORCE OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Alex Wagner to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Wagner, a Defense Department lawyer during the Obama administration, then became an executive at the Aerospace Industries Association. The vote, on June 7, was 76 yeas to 21 nays.

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

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HOMELAND SECURITY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kenneth Wainstein to be the Homeland Security Department’s Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis. Wainstein was, for more than 20 years, a federal law enforcement and national security official, then became a private practice lawyer in Washington, D.C. The vote, on June 7, was 63 yeas to 35 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

ENERGY AND MINORITIES: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Shalanda H. Baker to the Energy Department’s Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact. Baker had been a law professor at Northeastern University and, most recently, an official at the Energy Department’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. A supporter, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., said Baker was well qualified to help “ensure that our energy policies do not leave anyone behind or impose an unfair or disproportionate burden on minority or disadvantaged communities.” The vote, on June 7, was 54 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

WORKER BENEFITS: The Senate has rejected the nomination of Lisa M. Gomez to be the Labor Department’s Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security. Gomez has, since 1994, been an employee benefits lawyer, most recently as a partner at a New York City law firm. A supporter, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said that if confirmed, Gomez would “fight to hold employers accountable to the law, ensure workers get the benefits they are owed, and protect families’ financial security.” The vote, on June 8, was 49 yeas to 51 nays.

NAYS: Collins

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YEAS: King

NEW YORK JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Nina Morrison to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the eastern district of New York. Morrison has been a lawyer at the Innocence Project, representing prison inmates challenging their sentences, since 2002. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., praised Morrison’s “dedication, breadth of experience, and unique perspective.” The vote, on June 8, was 53 yeas to 46 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

OVERSEEING CREDIT UNIONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Todd M. Harper to be a member, and chairman, of the National Credit Union Administration Board for a term ending in April 2027. Harper became a Board member in April 2019, and was previously a Board staffer, and before that a House of Representatives aide. A supporter, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Harper “understands the vital role that credit unions play in local communities, especially rural and underserved communities.” The vote, on June 8, was 59 yeas to 40 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

ADULT EDUCATION: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Amy Loyd to be the Education Department’s Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education. Loyd had been a senior adviser at the agency, and previously was an executive at Jobs for the Future. The vote, on June 8, was 57 yeas to 42 nays.

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YEAS: Collins, King

CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robert Huie to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the southern district of California. Huie has been a private practice lawyer since 2020, and for 12 years before that was an assistant U.S. attorney in San Diego. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited Huie’s “legal work both in and out of the courtroom, coupled with his decades-long career” in the district. The vote, on June 9, was 51 yeas to 46 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

HEALTH LAWYER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Samuel Bagenstos to be general counsel for the Department of Health and Human Services. Bagenstos, a civil rights assistant attorney general early in the Obama administration, then became a law professor at the University of Michigan, and most recently was general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget. A supporter, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Bagenstos had “the right outlook on what public service in the law is all about. I am particularly pleased that he has been a crusader for the rights of Americans with disabilities.” The vote, on June 9, was 49 yeas to 43 nays.

NAYS: Collins

YEAS: King

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