How your U.S. lawmaker voted

WASHINGTON — How the state's members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes in the week ending Friday.

HOUSE

Food labeling, safety: By a vote of 283-139, the House on Thursday advanced a bill (HR 4167) that would federalize and make uniform the food-safety and -labeling laws of the 50 states. The federal standards on health warnings on packaged foods would override stricter state or local requirements, but states could petition for exemptions. The bill awaits Senate action.

Voting yes: Rick Larsen, D-2; Doc Hastings, R-4; Cathy McMorris, R-5; Dave Reichert, R-8.

Voting no: Jay Inslee, D-1; Brian Baird, D-3; Norm Dicks, D-6; Jim McDermott, D-7; Adam Smith, D-9.

Bioterror exemption: By a vote of 164-255, the House on Thursday rejected an amendment to HR 4167 (above) to exempt state measures for protecting food supplies from bioterrorism attacks.

Voting yes: Inslee, Larsen, Baird, Dicks, McDermott, Smith.

Voting no: Hastings, McMorris, Reichert.

Carcinogen warnings: By a vote of 161-259, the House on Thursday defeated an amendment to keep HR 4167 (above) from overriding state-required label warnings that food products contain unhealthful agents such as carcinogens, chemicals that could cause birth defects or reproductive problems, and sulfites associated with allergies.

Voting yes: Inslee, Baird, Dicks, McDermott, Smith.

"Gag order" challenges: By a vote of 280-138, the House on Wednesday sent President Bush a bill (S 2271) that added civil-liberties protections to the USA Patriot Act. In part, the bill gave libraries, medical offices, businesses and other targets of secret government subpoenas standing to challenge — in secret court proceedings — the "gag orders" that prevent them from discussing the investigations. The bill also drops the present requirement that targets of probes disclose their attorneys' names to the government. This vote cleared the way for Bush to sign separate legislation renewing the Patriot Act.

Voting yes: Larsen, Baird, Hastings, McMorris, Dicks, Reichert, Smith.

Voting no: Inslee, McDermott.

Anti-drug agency: By a vote of 399-5, the House on Wednesday passed a bill (HR 2829) that would renew through 2011 the Office of National Drug Control, which coordinates the executive branch's many programs to combat illegal drugs. The bill, which awaits Senate action, would require countermeasures against border tunnels used by drug smugglers; give the agency one year to host an international summit on the methamphetamine epidemic; require at least 10 percent of the agency's advertising budget to be spent to counter meth trafficking; and allocate funds to help local law enforcement deal with the meth scourge.

Voting yes: Inslee, Larsen, Baird, Hastings, McMorris, Dicks, Reichert.

Voting no: McDermott.

Not voting: Smith.

SENATE

Ethics, lobbying: By a vote of 44-55, Republicans on Wednesday defeated a Democratic proposal to tighten Senate ethics rules and restrain lobbyists. The amendment was offered to a bipartisan ethics bill (S 2349) that remained in debate. The Democratic measure sought to bar senators and their staffs from accepting gifts from lobbyists, including meals; to prohibit businesses and other supplicants from providing privately financed travel for senators and their staffs; to make it a felony for lawmakers to use their position to influence hiring decisions by lobbyists; to bar senators and their staffs from negotiating private-sector jobs with those over whom they legislate, and to require House-Senate conference committees to meet publicly, vote openly and allow minority-party participation.

Voting yes: Maria Cantwell, D; Patty Murray, D.

Roll Call Report Syndicate