How your U.S. lawmaker voted

WASHINGTON — Here's how area members of Congress voted on major roll calls in the week ending Friday.

House

Foreign operations budget

By a vote of 241-178, the House on Friday passed a bill (HR 2764) to appropriate $34.2 billion for foreign operations in fiscal 2008, up $2.7 billion, or 8.5 percent, from the comparable 2007 figure.

In part, the bill would provide $6.5 billion for global health initiatives against diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; $1.8 billion for upgrading security of U.S. embassies; $1.3 billion for U.N. peacekeeping missions; $831 million for refugee assistance; $750 million for organizations promoting basic education; $501 million for educational and cultural exchanges; $334 million for international organizations such as the U.N. Children's Fund; $300 million for projects to achieve safe drinking water and $211 million for humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in Darfur.

The bill also would cut the Plan Colombia program for drug interdiction in the Andes region by 10 percent below the administration's request to $531 million and would allow U.S. donations of contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of disease.

Voting yes: Jay Inslee, D-1, Rick Larsen, D-2, Brian Baird, D-3, Norm Dicks, D-6, Jim McDermott, D-7, Dave Reichert, R-8, Adam Smith, D-9.

Voting no: Doc Hastings, R-4, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-5.

Iraq study group

By a vote of 355-69, the House on Thursday amended HR 2764 (above) to revive the Iraq Study Group for the purpose of conducting a follow-up outside assessment of U.S. involvement in Iraq. The report would be a counterpoint to one scheduled in September from U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander there.

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

Contraceptive donations

By a vote of 223-201, The House on Thursday approved U.S. donations of contraceptives to nongovernmental organizations overseas that provide or advocate abortions. The amendment to HR 2764 (above) would make an exception to the government's "Mexico City Policy," which since 1984 has sought to ban all forms of U.S. aid to global family-planning organizations that provide or advocate abortions. The underlying bill enforces the remainder of the Mexico City Policy.

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

Voting no: Hastings, McMorris Rodgers, Reichert.

Senate

New energy policies

By a vote of 65-27, the Senate on Thursday passed a bill (HR 6) to raise vehicle mileage requirements, punish "price gouging" by oil companies, improve the energy efficiency of appliances and lighting, promote clean-energy technologies and diminish federal support of fossil-fuel production. The bill awaits House action.

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

Energy taxes

By a vote of 57-36, the Senate on Thursday failed to reach 60 votes needed to advance a measure raising up to $32 billion in taxes to finance programs in HR 6 (above).

Voting yes: Cantwell, Murray.

Lawsuits against OPEC

By a vote of 70-23, The Senate on Tuesday voted to hold OPEC nations accountable under U.S. antitrust law when they limit oil supplies or fix prices. The amendment to HR 6 (above) authorized the Department of Justice but not private plaintiffs to file suits against OPEC.

Voting yes: Cantwell, Murray.

Coal-to-liquid fuel

By a vote of 33-61, the Senate on Tuesday defeated an amendment to HR 6 (above) providing grants and loans to companies for developing coal-to-liquid fuel technologies. Because coal liquefaction generates a high volume of greenhouse gases, the amendment required firms receiving the federal aid to capture and store at least 75 percent of their carbon-dioxide emissions.

Voting no: Cantwell, Murray.

Roll Call Report Syndicate