How your U.S. lawmaker voted

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

House

Terrorism insurance

By a vote of 312-110, the House on Wednesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 2761) renewing for 15 years a program of taxpayer backing to help the insurance industry meet the catastrophic costs of any future terrorist attacks. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) obligates the Treasury to cover a high percentage — 85 percent this year — of industry losses above varying deductible levels, with an overall cap of $100 billion. This bill adds group life insurance to TRIA and expands the law to cover nuclear, biological, radiological and chemical attacks as well as domestic acts of terrorism.

The bill includes a promise but no specific committed financing to offset TRIA's projected cost of $3.5 billion over five years and $8.4 billion over 10 years.

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.

Food and drug safety

By a vote of 405-19, the House on Wednesday sent the Senate a bill giving the Food and Drug Administration new authority to protect consumers against unsafe food, drugs and medical devices. The bill (HR 3580) empowers the FDA for the first time to continually review drugs after they go on the market and order quick corrective action when harmful side effects come to light.

The bill imposes stricter labeling requirements and higher user fees on drug companies, seeks to reduce conflicts of interest on the FDA advisory panels that judge drug safety and requires drug firms to publish the results of clinical trials on the Internet. The bill replaces similar FDA measures approved earlier this year by the House and Senate.

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

Not voting: Dicks.

Home mortgages

By a vote of 348-72, the House on Tuesday granted the Federal Housing Administration new authority to stimulate the residential-housing market, including measures to help holders of shaky subprime mortgages avert default.

In part, the bill (HR 1852) raises by at least 30 percent the maximum value of loans eligible for FHA mortgage insurance, with the actual increase varying by region; makes it easier for qualified holders of problem loans to refinance into FHA-backed mortgages; doubles federal funding of mortgage-counseling services; redirects up to $300 million annually in FHA surpluses from the Treasury general fund to a new affordable-housing program; and broadens the availability of FHA-backed loans for rental housing.

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

Voting no: Hastings.

Federal aviation budget

By a vote of 267-151, the House on Thursday passed a bill (HR 2881) authorizing $68 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration over four years, including $37.2 billion for air-traffic control and other general operations, $15.8 billion for airport improvements and $13 billion to upgrade technology for controlling air traffic. The bill codifies a passengers' bill of rights, increases levies including fuel taxes on corporate aircraft and requires the FAA to renegotiate its labor contract with air-traffic controllers.

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

Voting no: Hastings, McMorris Rodgers.

Not voting: Inslee.

Senate

Rest from combat

By a vote of 56-44, the Senate on Wednesday failed to reach 60 votes needed to advance an amendment setting minimum periods between tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. This occurred during debate on a $649 billion military budget (HR 1585) for 2008 that remained in debate. The amendment required that active-duty troops receive at least as much time back home as they served in the war theater and that National Guard and Reserve combatants receive at least triple the time at home that they served in combat.

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

Iraq funds cutoff

By a vote of 28-70, the Senate on Thursday refused to cut off funding for U.S. combat operations in Iraq on June 30, 2008, except for spending needed to pursue terrorists, protect U.S. personnel and infrastructure and train Iraqi security forces not involved in sectarian killings or attacks on U.S. troops. The amendment to S 1585 (above) required troop withdrawals to begin within 90 days of enactment and be completed by next July, with only a small residual force left behind.

Voting yes: Murray.

Not voting: Cantwell.

Habeas corpus

By a vote of 56-43, the Senate on Wednesday failed to reach 60 votes needed to advance a measure establishing habeas corpus rights for terrorism suspects held in U.S. military prisons. The amendment to HR 1585 (above) sought to repeal a 2006 law that strips federal courts of habeas corpus jurisdiction in such cases.

Established in the Magna Carta in 1215 and written into Article I of the Constitution, habeas corpus gives prisoners the right to be brought into open court to be formally charged.

Voting yes: Cantwell, Murray.

D.C. congressional seat

By a vote of 57-42, the Senate on Tuesday failed to reach 60 votes needed to advance a House-passed bill (S 1257) expanding the House of Representatives from 435 to 437 seats by establishing the District of Columbia as a congressional district and awarding Utah a fourth congressional district. D.C. presumably would elect a Democratic representative and Utah a Republican. The federal city has a House delegate with limited powers and no voice in the Senate.

Voting yes: Cantwell, Murray.

Roll Call Report Syndicate