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

Tobacco trafficking

By a vote of 379-12, the House on Wednesday passed a bill (HR 4081) to crack down on those who sell tobacco products across state lines without paying state sales taxes. The bill virtually bans the mailing of those products and requires vendors to notify tax officials in receiving states when they use commercial-delivery services. The bill raises cigarette trafficking from a misdemeanor to a felony and empowers the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to inspect companies that distribute large volumes of tobacco products. The bill is before the Senate.

Voting yes: Jay Inslee, D-1; Rick Larsen, D-2; Brian Baird, D-3; Doc Hastings, R-4; Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-5; Jim McDermott, D-7; Dave Reichert, R-8; Adam Smith, D-9.

Not voting: Norm Dicks, D-6.

Mexican truck ban

By a vote of 395-18, the House on Tuesday voted to block an administration plan to extend a pilot program in which a limited number of Mexican trucks can travel throughout the U.S. The bill (HR 6630) would confine Mexican trucking to border zones. Even though the 1993 North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) authorizes long-haul Mexican trucking in the U.S., Congress has never given its approval.

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

Not voting: Smith.

Senate

National missile defense

By a vote of 39-57, the Senate on Wednesday refused to increase national missile-defense spending by $271 million over the $9.3 billion already included in the $601 billion 2009 military budget (S 3001). The bill remained in debate. Backers sought to pay for the amendment by reducing other defense programs by $271 million but left it up to the Pentagon to specify the cuts.

Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joseph Biden, D-Del., did not vote.

Voting no: Maria Cantwell, D, Patty Murray, D.

Military benefits

By a vote of 94-2, the Senate on Wednesday voted to end a policy that reduces military spouses' survivor benefits by the amount received in Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The former is an insurance annuity to spouses and children of dead troops. The latter is a Department of Veterans Affairs benefit for spouses of active-duty personnel who die from a service-related cause. This vote occurred during debate on S 3001 (above).

Obama, McCain and Biden did not vote.

Voting yes: Cantwell, Murray.

Roll Call Report Syndicate