How your U.S. lawmaker voted

WASHINGTON — Here's how the state's members of Congress voted in the week ended Friday.

House

Homeland Security budget

By a vote of 389-37, the House on Wednesday approved a $44 billion Department of Homeland Security budget for fiscal 2010, up 6.5 percent from 2009. The bill (HR 2892) funds agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard and Secret Service. The bill bars development of a national ID card; requires threat assessments of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; and prohibits spending to block individuals from importing FDA-approved drugs from Canada.

In part, the bill provides $804 million for developing systems to screen cargo entering the U.S. by land and sea; $800 million for installing explosive-detection units at airports; $382 million for cybersecurity; $241.5 million for Coast Guard operations in the Persian Gulf and off the Somalia coast; and $122.8 million for air-cargo screening.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Jay Inslee, D-1; Rick Larsen, D-2; Brian Baird, D-3; Doc Hastings, R-4; Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-5; Norm Dicks, D-6; Jim McDermott, D-7; Dave Reichert, R-8; Adam Smith, D-9.

Air-marshals budget

By a vote of 134-294, the House on Wednesday refused to cut spending in HR 2892 for the Federal Air Marshal Service from $860 million to $819 million. The agency's mission is to station armed marshals on an undisclosed number of passenger flights.

A yes vote was to cut the air-marshal budget.

Voting yes: Baird, Hastings, McMorris Rodgers, McDermott.

Voting no: Inslee, Larsen, Reichert, Smith.

Not voting: Dicks.

Economic stimulus

By a vote of 113-318, the House on Wednesday refused to cut Department of Homeland Security spending in HR 2892 by $2.7 billion, the amount of stimulus funds Congress added this year to the department's budget.

A yes vote backed the spending cut.

Voting yes: Hastings, McMorris Rodgers, Reichert.

Voting no: Inslee, Larsen, Baird, Dicks, McDermott, Smith.

2010 military budget

By a vote of 389-22, the House on Thursday authorized a $680 billion military budget for fiscal 2010, including $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $9.3 billion for the national missile defense. The bill (HR 2647) sets a 3.4 percent military raise, increases active-duty personnel by 40,200 troops to 1.4 million troops and bars permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.

Now awaiting Senate action, the bill authorizes $369 million for F-22 stealth fighter jets that was opposed by the administration on grounds that the money would be better spent on conflicts, such as the war in Afghanistan.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Withdrawal

from Afghanistan

By a vote of 138-278, the House on Thursday defeated an amendment to HR 2647 requiring the Department of Defense to report to Congress by the end of the year on any plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting yes: Inslee, McDermott.

Voting no: Larsen, Baird, Hastings, McMorris Rodgers, Dicks, Reichert, Smith.

Interrogation videotapes

By a vote of 224-193, the House on Thursday required the government to videotape all military interrogations, except during combat, and retain the tapes in a secured and classified repository. The amendment was added to HR 2647.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

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

Voting no: Baird, Hastings, McMorris Rodgers, Reichert.

Cap-and-trade

energy bill

By a vote of 219-212, the House on Friday passed a bill (HR 2454) that would slowly shift U.S. energy production and consumption from carbon-based fuels to renewable fuels while imposing a cap-and-trade system to gradually reduce the economy's discharge of the greenhouse gases associated with global warming. Using 2005 as a benchmark, the bill's cap-and-trade rules would reduce these emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050.

Under the bill, the Environmental Protection Agency would set a declining, economywide cap on the emissions of some 7,400 utilities, factories, agricultural facilities and other polluters. These regulated firms would receive permits to emit a certain quantity of greenhouse gases. Those staying below their allowance could trade the excess to firms going beyond theirs. The government would auction some allowances and give others away. The auctions would raise a projected $846 billion through 2019, most of which would be spent for purposes such as subsidizing consumer-energy bills and helping firms convert from carbon-based to renewable-energy sources.

The bill uses the tax code to promote energy efficiencies and the development of renewable fuels; requires utilities to produce 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020; provides certain energy-intensive industries with free pollution allowances for a limited time to keep them competitive in international markets; authorizes $25 billion in loans to help automobile manufacturers develop fuel-efficient vehicles; and provides low-income households with refundable energy tax credits to offset higher energy costs,

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Hastings, McMorris Rodgers.

Senate

Tourism in America

By a vote of 53-34, the Senate on Monday failed to get 60 votes to end a filibuster on a bill (S 1023) that would establish a federal corporation to increase foreign travel to the U.S. and expand Department of Commerce tourism programs. The Corporation for Travel Promotion would be funded by assessments of about $20 million annually on the U.S. hospitality industry and $160 million annually in fees received by the Department of Homeland Security for granting visa waivers.

A yes vote was to advance the bill.

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

Harold Koh nomination

By a vote of 62-35, the Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of Yale Law School Dean Harold Hongju Koh as the Department of State's top lawyer. As the department's legal adviser, Koh, 54, would help to set U.S. foreign policy. Backers hailed Koh's expertise in international law, while critics questioned his commitment to U.S. sovereignty.

A yes vote was to confirm Koh.

Voting yes: Cantwell, Murray.

Legislative-branch budget

By a vote of 65-31, the Senate on Thursday killed a motion to reduce the $3.12 billion legislative-branch budget (HR 2918) for fiscal 2010 to its 2009 level. Backers said this would save $76 million. The bill remained in debate.

A yes vote opposed freezing Congress' own budget.

Voting yes: Cantwell, Murray.

Roll Call Report Syndicate