Congressional votes for last week of July

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

House Vote 1: NEEDLE DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS:

The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3293), that would have barred funding for programs to distribute needles for injecting drugs.

Proponents said the funds could instead be used for drug treatment and said needle distribution would erase accountability for dangerous behavior by allowing easier access to drug-related paraphernalia. Opponents said "there's overwhelming evidence that we can help stop the spread of AIDS by allowing needle exchange programs."
The vote, on July 24, was 211 yeas to 218 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd), Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd), Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

2: PLANNED PARENTHOOD PROGRAMS: The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3293) that would have barred funding for Planned Parenthood under the bill.

Proponents said "it's morally wrong to use the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans to fund abortion providers" and that providing the funding would allow the group to free up resources to engage in abortion practices against the will of the people.

Opponents said the amendment would have no impact on abortions and would limit important health care access for low-income and uninsured patients. The vote, on July 24, was 183 yeas to 247 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd), Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd), Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

House Vote 3: LABOR, HEALTH, AND EDUCATION FUNDING: The House approved the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3293), sponsored by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.

Proponents said the bill was a fiscally responsible effort to improve various health and education programs that would accurately represent the values of the country. Opponents criticized what they called 'excessive spending' in the bill and said it set "the foundation for the implementation of health care reform [which could result in] the rationing of health care."

The vote, on July 24, was 264 yeas to 153 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd) NAYS: Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd), Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

House Vote 4: WACO MAMMOTH NATIONAL MONUMENT: The House approved the Waco Mammoth National Monument Establishment Act (H.R. 1376), sponsored by Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas. Proponents said the site was a national treasure that preserved the remains of mammoths and other species and offered "a unique find of national and international importance" for scientists and the general public. Opponents said the bill lacked "language protecting the property rights on lands adjacent to the monument."

The vote, on July 27, was 308 yeas to 74 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd), Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd) NAYS: Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

House Vote 5: SOUTHERN SEA OTTER POPULATION: The House approved the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act (H.R. 556), sponsored by Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., to have the Fish and Wildlife Service study faltering population growth in the southern sea otter species, which is found off the coast of central California, and to adopt measures to increase its population.

Proponents said the "keystone species" was necessary to sustain the world's ecological system and the coastal and near-shore environment that affects the well-being of all people.

Opponents said the bill "will take a threatened species and place its management needs above others, even if those species are in danger of becoming extinct."

The vote, on July 28, was 316 yeas to 107 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd), Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd) NAYS: Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

House Vote 6: PROTECTING MARINE TURTLES: The House approved the Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 509), sponsored by Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., to extend an existing program to sustain the health of various marine sea turtle species.

Proponents said that "the status of these turtle species remains tenuous" because of a variety of threats that would justify the need to reauthorize funding. The vote, on July 28, was 354 yeas to 72 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd), Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd) NAYS: Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

House Vote 7: DOD APPROPRIATIONS: The House passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 3326) sponsored by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., that set $636 billion in appropriations for the Defense Department for fiscal 2010 to provide funding for military aircraft acquisition, support to U.S. troops in war zones and provide medical care for troops and their families.

Proponents said "this Defense bill is all about taking care of the troops, making sure they have what they need." Opponents said: "We should be using this money to fund universal health care for, or to reform our educational system and train and prepare the next generation to run the green economy of the future, or to reorder our foreign policy around a smart security strategy that emphasizes development and diplomacy." The vote, on July 30, was 400 yeas to 30 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd), Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd), Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

House Vote 8: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS FUNDING: The House passed the William Orton Library Improvement and Modernization Act (H.R. 2728) sponsored by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., to provide financial support for the operation of the law library of the Library of Congress and to authorize $3.5 million for maintaining and administering the operations of the Law Library, including the cataloging of the collections and for the creation of the William Orton Program to provide expanded services and programs at the library.

Proponents said "This bill will help ensure that the Law Library will have the resources needed to maintain and expand its collections while at the same time modernizing its systems." The vote, on July 30, was 383 yeas to 44 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd), Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd), Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st) House Vote 9: FOOD SAFETY ENHANCEMENT: The House passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749) sponsored by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., that will amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to improve global food safety efforts.

Proponents said the legislation would install a responsible program for control by requiring the registration of producers and manufacturers so the FDA can track food manufacturing processes for food produced outside and inside the U.S. Opponents called the legislation "woefully inadequate" and said it failed to achieve a truly improved food safety system because it would expand the reach and authority of the FDA but would not require further accountability or spending any additional funds on the inspection of food.

The vote, on July 30, was 283 yeas to 142 nays. YEAS: Rep. Dan Boren D-OK (2nd) NAYS: Rep. Tom Cole R-OK (4th), Rep. Mary Fallin R-OK (5th), Rep. Frank D. Lucas R-OK (3rd), Rep. John Sullivan R-OK (1st)

SENATE VOTES: Senate Vote 1: NO-BID CONTRACTS AT ENERGY, WATER

AGENCIES: The Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to the Energy and Water Appropriations Act (H.R. 3183) that would have barred no bid contracts being awarded under the bill.

Proponents said the amendment would prevent billions of dollars of contracts from being "placed directly to businesses in this country at higher rates than they would have been otherwise had we had competitive bidding and open contracting."

Opponents said many of the contracts involved "very high-tech, exotic research we are doing in a wide range of energy fields" and were too specialized to be put out for competitive bidding. The vote, on July 29, was 26 yeas to 71 nays. YEAS: Sen. Tom Coburn R-OK, Sen. James M. Inhofe R-OK

Senate Vote 2: ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS:

The Senate approved the Energy and Water Appropriations Act (H.R. 3183), sponsored by Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., to fund energy and water agencies in fiscal 2010.

Proponents said "this bill provides funding to address critical issues that affect our Nation's security and prosperity [and] represents the fair and balanced treatment of competing priorities," preserving funds for high-priority programs and cutting funds for low-priority programs.

Opponents objected to the authorization of no-bid earmarked projects and said it denied the "transparency the American people are aching for in this area of earmarking."

The vote, on July 29, was 85 yeas to 9 nays. NAYS: Sen. Tom Coburn R-OK, Sen. James M. Inhofe R-OK

Senate Vote 3: HIGHWAY TRUST FUND: The Senate passed the Highway Trust Fund Act (H.R. 3357) sponsored by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., that will provide $7 billion in funding to the Highway Trust Fund.

Proponents said the bipartisan bill "will provide the necessary funds to keep important transportation projects operating in states around the country."

Concerns were raised that the legislation would only be a short-term solution to an immediate crisis that should to be solved through long-term reforms so that third bailout of the Highway Trust Fund doesn't become necessary.

The vote, on July 30, was 79 yeas to 17 nays. NAYS: Sen. Tom Coburn R-OK NOT VOTING: Sen. James M. Inhofe R-OK