Where The Rubber Meets The Road (5/4/07)

As reported in last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes last week.

House

Iraq funds, withdrawal. Members approved, 218-208, the conference report on a bill (HR 1591) that requires a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq to start by Oct. 1, but sets no date for completing the pullout of all but a residual force. The bill (HR 1591) appropriates about $90 billion through September for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; $5.1 billion for military health care, including veterans' care; $3.1 billion for base closures; and $1.7 billion for military construction. The bill also provides nearly $25 billion for domestic programs.

A yes vote was to approve the conference report.

Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Schwartz (D., Pa.) and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).

Voting no: Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), H. James Saxton (R., N.J.) and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Not much to say beyond what we already know on this…

Horse slaughter. The House passed, 277-137, and sent to the Senate a bill to ban the Interior Department from selling wild horses or burros that roam public lands in the West. The bill (HR 249) is designed to stop the slaughter of those animals for human consumption abroad.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Castle, Dent, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Murphy, Pitts, Saxton, Schwartz, Sestak and Smith.

Not voting: Fattah.

Senate

Iraq funds, withdrawal. The Senate approved, 51-46, and sent to President Bush the conference report on a bill (HR 1591, above) to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to require that U.S. troops begin leaving Iraq by Oct. 1. The president has said he will veto the bill.

A yes vote was to approve the conference report.

Voting yes: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.), Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.) and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Voting no: Arlen Specter (R., Pa.).

How does it feel to be outnumbered, Arlen?

Math, science skills. Senators passed, 88-8, and sent to the House a bill focusing federal departments on the objective of keeping America a global leader in technology and innovation. The bill (S 761) would use new funds and programs to elevate U.S. math and science skills at work and in all school levels.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Carper, Casey, Lautenberg, Menendez and Specter.

Not voting: Biden.

Here’s more on this bill, in particular this excerpt (5)…

In early March, the Senate introduced the COMPETES Act (S761), which is very similar to legislation introduced late last year during the previous Congress. The bill has two main functions: increase the budget authorizations for the Department of Energy Office of Science, The National Science Foundation, and other science agencies; and establish or expand Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education programs - both teacher training programs and support for students. A major difference between this bill and last year’s effort is the timing. Early in the year and with the political support of both the Majority and Minority Leaders, this bill stands a better chance of moving forward.

The House Science and Technology Committee has already reported favorably on both of its competitiveness bills in markups held in late February and late March. The first bill reported, H.R. 363, addresses support for young researchers (its budget authorization provisions were removed and will be dealt with in other legislation), while the second, H.R. 362, reauthorizes and expands teacher training and scholarships for students in STEM disciplines. This bill was amended with additional emphasis on minority serving institutions and institutions and students from low-income areas, as well as support for increasing laboratory experience in high schools. Chairman Gordon expects the legislation to see floor action following the recess.

This week, both chambers were likely to vote on President Bush's expected veto of the Iraq funding and troop-withdrawal bill (House could not override – no point in scheduling a Senate vote at this time if an override cannot be achieved there either). The House passed hate crime legislation and took up Head Start and National Science Foundation funding. The Senate debated the Food and Drug Administration budget.