Where The Rubber Meets The Road (6/15/07)

As reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes for the week ending on Friday June 8th.

(I'm just trying to catch up from vacation here; this is pretty much predictable party-line stuff, and I really don't have much to say, but I'm just posting this "for the record" - I'll plan to get to last week later today.)

House

Stem-cell research. The House approved, 247-176, and sent to President Bush a bill that would extend federal financing of embryonic stem-cell research far beyond the narrow limits set by Bush in a 2001 executive order. The president said he would veto the legislation.

A yes vote was to pass the bill (S 5).

Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Schwartz (D., Pa.) and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.)

Voting no: Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), H. James Saxton (R., N.J.) and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Ethics. The House voted, 387-10, to change its rules to require automatic ethics investigations of indicted members. The new rule was sparked by the indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D., La.) on bribery and other charges.

A yes vote was to adopt the rule.

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

Not voting: Holden.

Senate

Immigration. In a 45-50 vote, the Senate fell 15 votes short of the 60 needed to advance a bill that would have provided U.S. employers with temporary foreign workers, tightened U.S. borders, and set a long path to legality for America's 12 million illegal aliens. The bill was later shelved.

All Philadelphia-area senators voted to advance the bill (S 1348).

And I think that our "buddy" Trent Lott made sure the bill will stay "shelved" (a nod to this post).

For the week ending June 15th, the House considered 2008 budgets for the Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and Interior Departments, and the Senate debated energy legislation.