Where The Rubber Meets The Road (3/13/10)

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

Jobs creation. Voting 217-201, the House passed a jobs bill (HR 2847) that would temporarily exempt businesses from having to pay the 6.2 percent employer's share of Social Security withholding taxes on workers they hire this year from the jobless ranks. Employers also would receive a $1,000 tax credit for each new hire who stays on the job for one year. The two incentives are designed to put 300,000 people back to work at a cost to the Treasury of about $13 billion.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: John Adler (D., N.J.), Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (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.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Not voting: Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.)

So just remember, the next time you hear “Man Tan” Boehner or any other Repug braying “where are the jobs” as he did here, these characters are talking out of both sides of their collective face as usual, as evidenced by their near-universal opposition to this bill (though, as you can see from here, six brave souls of that party actually voted yes).

And just to remind us, Rachel Maddow tells us once more of how the Repugs claim to be opposed to something they actually support.

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Abusive student discipline. Voting 262-153, the House passed a bill (HR 4247) setting federal standards and authorizing grants to states to curb the abusive discipline of K-12 students in public and private schools. Now before the Senate, the bill addresses practices such as duct-taping and other forcible restraints that inflict harm, seclusion in locked rooms, and the application of drugs not prescribed by the student's doctor.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Pitts.

So Pitts is now pro-forcible restraint including duct taping, secluding students in locker rooms, and applying non-doctor prescribed drugs.

Every time I think Pancake Joe can’t possibly sink any lower, he does (and to do something about it, click here).

Senate

Jobless, health benefits. Voting 78-19, the Senate sent President Obama a bill (HR 4691) appropriating $10.3 billion to cover a one-month extension of jobless checks for millions of unemployed people with expired benefits. The bill also funds COBRA health insurance for the jobless, transportation projects, national flood insurance, small-business loan programs, and Medicare payments to doctors, among other programs.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Ted Kaufman (D., Del.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), and Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).

Not voting: Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.).

Tax cuts, stimulus. Voting 44-56, the Senate defeated an amendment to transfer $80 billion in unspent stimulus funds to a program of temporary payroll-tax cuts for the U.S. workforce. The relief would be capped at $500 per person or $1,000 per couple over six months. The amendment was proposed to a bill (HR 4213) extending safety-net benefits and business and personal tax breaks for the remainder of the year. The bill remained in debate.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting no: Carper, Casey, Kaufman, Lautenberg, Menendez, and Specter.

This amendment, by the way, was sponsored by teabagger hero Scott Brown (and this tells us why voting it down was a good idea).

This week, the House debated the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and a bid to impeach Louisiana U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous Jr. The Senate debated an extension of safety-net benefits and certain business and personal tax breaks for the remainder of the year.