HOUSE
Hunting, Fishing on Federal Land
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was expected to advance.
Voting 242 for and 161 against, the House on Feb. 26 passed a bipartisan bill (HR 2406) that would authorize federally funded shooting ranges on state and federal lands, limit Environmental Protection Agency regulation of ammunition and fishing lures as toxic substances and open all National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land to hunting, fishing and other public recreation. The bill also would allow firearms to be carried on Army Corps of Engineers water projects. In addition, it would permit certain U.S. hunters to import from Canada several dozen hides of polar bears they legally killed there before May 15, 2008, when polar bears gained protection as a depleted species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The bill would allow an expanded use of body-gripping animal traps on public land.
Ann Kirkpatrick (D-1 ) NV
Martha McSally (R-2 ) Yea
Raul Grijalva (D-3 ) Nay
Paul Gosar (R-4 ) Yea
Matt Salmon (R-5) Yea
David Schweikert (R-6 ) Yea
Ruben Gallego (D-7 ) Nay
Trent Franks (R-8 ) Yea
Kyrsten Sinema (D-9 ) Nay
Jurisdiction Over Civil Lawsuits
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it stands a chance of moving forward.
Voting 229 for and 189 against, the House on Feb. 25 passed a GOP-drafted bill (HR 3624) aimed at shifting many civil lawsuits from state courts, where plaintiffs such as consumers are thought to fare better, to federal courts, which are seen as more friendly to defendants such as corporations. Backers said the bill would combat fraudulent forum-shopping by plaintiffs’ lawyers, while opponents said it seeks to fix a problem that does not exist. The core of the bill is to give federal trial-level judges more tools for assigning cases to federal courts in “diversity of jurisdiction” proceedings.
Ann Kirkpatrick (D-1 ) NV
Martha McSally (R-2 ) Nay
Raul Grijalva (D-3 ) Yea
Paul Gosar (R-4 ) Nay
Matt Salmon (R-5) Yea
David Schweikert (R-6 ) Yea
Ruben Gallego (D-7 ) Nay
Trent Franks (R-8 ) Yea
Kyrsten Sinema (D-9 ) Nay
Sexual Abuse of Minors
A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion.
The House on Feb. 25 defeated, 180 for and 239 against, a bid by Democrats to exempt lawsuits alleging sexual abuse or exploitation of minors from HR 3624 (above). The intent of the motion was to prevent such suits from being transferred to federal courts in “diversity of jurisdiction” disputes. Plaintiffs with limited resources are thought to fare better in closer-to-home, faster-moving state courts than in federal courts, where clogged dockets and procedural rules work to the advantage of defendants with deep pockets.
Ann Kirkpatrick (D-1 ) Nay
Martha McSally (R-2 ) Yea
Raul Grijalva (D-3 ) Nay
Paul Gosar (R-4 ) Nay
Matt Salmon (R-5) Nay
David Schweikert (R-6 ) Nay
Ruben Gallego (D-7 ) Yea
Trent Franks (R-8 ) Nay
Kyrsten Sinema (D-9 ) Yea
Congressional Review of Science Funding
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where its prospects were uncertain.
Voting 236 for and 178 against, the House on Feb. 10 passed a GOP-drafted bill (HR 3293) that would require the National Science Foundation to explain in writing how its research grants are “demonstrably” in the national interest. The bill lists seven areas of national interest and requires each NSF-funded project to serve at least one of them. The NSF, which awards about $6 billion annually in grants, is the main federal agency devoted to basic scientific research.
Ann Kirkpatrick (D-1 ) Nay
Martha McSally (R-2 ) Yea
Raul Grijalva (D-3 ) Nay
Paul Gosar (R-4 ) Yea
Matt Salmon (R-5) Yea
David Schweikert (R-6 ) Yea
Ruben Gallego (D-7 ) Nay
Trent Franks (R-8 ) Yea
Kyrsten Sinema (D-9 ) Yea
SENATE
Climate Change, Internet Taxes, Trade—(FEB 11)
A yes vote was to send the bill to the White House.
Voting 75 for and 20 against, the Senate on Feb. 11 sent President Obama the conference report on a catchall bill (HR 644) that would, in part, prohibit presidents from negotiating climate-change rules in future trade pacts; permanently outlaw state and local taxation of Internet access; combat currency manipulation by trading partners; tighten rules against imports produced by child and forced labor and make it more difficult for foreign companies to “dump” products onto U.S. markets.
John McCain (R) Yea
Jeff Flake (R) Yea
