Air Pollution From Brick Manufacturing
HOUSE
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was likely to fail.
Voting 238 for and 163 against, the House on March 3 passed a GOP-drafted bill (HR 4557) that would indefinitely block a new Clean Air Act rule to curb hazardous emissions from the manufacture of bricks, structural clay products and clay ceramics. More than 16 years in the making, the rule would reduce nationwide toxic discharges by an estimated 375 tons per year. Critics called it a federal overreach that would shut down small operations and cost large numbers of jobs. The rule targets emissions of hydrogen flouride, hydrogen chloride and hazardous metals that the Environmental Protection Agency says are linked to illnesses such as cancer and asthma. The rule also seeks to improve workplace conditions at brick kilns.
Kirkpatrick (D) NV
Grijalva (D), Gallego (D) Nay
Martha McSally (R-2 ) Yea Tucson
Gosar (R), Salmon (R),, Schweikert (R), Franks (R), Sinema (D) Yea
SENATE
Prescription-Drug and Heroin Addiction
A yes vote was to approve $600 million to address the nation’s pain-killer and heroin epidemic.
Voting 48 for and 47 against, the Senate on March 2 refused to approve $600 million in emergency spending this fiscal year for grants to help communities deal with prescription pain-killer and heroin addiction. This amendment, which needed 60 votes to advance, drew opposition because it lacked offsetting budget cuts or revenue measures. It was offered to a bill (S 524) that would authorize $400 million over five years for state and local efforts to control a two-pronged nationwide epidemic in which dependence on pain medicine (opioids) such as Percocet and OxyContin often leads to heroin addiction and death by overdose. For example, Maine is experiencing 200 deaths annually from drug overdoses and one in 12 of its newly born have addictions, said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.
McCain (R), Flake (R) Nay
Medicare Part D Drug Addicts
A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
Voting 46 for and 50 against, the Senate on March 2 refused to expand S 524 (above) to include demonstration programs for seniors who become addicted to pain medicines they receive through the Medicare Part D prescription-drug plan. This amendment directed the secretary of Health and Human Services to establish teams of at least one doctor, one pharmacist and one behavioral specialist that would counsel and treat addicted seniors in a limited number the 34 Medicare Part D regions. This would go beyond a competing amendment, not yet voted on, that would require Medicare Part D participants identified as opioid abusers to receive their pills from just one doctor and one pharmacy but which would not require counseling.
McCain (R), Flake (R) Nay
