House
Affirmation of LGBT Order
A yes vote was to affirm the LGBT order.
The House on May 25 voted, 223 for and 195 against, to affirm an executive order by President Obama prohibiting companies receiving federal contracts from discriminating against employees based on the fact that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The amendment was added to the 2017 energy and water appropriations bill (HR 5055, below). This reversed the outcome of a roll call on May 19 when the House repudiated the LGBT order by a one-vote margin, with seven members switching their votes from support of the order to opposition after the allotted voting time had expired.
Kirkpatrick, McSally, Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema YEA
Gosar, Schweikert, Franks, Salmon, NAY
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2017 Energy, Water Budget
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting 112 for and 305 against, the House on May 26 defeated a Republican-drafted bill (HR 5055) that would appropriate $37.4 billion for energy, water and nuclear-safety programs in fiscal 2017. The unexpected rejection occurred after many GOP members turned against the bill over its inclusion of LGBT provisions (see preceding issue). The bill was opposed by 55 percent of Republicans who voted and 96 percent of Democrats who voted, with Democrats basing their opposition on the bill’s environmental and gun language, among other provisions.
McSally, Schweikert, Salmon, YEA
Gosar, Sinema, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Franks, Gallego, NAY
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Gender-Based Bathroom Access
A yes vote opposed the use of aid cutoffs as a tool for enforcing federal bathroom-access policies.
Voting 227 for and 192 against, the House on May 25 amended HR 5055 (above) to prohibit the administration from denying federal funding to school districts because of their gender-based bathroom policies. The administration has threatened aid cutoffs to schools failing to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. This directive conflicts with laws such as one in North Carolina that require individuals to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender they were assigned at birth.
Salmon, Franks, Schweikert, McSally, Gosar, YEA
Gallego, Sinema, Grijalva, Kitckpatrick, NAY
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2017 Intelligence Budget
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
Voting 371 for and 35 against, the House on May 24 authorized a fiscal 2017 budget (HR 5077) of more than $80 billion for the 16 U.S. civilian and military intelligence agencies, with the actual figure classified. The bill funds cyber warfare and space- and sea-based assets along with counter-terrorism operations against ISIS and spycraft to counter nations such as Russia, China and Iran. The bill authorizes student-loan-forgiveness programs to help agencies recruit intelligence officers, seeks to better diversify workforces and funds private-sector development of experimental technologies.
Grijalva, Gosar, NAY
Kirkpatrick, Sinema, Franks, Salmon, Schweikert, McSally, Gallego, YEA
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Police Requests for Cell Data
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting 229 for and 158 against, the House on May 23 failed to reach a two-thirds majority needed to pass a bill (HR 4889) requiring telecom firms to comply with emergency police requests, made without court orders, for data pinpointing the location of cell phones at developing crime scenes. Concerns over privacy violations stirred sufficient opposition to defeat the bill. Under the bill, companies complying with such police requests would be immunized from civil lawsuits.
Franks, Sinema, Kirkpatrick, YEA
McSally, Franks, Gosar, Schweikert NAY
Gosar, Salmon, DID NOT VOTE
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Senate
Standards for Financial Advisers
A yes vote was to send the measure to President Obama and his expected veto.
Voting 56 for and 41 against, the Senate on May 24 passed a measure (HJ Res 88) that would kill a new Department of Labor rule requiring those who provide professional advice to retirement and pension plans to adhere to fiduciary standards obligating them to put clients’ financial interests ahead of their own. Due to take effect in April 2017, the regulation stems from the 2010 Dodd-Frank law. At present, only some financial advisers and brokers are required by federal regulations to obey fiduciary standards in advising clients.
McCain, Flake, YEA
Sexual Assaults, Victims’ Rights
A yes vote was to send the bill to the House.
Voting 89 for and none against, the Senate on May 23 passed a bill (S 2613) that would require police departments to preserve evidence submitted by sexual-assault victims in so-called rape kits and notify them of test results including DNA matches. Authorities also would have to notify victims of their right to receive a forensic medical examination. The bill also extends the time allotted minor victims of sex crimes for bringing their assailants to justice. In addition, the bill would authorize $81 million annually in fiscal 2017- 2018 for Department of Justice grants to states and localities for registering sex offenders.
McCain, Flake, YEA
