January 27, 2013

Summary of how Cornyn, Cruz and Poe voted last week:

Senate

Filibuster Changes: Adopted, 86-9, a rule for the 113th Congress that retains the 60-vote threshold for ending filibusters but takes marginal steps to make filibusters slightly less of an obstacle to the flow of legislation and nominations on the Senate floor. In part, the measure (S Res 16) gives the majority and minority leaders tools for preventing filibusters on motions to proceed to new bills, shortens filibusters against judicial nominees below the Supreme Court level and executive-branch nominees below the Cabinet level, restricts filibusters against conference reports and gives the minority party greater standing to offer amendments. By adopting this rule, the Senate rebuffed sweeping changes sponsored mainly by Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tom Udall of New Mexico. Their most fundamental change was to require senators to conduct talking filibusters on the Senate floor rather just announce in advance, as they do under existing rules, that they plan to filibuster a bill or nomination. John McCain, R-Ariz., said: “Some of the most vociferous (filibuster critics) have never served in the minority. They do not appreciate that the course of action they were urging, if undertaken, ultimately would be to their disadvantage when they served in the minority, which inevitably some of them will.” Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said “the filibuster should be used to slow things down, to make sure the minority has the right to offer amendments and to have them debated and voted on. It does not mean the minority has a right to win. … The filibuster should not be used as a method to put things in the trash can.” A yes vote was to tweak filibuster rules for the 113th Congress. Cornyn Yes, CruzNo

House

Debt-Limit Waiver: Passed, 285-144, a Republican bill (HR 325) to suspend enforcement of the statutory debt limit until May 19, thus allowing the Treasury to borrow at levels above the current $16.4 trillion limit for the next three months. The borrowing is needed to accommodate spending already approved by Congress. The bill also would impound House members’ and senators’ paychecks if either chamber were to fail to adopt what is known as a “congressional budget resolution” by the required date of April 15. Those fiscal blueprints set annual spending levels, make revenue and deficit projections and set rules for debating fiscal measures but lack the force of law. Under the bill, any impounded pay would be released to members no later than the end of the 113th Congress in January 2015. GOP leaders said this approach would not violate the Constitution’s ban on members of Congress varying their pay before a general election has intervened. Stated in the 27th Amendment, the ban is designed to keep lawmakers from accepting pay raises without first having to face voters in the next biennial congressional election. But Democratic critics used terms such as “institutionalized bribery” to denounce the “no budget, no pay” linkage. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. Poe No

Social Security, Medicare Benefits: Defeated, 151-277,a Democratic motion to prevent any congressional budget resulting from HR 325 (above) from privatizing Social Security; converting Medicare into a voucher plan; reducing Medicaid or home-nursing-care benefits; cutting benefits for veterans or active-duty military personnel or their families or reducing guaranteed health-insurance benefits for disabled persons or senior citizens. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., said the motion “would merely add commonsense protections to the bill for members of our armed forces, our veterans and our seniors from the budget-cutting process.” Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said “we should defeat this motion” because “it is premature and it is prejudging a budget that does not yet exist.” Ayes vote backed the Democratic motion. Poe No

Chemical, Biological Attacks On U.S.: Renewed, 395-29, for five years several post-9/11 programs to develop and deploy vaccines and other medical countermeasures in the event of chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear attacks on America. Now awaiting Senate action, the bill (HR 307) also reauthorizes federal-state medical initiatives to respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases and natural disasters. Additionally, the bill invests federal funds to help state and local health departments prepare for dealing with mass casualties. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration operate most programs reauthorized by this bill. No member spoke against the bill. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Poe Yes

Active Legislation

113th Congress(2013-2014)
Updated Jan 25th, 2013

Reference: The Library of Congress Thomas

Details of bills can be found at:

Categories
Appropriations / Agency Authorizations / Public Laws, 113th Congress (selected)
Popular Documents / Program Authorizations
Currently Active
Bills that may receive floor action this week.
Senate chamber
FY 2013 Supplemental appropriations, Hurricane Sandy disaster assistance / H.R.152
House chamber
Popular Titles and Subjects
D — Active Legislation / Key / Return to top of page
Debt limit, suspend until May 19, 2013 / H.R.325
H — Active Legislation / Key / Return to top of page
Hurricane Sandy, increase Flood Insurance borrowing authority / H.R.41 / P.L.113-1
P — Active Legislation / Key / Return to top of page
Pay freeze for Federal and Congressional employees, extend through December 31, 2013 / H.R.273
Pay of Members of Congress, hold in escrow if budget resolution not adopted by April 15, 2013 / H.R.325
S — Active Legislation / Key / Return to top of page
Senate rules, changes related to bipartisan cloture motions and conference motions / S.Res.16
Senate rules, changes related to motions to proceed, amendments and nominations / S.Res.15
Senate rules, cloture invoked with less than a three-fifths majority / S.Res.5
Agency Authorizations
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Program Authorizations
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Appropriations and Budget for Fiscal Year 2014, 113th Congress, 1st Session
More information available on the appropriations web page.
FY 2013 Supplemental appropriations, Hurricane Sandy disaster assistance / H.R.152
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Appropriations and Budget for Fiscal Year 2015, 113th Congress, 2nd Session
More information available on the appropriations web page.
Return to top of page
Popular Documents
(You will leave the Senate server when using these links; use the "back" button to return to Active Legislation from these sites.)
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Public Laws, 113th Congress (selected)
Hurricane Sandy, increase Flood Insurance borrowing authority / H.R.41 / P.L.113-1

Sources: Library of Congress, Houston Chronicle