Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week (Sept. 17-23):
HR 5293 — Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act
HR 5293 would permanently authorize the Veterans Affair’s dental insurance program and extend statutory authority for two other VA programs. The vote, on Sept. 20, was unanimous (423-0).
Derek Kilmer (D-WA/6th) Yes
S 189 — Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act
The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-SD) would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to match the level of cost-of-living Social Security benefits increases for veterans’ disability and survivors’ benefits programs. A supporter, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., called the benefit increases “a quality-of-life guarantee in the retirement years, especially for veterans suffering with service-connected disabilities and ailments.” The vote, on Sept. 20, was unanimous (423-0).
Kilmer Yes
S 1828 — Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks Act
Sponsored by Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) the bill would provide payments to federal government employees as compensation for brain injuries suffered in service overseas or domestically. The vote, on Sept. 21, was unanimous (423-0).
Kilmer Yes
HR 5305 — Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act
The House has passed HR 5305 to fund the federal government through Dec. 3, suspend the federal debt limit through 2022, and add emergency supplemental funding to deal with the withdrawal from Afghanistan and recent weather events. The vote, on Sept. 21, passed 220-211.
Kilmer Yes
HR 5323 — Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act
The House passed HR 5323 to provide $1 billion in fiscal 2022 for Israel’s government to maintain its Iron Dome system for countering short-range missile attacks on the country. The vote, on Sept. 23, passed 420-9.
Kilmer Yes
HR 4350 — National Defense Authorization Act
The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) to HR 4350 that would require the cancelation of private student loans made to borrowers who subsequently become permanently disabled. The vote, on Sept. 22, passed 219-204.
Kilmer Yes
The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) that would keep a military member’s debts stemming from medically necessary procedures from appearing on a credit report, and take other measures to limit debt collection from veterans. The vote, on Sept. 22, passed 222-203.
Kilmer Yes
The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette, (D-Colo.) that would designate about 1.3 million acres of federal land in Washington state, Colorado,and California as wilderness or national monuments. The vote, Sept. 22, passed 222-200.
Kilmer Yes
The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), that would stop funding for the shipment of U.S. equipment to support Saudi Arabian airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The vote, on Sept. 23, passed 219-207.
Kilmer Yes
The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) that would bar the president, vice president and Cabinet officials from contracting to provide goods or services to the federal government. The vote, on Sept. 23, passed 234-183.
Kilmer Yes
The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) that would replace a congressional print directory of senior officials in the executive branch with an online, constantly updated public directory. The vote, on Sept. 23, passed 223-202.
Kilmer Yes
The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) that would issue a federal government apology to people in 12 Western states and two U.S. Pacific Ocean territories for radiation exposures that resulted from testing nuclear weapons. The vote, on Sept. 23, passed 240-185.
Kilmer Yes
The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.) that would require the Commerce Department to notify Congress when the agency issues licenses for the export of firearms. The vote passed on Sept. 23, 215-213.
Kilmer Yes
The House agreed to authorize $753 billion of military spending and military construction programs for fiscal 2022, and establish military personnel levels for the year. The vote, on Sept. 23, passed 316-113.
Kilmer Yes.
