Along with roll call votes last week, the Senate also passed the STB Information Security Improvement Act (H.R. 4921), to require the Surface Transportation Board to implement certain recommendations of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation; and a resolution (S. Res. 435), expressing the sense of the Senate that the 85th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933, known as the Holodomor, should serve as a reminder of repressive Soviet policies against the people of Ukraine.

HOUSE VOTES

MAKING 2017 TAX CHANGES PERMANENT: The House passed the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act (H.R. 6760), sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., to make permanent a range of tax provisions included in the tax law enacted in late 2017, including the cut in individual tax rates, reduced deduction for state and local taxes and mortgage interest expenses, and the increased standard personal deduction. Davis called the bill the fulfillment of a “continued commitment to the millions of hardworking middle-class Americans who have benefited from the tax cuts enacted last year.” The vote, on Sept. 28, was 220 yeas to 191 nays.

NAYS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District

YEAS: Bruce Poliquin, R-2nd District

COMBATING OPIOID ADDICTION: The House concurred in the Senate amendment to the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6), sponsored by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., to modify Medicare and state Medicaid programs by introducing numerous measures designed to improve the prevention and treatment of opioid abuse by Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. Walden said the bill was a comprehensive effort to combat “what I would say is the worst drug epidemic we have seen in America, the opioid crisis,” killing tens of thousands of Americans annually. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 393 yeas to 8 nays.

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YEAS: Pingree, Poliquin

SENATE VOTES

FEMA REFORM AND AUTHORIZING THE FAA: The Senate concurred in the House amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act (H.R. 302), to authorize Federal Aviation Administration programs for the next 5 years, as well as make changes to Federal Emergency Management Agency programs. A supporter, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said the bill improved aviation security, including the use of drones, as well as improving commercial aviation and creating a more efficient regulatory process at the FAA. The vote Wednesday was 93 yeas to 6 nays.

YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine

COMBATING OPIOID ADDICTION: The Senate concurred in the House amendment to the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6), to modify Medicare and state Medicaid programs by introducing numerous measures designed to improve the prevention and treatment of opioid abuse by Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. A supporter, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called the bill “a critical component of our response to the nation’s opioid overdose crisis.” The vote Wednesday was 98 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Collins, King


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