Along with the week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act (H.R. 221), to monitor and combat anti-Semitism globally; and the Combating Pandemic Scams Act (H.R. 6435), to direct the Federal Trade Commission to develop and disseminate information to the public about scams related to COVID-19.

HOUSE VOTES

VETERANS’ CAREGIVERS: The House has passed the TEAM Veteran Caregivers Act (S. 2216), sponsored by Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-Mich., to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify caregivers of veterans in the electronic health record of the veteran, and authorize 90 days of benefits for veterans who have left the VA’s family caregiver program. A supporter, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said the extended benefits would give a veteran’s family caregiver “the means and necessary time to transition back to the workforce without worrying about how to pay the bills.” The vote, on Dec. 16, was unanimous with 380 yeas.

YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District

MEMORIALIZING PHILANTHROPIST: The House has passed the Julius Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools Act (H.R. 3250), sponsored by Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill., to have the Interior Department study adding to the National Park System sites associated with Julius Rosenwald, an early 20th century Sears, Roebuck executive who help fund the construction of schools in the South. A supporter, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., said the schools “played a significant role in narrowing the education gap between black and white students in the South.” The vote, on Dec. 17, was 387 yeas to 5 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

SENATE VOTES

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Thomas L. Kirsch II to serve as a judge on the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Kirsch has been the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Indiana since 2017; previously, he was a Justice Department attorney and a partner at the Winston & Strawn law firm in Chicago. The vote, on Dec. 15, was 51 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine

NAYS: Angus King, I-Maine

KENTUCKY DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Katherine A. Crytzer to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for the eastern district of Kentucky. Crytzer has been a private practice lawyer and a Justice Department assistant attorney. The vote, on Dec. 16, was 48 yeas to 47 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

SOUTH CAROLINA DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed Joseph Dawson III to serve as a U.S. district judge for the South Carolina district. Since 2001, Dawson has been the attorney for Charleston County in the state, as well as running his own individual law firm in Charleston. The vote, on Dec. 16, was 56 yeas to 39 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

TENNESSEE DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Charles Edward Atchley, Jr., to serve as a U.S. district judge for the eastern district of Tennessee. Atchley has been an assistant attorney in the district since 2018, and a U.S. attorney, in various roles, since 2001. The vote, on Dec. 17, was 54 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

CLAIMS COURT: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Zachary N. Somers to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Somers has been a legal counsel on the House and Senate judiciary committees for over a decade. The vote, on Dec. 17, was 52 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

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