For the week ending March 19th
REMOVING ERA DEADLINE: Voting 222 for and 204 against, the House on March 17 adopted a resolution (HJ Res 17) that would remove June 30, 1982, as the deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. When Congress sent the ERA to the states in 1972, it set a 1979 deadline that it later moved to 1982. As many as 38 states have voted for ratification. But five rescinded their approval and Virginia’s ratification last year is undercut by a Department of Justice ruling that the 1982 deadline must be obeyed. The ERA states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
A yes vote was to send the resolution to the Senate.
YES: Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-3
NO: Yvette Herrell, R-2
RENEWING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT: Voting 244 for and 172 against, the House on March 17 approved a five-year extension of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which uses federal grants and laws to reduce crimes directed primarily at women. In part, the bill (HR 1620) would prohibit persons convicted of domestic abuse, misdemeanor stalking or dating violence from possessing firearms; ensure that those losing work because of domestic violence qualify for unemployment benefits; require shelters to admit transgender individuals in their acquired sex; strengthen tribal jurisdiction over outsiders charged with committing crimes on reservations; improve the care of children exposed to domestic violence; expand rape prevention and education programs; and step up efforts to address sexual violence on campuses.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Leger Fernandez
NO: Herrell
PROTECING DREAMERS, OTHER IMMIGRANTS: Voting 228 for and 197 against, the House on March 18 passed a bill (HR 6) that would grant permanent legal status and a path to citizenship to as many as 2.1 million “dreamers” who were brought illegally to the United States as children and face potential deportation. The bill would grant relief to dreamers who were younger than 18 when they entered the U.S. and meet other qualifications. In addition, the bill would provide the same deportation protection and citizenship path to hundreds of thousands of aliens now the U.S. under a humanitarian program known as Temporary Protected Status.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Leger Fernandez
NO: Herrell
PROHIBITING ALIEN GANG MEMBERS: Voting 203 for and 216 against, the House on March 18 defeated a Republican motion that sought to prevent members of criminal gangs from using a law designed to protect dreamers (HR 6, above) as a subterfuge for acquiring legal status. Democrats said the bill already has safeguards to prohibit undocumented aliens who are a threat to national security, including gang members, from obtaining green cards and path to citizenship.
A yes vote was to adopt the motion.
YES: Herrell
NO: Leger Fernandez
OVERHAULING FARM-WORKER VISAS: Voting 247 for and 174 against, the House on March 18 passed a bill (HR 1603) that would overhaul the H-2A visa program, which admits undocumented migrants for temporary U.S. agricultural jobs the domestic workforce is unable or unwilling to fill. Over time, the bill could enable hundreds of thousands of these workers to apply for legal residency for themselves, spouses and minor children. In addition to meeting labor shortages, the bill would establish a mandatory federal E-Verify system by which agricultural employers could determine workers’ immigration status.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Leger Fernandez
NO: Herrell
APPROVING MEDALS FOR CAPITOL POLICE: The House on March 17 voted, 413 for and 12 against, to award three Congressional Gold Medals in honor of U.S. Capitol and District of Columbia police who defended the Capitol against an armed insurrection on Jan. 6. Those voting against the bill (HR 1085) were Republicans Andy Biggs of Arizona; Matt Gaetz and Greg Steube of Florida; Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Thomas Massie of Kentucky; Andy Harris of Maryland; John Rose of Tennessee; Bob Good of Virginia; and Louie Gohmert, Michael Cloud and Lance Gooden of Texas.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Herrell, Leger Fernandez
CONFIRMING DEB HAALAND AS INTERIOR SECRETARY: The Senate on March 15 confirmed, 51-40, Deb Haaland, D-N.M., as secretary of the Department of the Interior. Haaland, 60, is the first Native American appointed to a Cabinet position, and in 2018, she and Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, became the first Native American women elected to Congress. A member of the Laguna Pueblo Nation, she identifies herself as a 35th-generation New Mexican.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
YES: Ben Ray Luján, D, Martin Heinrich, D
CONFIRMING XAVIER BECERRA AS HEALTH SECRETARY: Voting 50 for and 49 against, the Senate on March 18 confirmed Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the first Latino to hold that position. Becerra, 62, was a Democratic congressman from California between 1993-2018.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
YES: Luján, Heinrich
CONFIRMING ISABEL GUZMAN AS SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR: Voting 81 for and 17 against, the Senate on March 16 confirmed Isabel C. Guzman, 49, as administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA). She was a top official at the SBA during the Obama administration and worked most recently as director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate in California.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
YES: Luján, Heinrich
HOUSE: Deb Haaland (D) Ben Ray Luján (D) Yvette Herrell (R)
SENATE: Martin Heinrich (D) Tom Udall (D)
Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol
Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510
Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121