For the week ending January 17
SENDING IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO SENATE: Voting 228 for and 193 against, the House on Jan. 15 adopted a resolution sending to the Senate the two articles of impeachment against President Trump the House approved on Dec. 18. Minnesota Democrat Collin Peterson, who voted with Republicans in opposition, was the only member to break party ranks. The measure (H Res 798) also appointed seven House Democrats to make the case for impeachment in a Senate trial now underway. If convicted by a two-thirds vote of senators present, Trump would be removed from office. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and leaders of the Senate’s Republican majority have predicted acquittal.
A yes vote was to send impeachment articles to the Senate and appoint trial managers.
YES: Deb Haaland, D-1, Xochitl Torres Small, D-2, Ben Ray Luján, D-3
RELAXING EVIDENCE STANDARD FOR AGE DISCRIMINATION: Voting 261 for and 155 against, the House on Jan. 15 passed a bill (HR 1320) that would relax the standard of proof for plaintiffs to win lawsuits filed under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. The law protects job applicants and employees against age-based bias in hiring and firing, promotions, compensation and other conditions of employment. Under a 2009 Supreme Court decision, plaintiffs must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that their age was the sole basis for an adverse employment decision. This bill would restore the law’s original, less-restrictive standard under which plaintiffs must prove age was only a motivating factor — not the sole factor — behind the decision. In addition, the bill specifies that the less demanding standard also applies to lawsuits filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the antiretaliatory provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
KILLING ADMINISTRATION RULE ON STUDENT LOANS: Voting 231 for and 180 against, the House on Jan. 16 nullified a new Trump administration rule that would offer potential debt relief to certain students defrauded by their college in obtaining a federal education loan but quash Obama-era “borrower defense” protections for students enrolled in for-profit colleges. The measure (HJ Res 76) was sponsored by Democrats. The Trump rule would apply to defrauded students at private and public institutions as well as for-profit colleges but would help far fewer students than the Obama rule because of stricter eligibility standards for obtaining relief.
A yes vote was to send the resolution to the Senate.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
SETTING NEW RULES FOR NORTH AMERICAN TRADE: Voting 89 for and 10 against, the Senate on Jan. 16 passed a bill (HR 5430) giving final congressional approval to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which would replace the 25-yearold North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as the framework for commerce among the three countries. The agreement requires Mexico to guarantee workers the right to join unions and engage in collective bargaining; authorizes fast-track probes of labor violations in Mexico and factory-specific penalties when transgressions are found; gives U.S. dairy and poultry farmers more access to Canadian markets; raises environmental standards but does not address climate change; sets wage requirements that benefit U.S. and Canadian auto factories over Mexico’s; and protects Internet companies against liability for their users’ content.
A yes vote was to send the bill to President Trump.
YES: Tom Udall, D, Martin Heinrich, D
CONFIRMING PETER GAYNOR AS FEMA CHIEF: Voting 81 for and eight against, the Senate on Jan. 14 confirmed Peter T. Gaynor as administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he had been deputy administrator and then acting administrator between October 2018 and March 2019. Gaynor, the director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency between 2015-2018, is a 26-year Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
YES: Heinrich
NO: Udall
HOUSE Deb Haaland (D) Ben Ray Luján (D) Xochitl Torres Small (D)
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
Courtesy of Voterama In Congress © 2019 Thomas Reports Inc.
