Senate Immigration Votes - June 7, 2007 (Part 1)

Continued from previous voting:


S. 1348: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007

Debate

Amendments (GovTrack, Thomas)

Coburn Amdt. No. 1311, As Modified; To require the enforcement of existing border security and immigration laws and Congressional approval before amnesty can be granted.
Failed 42-54

Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Kennedy Amdt. No. 1150, As Amended; In the nature of a substitute.
Failed 33-63


Cloture on S. 1348
Failed 34-61


Republicans Unite to Block Limit on Immigration Debate
A comprehensive immigration overhaul was hanging in the balance today, with Senate Republicans blocking an effort to cut off debate and the Democratic leader tossing blame at President Bush.

House Work Week: From 4 days a week to 6 days!

CQ: The House will work six days next week if that’s what it takes to pass the first four fiscal 2008 spending bills, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, D-Wis., announced today.

“That means members should expect a full day Friday and possibly Saturday” of the week beginning June 11, Obey said. “That’s a fact of life we’re going to have to live with.”

The Homeland Security measure will be considered first, followed by the Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA and Interior-Environment spending bills.


Appropriations Legislation for Fiscal Year 2008

House Passes Internet Database Tech Scholarships

Yesterday the House passed the National STEM Scholarship Database Act (H.R. 1051) by voice vote.

This bill directs the Secretary of Education to establish and maintain a public website through which individuals may find a complete database of available scholarships, fellowships, and other programs of financial assistance in the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

As with all good things in Washington, things must be reduced to an acronym.

The other, more recently developed trend is to create an Internet database for everything.

House Votes - H.R. 65: Lumbee Recognition Act

H.Res. 465: Providing for consideration of H.R. 65

On Ordering the Previous Question
Passed 217-192

On Agreeing to the Resolution
Passed 214-193


H.R. 65: Lumbee Recognition Act

Debate

On Motion to Recommit with Instructions
Failed 152-237

On Passage
Passed 256-128

House Votes - S. 5: Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Previous voting history.


H.Res. 464: Providing for consideration of S. 5

On Ordering the Previous Question
Passed 221-195

On Agreeing to the Resolution
Passed 224-191


S. 5: Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007

Debate

On Motion to Commit with Instructions
Failed 180-242

On Passage
Passed 247-176


House Passes Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill
For the third time, the House easily passed legislation today that would loosen President Bush's six-year-old restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.

House Sends Stem Cell Bill to Bush for Certain Veto, With Little Override Hope
After a fiery reprise of arguments that have played out repeatedly over the years, the House cleared legislation Thursday that would expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

Senate Immigration Votes - June 6, 2007

These votes follow previous votes on this bill.


S. 1348: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007

Debate

Amendments (GovTrack, Thomas)

Kennedy Amdt. No. 1333, as Modified; To increase the immigration-related penalties associated with various criminal activities.
Passed 66-32

Cornyn Amdt. No. 1184, As Modified; To establish a permanent bar for gang members, terrorists, and other criminals.
Failed 46-51

Senate Rejects Effort to Bar Legalization of Many Immigrants
Supporters of a tenuous immigration overhaul today beat back an attempt to deny millions of illegal immigrants who have violated deportation orders the right to stay in the country.

DeMint Amdt. No. 1197; To require health care coverage for holders of Z nonimmigrant visas.
Failed 43-55

Bingaman Amdt. No. 1267 As Modified; To remove the requirement that Y-1 nonimmigrant visa holders leave the United States before they are able to renew their visa.
Failed 41-57

Cornyn Amdt. No. 1250; To address documentation of employment and to make an amendment with respect to mandatory disclosure of information.
Passed 57-39

Reid Amdt. No. 1331; To clarify the application of the earned income tax credit.
Passed 57-40

Sessions Amdt. No. 1234; To save American taxpayers up to $24 billion in the 10 years after passage of this Act, by preventing the earned income tax credit, which is, according to the Congressional Research Service, the largest anti-poverty entitlement program of the Federal Government, from being claimed by Y temporary workers or illegal aliens given status by this Act until they adjust to legal permanent resident status.
Passed 56-41

Motion to Waive CBA Re: Menendez Amdt. No 1194; To modify the deadline for the family backlog reduction.
Failed 53-44

Kyl Amdt. No. 1460; To modify the allocation of visas with respect to the backlog of family-based visa petitions.
Passed 51-45

Motion to Waive CBA Re: Clinton Amdt. No. 1183, As Further Modified; To reclassify the spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents as immediate relatives.
Failed 44-53

Ensign Amdt. No. 1374; To improve the criteria and weights of the merit-based evaluation system.
Failed 42-55

Salazar Amdt. No. 1384; To preserve and enhance the role of the English language.
Passed 58-39

Inhofe Amdt. No. 1151; To amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the national language of the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.
Passed 64-33

Vitter Amdt. No. 1339; To require that the U.S. VISIT system- the biometric border check-in/check-out system first required by Congress in 1996 that is already well past its already postponed 2005 implementation due date- be finished as part of the enforcement trigger.
Failed 48-49

Obama Amdt. No. 1202, As Modified; To provide a date on which the authority of the section relating to the increasing of American competitiveness through a merit-based evaluation system for immigrants shall be terminated.
Failed 42-55

Dorgan Amdt. No. 1316; To sunset the Y-1 nonimmigrant visa program after a 5-yer period.
Passed 49-48


WP: Immigrant Measure Survives Challenges
Senate Vote Could Come Thursday

House Votes - H.R. 2446: Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act

H.Res. 453: Providing for consideration of H.R. 2446

On Agreeing to the Resolution
Passed 220-195


H.R. 2446: Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007

Debate

Amendments (GovTrack, Thomas)

On Motion to Recommit with Instructions
(consideration: CR H6075-6076; text: CR H6075)
Passed 345-71

On Passage
Passed 406-10

House Suspension Votes - Human Embryo Death Sentence Defeated

H.R. 1716: Green Energy Education Act of 2007
Passed 416-0

H.R. 632: H-Prize Act of 2007
Passed 408-8

CQ Today: House Passes ‘H-Prize’ Bill for Energy Research

H.R. 964: Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act
Passed 368-48

H.R. 2560: Human Cloning Prohibition Act
Failed 204-213

House Debate: Rep. Weldon [R-FL]: "Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. This bill before us today entitled the Human Cloning Prohibition Act, is better entitled the 'Human Clone Implantation Prohibition Act.' Essentially what it does is make it a crime to implant a cloned human embryo in the uterus of a woman."

Clone-and-Kill: Democrats' Bill Forces Destruction of Human Embryos
...contrary to its name, this phony “ban” explicitly requires the killing of human embryos and permits a process that will inevitably lead to the cloning of human babies. ...

H.R. 2560 actually does ban only the following: allowing a human clone to live, by implanting her or him ‘into a uterus or the functional equivalent of a uterus’

Influence Industry Blowback

Lobbyists United In Dismay Over Disclosure Rules
Professional Persuaders Vow to Fight

The lobbying disclosure bill passed by the House last week hadn't been voted on yet when Kenneth Gross stood at the head of a block-long conference room in New York, supplying 148 lobbyists and lawyers with the new congressional definition of a friend.

"Friendships have been breaking out all over Washington, because they bring the gift limit up from zero to $250," Gross, an ethics lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, said he told the group.

The House ethics committee, he said, defines a lawmaker-lobbyist friendship as a long-term relationship featuring mutual gift-giving. The lobbyist must select gifts specially for that lawmaker, and not claim them as an expense or tax deduction.

Senate Schedule for June 2007

CQ Today: Senate to Focus on Energy Legislation, Defense Authorization This Month

Energy legislation and the annual defense authorization bill — including an amendment to begin a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq — will dominate the Senate floor between now and the Fourth of July recess, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday.

Senators returned this week from their Memorial Day recess, during which they got an earful from constituents. Reid said, “There are two issues that are foremost in their minds: No. 1 is the Iraq War and No. 2 are gas prices. We’re going to deal with that as soon as we finish with this immigration legislation.” ...

Reid said that once the immigration debate ends, there will be an effort to proceed to a “no confidence” vote on Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. ...

Not all the action between now and the July Fourth recess, which is scheduled to begin at the end of this month, will come on the floor.

Reid noted that Congress is close to clearing legislation (S 5) that would expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, and he said, “We expect to complete the conference in the next week or so on 9/11 commission recommendations.”

The House passed its version of the bill (HR 1) by 299-128 on Jan. 9; the Senate passed its own measure (S 4) by 66-38 (correcting CQ) on March 13.

In addition, Reid said, “We also believe that we are very close to being able to complete the conference on the ethics and lobbying reform.”

The Senate passed its lobbying overhaul (S 1) by 96-2 on Jan. 18, while the House passed its version (HR 2316) on May 24 by 396-22.

House Schedule for June 2007

From RSC: Tentative Appropriations Schedule

According to various media reports, the Democrats want to finish 11 of the 12 appropriations bills in June. The exception is the Defense Appropriations bill, which they currently plan to do in July.

Their tentative schedule (subject to change):

• Interior, Energy and Water, Military Construction/VA, and Homeland Security
• were marked up at subcommittee prior to the recess,
• will be considered at full committee this week, and
• are slated to see floor action on the week of June 11th.

• State/Foreign Operations, Financial Services, Legislative Branch, and Labor/HHS
  • will be marked up at subcommittee this week,
  • will be considered at full committee next week, and
  • are slated to see floor action on the week of June 18th.

• THUD, Agriculture, and CJS
  • will be marked up at subcommittee next week,
  • will be considered at full committee the week after, and
  • are slated to see floor action on the week of June 25th.

More Senate Immigration Votes

The Senate resumed its unfinished work on the immigration bill.


S. 1348: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007

Debate

Amendments (GovTrack, Thomas)


Allard Amdt. No. 1189; To eliminate the preference given to people who entered the United States illegally over people seeking to enter the country legally in the merit-based evaluation system for visas.
Failed 31-62

Durbin Amdt. No. 1231; To ensure that employers make efforts to recruit American workers.
Passed 71-22

McConnell Amdt. No. 1170; To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require individuals voting in person to present photo identification.
Failed 41-52

Feingold Amdt. No. 1176; To establish commissions to review the facts and circumstances surrounding injustices suffered by European Americans, European Latin Americans, and Jewish refugees during World War II.
Passed 67-26


Consideration of S. 1348 continues.

Rep. William Jefferson on his way to expulsion

In the House yesterday, Tuesday, June 5th:

Washington Post: House Moves Against Embattled Jefferson

Monday's indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) touched off an ethics battle in the House yesterday, with leaders from both parties moving quickly against Jefferson even as they accused each other of having no real interest in tighter ethics rules.

In short order, the House last night approved a Democratic motion that would make an ethics investigation automatic upon the indictment of any House member and then approved a Republican motion that could lead to Jefferson's expulsion.

The GOP resolution, offered by Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio), referred Jefferson's case to the ethics committee, demanding that the panel report back on whether his expulsion is merited. The Democratic rule change, introduced by Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), would give the ethics committee 30 days after an indictment to initiate an investigation or explain why it declined to do so.

H.Res. 451 [Hoyer]: Directing the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to respond to the indictment of, or the filing of charges of criminal conduct in a court of the United States or any State against, any Member of the House of Representatives by empaneling an investigative subcommittee to review the allegations not later than 30 days after the date the Member is indicted or the charges are filed.

On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree
Passed 387-10


H.Res. 452 [Boehner]: Raising a question of the Privileges of the House.

On Agreeing to the Resolution
Passed 373-26

Boehner Statement


Recent ethics violations vote on Rep. Jack Murtha: 219-189

House to Bush: Move Our Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

To follow up on the previous post on the matter, yesterday the House passed H.Con.Res. 152 by a voice vote. The resolution now goes to the Senate.

House Next Week - H.Con.Res. 152: Jerusalem, Israel

NY Sun: Congress Set To Vote on Jerusalem
Seeks To Press Bush on Site of Embassy

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next week on a resolution calling for President Bush to move the American Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, strengthening Israel's position against recurring diplomatic efforts to take away its capital.

The resolution, which passed the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on May 23, commemorates the 40th anniversary of Israel's victory in the Six Day War that unified Jerusalem. It also calls on Mr. Bush to adhere to the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which authorized the funds to begin moving the embassy and declared that it was American policy to recognize the city as the capital of the Jewish state.

The House resolution, scheduled for a floor vote on Tuesday, "reiterates its commitment to the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and calls upon the President and all United States officials to abide by its provisions."

H.Con.Res. 152: Relating to the 40th anniversary of the reunification of the City of Jerusalem

Last Action: May 23, 2007: Committee Agreed to Seek Consideration Under Suspension of the Rules, by Unanimous Consent.

That means 2/3 will be required for passage.

NY Sun Editorial: It is "likely to be passed in the House and the Senate by overwhelming margins."


P.L. 104-45: Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995


Hat Tip: TJCI