Peninsula Daily News news services
WASHINGTON — This week, the House will take up the budget for the next fiscal year, while the Senate will continue to debate the award of federal technology contracts to small businesses.
Contact our legislators
“Eye on Congress” is published in the Peninsula Daily News every Monday when Congress is in session about activities, roll call votes and legislation in the House and Senate.
The North Olympic Peninsula’s legislators in Washington, D.C., are Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Mountlake Terrace), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Bothell) and Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair).
Contact information — The address for Cantwell and Murray is U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510; Dicks, U.S. House, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Phone Cantwell at 202-224-3441 (fax, 202-228-0514); Murray, 202-224-2621 (fax, 202-224-0238); Dicks, 800-947-6676 (fax, 202-226-1176).
Email via their websites: cantwell.senate.gov; murray.senate.gov; house.gov/dicks.
Dicks’ North Olympic Peninsula office is at 332 E. Fifth St., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
It is open from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and by appointment.
It is staffed by Judith Morris, 360-452-3370 (fax: 360-452-3502).
State legislators
Jefferson and Clallam counties are represented in the part-time state Legislature by Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, the House majority whip; Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim; and Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam.
Write Van De Wege and Tharinger at P.O. Box 40600 (Hargrove at P.O. Box 40424), Olympia, WA 98504; email them at vandewege.kevin@leg.wa.gov; tharinger.steve@leg.wa.gov; hargrove.jim@leg.wa.gov.
Or you can call the Legislative Hot Line, 800-562-6000, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed on holidays and from noon to 1 p.m.) and leave a detailed message, which will be emailed to Van De Wege, Tharinger or Hargrove, or to all three.
Links to other state officials: secstate.wa.gov/ elections/elected_officials.aspx.
Learn more
Websites following our state and national legislators:
■ Followthemoney.org — Campaign donors by industry, ZIP code and more
■ Vote-Smart.org — How special interest groups rate legislators on the issues.
How they voted
■ REPUBLICAN BUDGET PLAN: Voting 247 for and 181 against, the House on Thursday sent the Senate a GOP bill (HR 1363) to fund the military through Sept. 30 while funding the rest of the government through April 15 with $12 billion in spending cuts.
The bill also barred the District of Columbia from using its own revenue to fund abortions.
Republicans called their new round of spending cuts fiscally sound.
Democrats said they would affect, in part, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; clean-water and drinking-water programs; federal law enforcement; FEMA grants to states and localities; high-speed rail; public housing and women’s and infants’ nutrition programs.
This vote sent the bill to the Senate, where Democratic leaders declared it dead on arrival.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Dicks voted no.
■ DEMOCRATS’ BUDGET PLAN: On a vote of 236 for and 187 against, the House on Thursday blocked a bid by Democrats to bring an alternative to HR 1363 (above) to a vote.
Their measure was a “clean” continuing resolution that would keep the government fully in operation for another week but contain none of the spending cuts or policy riders in the underlying GOP bill.
Because HR 1363 was debated under a closed rule that barred amendments, Democrats used this procedural route to seek a record vote on their competing plan for averting a government shutdown at midnight Friday.
A yes vote opposed the Democratic alternative.
Dicks voted no.
■ PAYING U.S. TROOPS: Voting 191 for and 236 against, the House on Thursday defeated a bid by Democrats to ensure no loss of military pay during a government shutdown.
The motion was offered to a Republican bill (HR 1363, above) that contains the same guarantee.
Depending on the duration of a shutdown, service personnel could have one or more paychecks delayed until after the government resumes full operation.
While U.S. troops ultimately would receive full pay, the chance of civil servants recouping missed paychecks would depend on later congressional decisions.
A yes vote backed the Democratic motion.
Dicks voted yes.
n PRESIDENTIAL WAR POWERS: Voting 90 for and ten against, the Senate on Tuesday killed a challenge by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to President Obama’s authority to involve the U.S. military in Libya’s civil war without congressional approval.
The non-binding amendment to S 493 said Obama lacks constitutional authority “to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.’’
Under the 1973 War Powers Act, a president can deploy troops for up to 60 days without congressional approval in response to “imminent” national-security concerns.
The multinational military action against the Libyan regime began March 19 under authority of the United Nations.
A yes vote was to portray the March 19 presidential troop deployment as constitutional.
Cantwell and Murray voted yes.
n HEALTH-LAW PAPERWORK: Voting 87 for and 12 against, the Senate on Tuesday sent President Obama a bill (HR 4) to strip the new health law of its rule that businesses issue an IRS Form 1099 to any vendor to whom they pay at least $600 annually.
Scheduled to take effect next year, the rule is intended to raise funds for preventive-care measures while helping the IRS catch tax cheats.
But it has come under bipartisan assault as a paperwork burden on small businesses.
The repeal would result in $22 billion in lost revenue over ten years.
To offset the loss, the bill would tighten rules for recapturing any excessive tax credits inadvertently received by middle-income families to buy health policies in state insurance exchanges.
These means-tested credits are available, for example, to families of four earning up to four times the poverty level.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Cantwell voted yes; Murray voted no.
n GREENHOUSE GASES, CLIMATE CHANGE: Voting 255 for and 172 against, the House on Thursday passed a bill (HR 910) denying the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions associated with climate-change and challenging the science upon which those regulations are based.
The Senate (below) defeated a similar measure.
The EPA last month proposed a nationwide rule to curb toxic discharges from the nation’s 400-plus coal-fired power plants.
This followed an April 2007 Supreme Court ruling that the agency has authority under the 1970 Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Dicks voted no.
n CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE: Voting 184 for and 240 against, the House on Wednesday defeated an amendment to HR 910 (above) stating that Congress accepts EPA’s “scientific findings . . . that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for public health and welfare.”
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Dicks voted yes.
n CHILDREN’S, SENIORS’ ASTHMA: Voting 175 for and 251 against, the House on Thursday defeated a Democratic bid to add language ensuring that HR 910 (above) could not prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from protecting “the health of vulnerable children and seniors, including children with asthma and lung diseases, from the effects of air pollution by large sources that emit 75,000 tons or more of carbon air pollution per year.”
A yes vote backed the Democratic motion.
Dicks voted yes.
n GREENHOUSE GASES, CLIMATE CHANGE: On a tie vote of 50-50, the Senate on Wednesday fell short of the 60 votes needed to pass a Republican measure to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate carbon emissions associated with greenhouse gases and climate-change.
The amendment was offered to a small-business bill (S 493) that remained in debate.
The EPA last month proposed a nationwide rule to curb toxic discharges from the nation’s 400-plus coal-fired power plants.
The Supreme Court ruled in April 2007 that the EPA has authority under the 1970 Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Cantwell and Murray voted no.
