Capitol Report - How They Voted
For more information on these and other bills, visit www.vote-smart.org or www.govtrack.us
FEDERAL BILLS (CONGRESS)
HR 3221: Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Act
Status: Signed into law
Description: Increases mortgage grants, mortgage limitations, various property assistances to the homeless and veterans, and the line of credit for mortgages under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and provides a tax credit to help first-time homebuyers.
Votes: Senators Boxer and Feinstein: Yes
Representatives Bilbray and Issa: No
Representatives Davis, Filner and Hunter: Yes
HR 1338: Unequal Pay Bill
Status: Passed House
Description: Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of sex discrimination in the payment of wages.
Votes: Representatives Bilbray, Hunter and Issa: No
Representatives Davis and Filner: Yes
HR 4137: Higher Education Opportunity Act
Status: Signed into law
Description: Addresses rising college tuition prices, makes textbook costs more manageable, simplifies the federal student aid application process, and provides new borrower protections on federal and private college loans.
Votes: Senators Boxer and Feinstein: Yes
Representatives Bilbray, Davis, Filner, Hunter, Issa: Yes
HR 4040 Consumer Products Safety Bill
Status: Signed into law
Description: Reauthorizes and increases funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and creates new consumer product safety standards, including safety requirements for children’s products.
Votes: Senators Boxer and Feinstein: Yes
Votes: Representatives Bilbray, Davis, Filner, Hunter, Issa: Yes
HR 6331 Medicare Bill
(Vote to override Presidential veto)
Status: Veto Override Passed
Description: Amends Social Security Act to extend expiring provisions under the Medicare Program, to improve beneficiary access to preventive and mental health services, to enhance low-income benefit programs, and to maintain access to care in rural areas, including pharmacy access, and for other purposes.
Votes: Representatives Bilbray, Davis, Filner, Hunter, Issa: Yes
HR 5083 Paper Ballots
Status: Failed
Description: Provide grants to state and local governments to provide backup paper ballots in case of voting equipment failure or emergency.
Votes: Representatives Davis and Filner: Yes
Representatives Bilbray, Hunter and Issa: No
STATE BILLS (CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE)
AB 2759: State Preschool Programs Reform
Status: Passed Assembly
Description: Requires state funded preschool or child care programs to give priority enrollment to abused, neglected, or exploited children. Gives funding priority to preschools located in areas with low academic performance. Specifies that state preschool programs will be funded by the legislature through the state budget in the absence of available federal funds.
Votes: Assemblymembers Salas and Saldaña: Yes
Assemblymembers Anderson, Garrick, Horton, Jeffries, and Plescia: No
AB 1943 Passenger Rights on Commercial Airlines
Status: Passed Assembly; referred to Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing
Description: Establishes services and rights for airline passengers who are detained in an airplane for over three hours either before takeoff or after landing.
Votes: Assemblymembers Garrick, Plescia, Salas and Saldaña: Yes
Assemblymembers Anderson and Horton: No
AB 2716 Paid Sick Leave
Status: Passed Assembly
Description: Mandates paid sick leave be provided to employees in California and prohibits discrimination by emp;oyers against employees who use paid sick leave.
Votes: Salas and Saldaña: Yes
Anderson, Garrick, Horton, Jeffries and Plescia: No
AB 1155 Penalties for Healthcare Service Plan Underpayments or Failures to Pay Service Providers
Status: Vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger
Description: Authorizes the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care to demand payment from health insurance plans to service providers in case of underpayment or failure to pay.
Votes: Senators Ducheny and Kehoe: Yes
Senators Hollingsworth and Wyland: No
Assemblymembers Horton, Salas and Saldaña: Yes
Assemblymembers Anderson, Garrick and Jeffries: No
Assemblymember Plescia – did not vote
SB 1137 Residential Property Foreclosures
Status: Became law without Governor’s signature
Description: Prohibits mortgage holders or their agents from filing a notice of default until 30 days after contacting borrower in person or by telephone to assess borrower's financial situation and explore options to avoid foreclosure, or until 30 days after “due diligence" attempting to contact the borrower is shown. Requires tenant or subtenant whose rental housing is sold under foreclosure be given 60 days' written notice before removal from property. Mandates owner of vacant residential property acquired at a foreclosure sale or through foreclosure under a mortgage or deed of trust must maintain property or be subject to a fine of up to $1,000 per day.
Votes: Senators Kehoe and Wyland: Yes
Senator Hollingsworth: No
Senator Ducheney: did not vote
Assemblymembers Horton, Salas and Saldaña: Yes
Assemblymembers Anderson, Garrick, Jeffries and Plescia; No
SB 908: Global Warming Education in Schools
Status: Vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger
Description: Would have required State Board of Education and State Department of Education to add climate change to the curriculum of environmental science.
Votes: Senators Ducheny and Kehoe: Yes
Senators Hollingsworth and Wyland: No