MegaVote - How Congress is voting

February 8, 2017 In this MegaVote for Connecticut's 3rd Congressional District: Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Confirmation of Elaine Chao to be Secretary of Transportation Senate: Confirmation of Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State Senate: Disapprove Stream Buffer Rule Senate: Disapprove Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers Rule Senate: Confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education House: Disapprove Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers Rule House: Disapprove Stream Buffer Rule House: Disapprove Labor Law Rule House: Disapprove Instant Criminal Background Check Rule House: Disapprove BLM Methane Rule Upcoming Congressional Bills Senate: Nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General Senate: Nomination of Rep. Tom Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Senate: Nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury House: Disapprove BLM Land Use Planning Rule House: Disapprove Teacher Education Program Rule House: Disapprove State Education Accountability Rule Editor's Note: On January 30, due to a technical problem, we incorrectly listed Rep. Ro Khanna as having voted yes on House Vote 65 concerning HR 7. He had, in fact, voted no. We regret the mistake. Recent Senate Votes Confirmation of Elaine Chao to be Secretary of Transportation - Vote Confirmed (93-6, 1 Present) The Senate voted to confirm Elaine Chao to be secretary of Transportation. Sen. Christopher Murphy voted YES Sen. Richard Blumenthal voted YES Confirmation of Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State - Vote Confirmed (56-43, 1 Not Voting) The Senate voted to confirm Rex Tillerson to be secretary of State. Sen. Christopher Murphy voted NO Sen. Richard Blumenthal voted NO Disapprove Stream Buffer Rule - Vote Passed (54-45, 1 Not Voting) The bill would disapprove the Interior Department's Stream Buffer Rule requiring that surface coal mining operations be designed to minimize the amount of waste placed outside the mined-out area, thus minimizing the amount of land disturbed. Sen. Christopher Murphy voted NO Sen. Richard Blumenthal voted NO Disapprove Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers Rule - Vote Passed (52-47, 1 Not Voting) The measure would disapprove of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule issued in July 2016 that requires resource extraction issuers (companies that extract oil, natural gas or minerals) that are registered in the United States to provide detailed, public reporting of certain payments to governments that equal or exceed $100,000 per project annually. Sen. Christopher Murphy voted NO Sen. Richard Blumenthal voted NO Confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education - Vote Confirmed (51-50) The Senate voted to confirm Betsy DeVos to be secretary of Education. The tie-breaking yes vote was cast by Vice President Mike Pence. Sen. Christopher Murphy voted NO Sen. Richard Blumenthal voted NO Recent House Votes Disapprove Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers Rule - Vote Passed (235-187, 10 Not Voting) The measure would disapprove of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule issued in July 2016 that requires resource extraction issuers (companies that extract oil, natural gas or minerals) that are registered in the United States to provide detailed, public reporting of certain payments to governments that equal or exceed $100,000 per project annually. Rep. Rosa DeLauro voted NO Disapprove Stream Buffer Rule - Vote Passed (228-194, 10 Not Voting) The bill would disapprove the Interior Department's Stream Buffer Rule requiring that surface coal mining operations be designed to minimize the amount of waste placed outside the mined-out area, thus minimizing the amount of land disturbed. Rep. Rosa DeLauro voted NO Disapprove Labor Law Rule - Vote Passed (236-187, 9 Not Voting) The bill would disapprove a Defense Department, General Services Administration and NASA rule that requires federal contractors to self-certify violations of 14 specified federal labor laws and equivalent state laws. The laws include the Fair Labor Standards Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, National Labor Relations Act, Davis-Bacon Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act, among others. Rep. Rosa DeLauro voted NO Disapprove Instant Criminal Background Check Rule - Vote Passed (235-180, 17 Not Voting) The bill would disapprove, under terms of the Congressional Review Act, a December 2016 Social Security Administration rule that could make it easier for certain mentally challenged individuals to be placed on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Rep. Rosa DeLauro voted NO Disapprove BLM Methane Rule - Vote Passed (221-191, 20 Not Voting) The bill would disapprove, under terms of the Congressional Review Act, a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule issued last November that requires oil and gas producers to implement measures that reduce natural gas waste. Rep. Rosa DeLauro voted NO Upcoming Votes Nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General - PN30 The Senate is expected to take up the nomination of Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General. Nomination of Rep. Tom Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services - PN33 The Senate is expected to take up the nomination of Georgia Republican Rep. Tom Price to be secretary of Health and Human Services. Nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury - PN26 The Senate is expected to take up the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be secretary of the Treasury. Disapprove BLM Land Use Planning Rule - HJRES44 The joint resolution would disapprove the rule issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Dec. 12, 2016, which modified the process under which BLM develops plans for the use of the public lands it manages, including by considering a wider variety of issues and possible impacts. Disapprove Teacher Education Program Rule - HJRES58 The joint resolution would disapprove the rule issued by the Education Department on Oct. 31, 2016, relating to teacher preparation programs that require states to annually evaluate the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education and to publicly report this information, including the job placement and retention rates of graduates. Disapprove State Education Accountability Rule - HJRES57 The joint resolution would disapprove the rule issued by the Education Department on Nov. 29, 2016, which addresses implementation of a state's accountability systems when receiving federal education funding under the Elementary and Secondary School Act (ESEA). Among other things, the rule requires states to identify low-performing schools for comprehensive or targeted support and improvement, and requires that each state's statewide plan use multiple indicators of student success that are the same for all public schools (including charter schools).