Here’s how the lawmakers who represent Centre County in Congress voted Nov. 12-18
Here’s a look at how members of Congress who represent the area voted over the previous week.
HOUSE
VETERANS AND EDUCATION: The House has passed the Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act (S 1095), sponsored by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., to provide greater tuition and job training benefits for survivors of deceased military veterans. A supporter, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said the bill would “ensure the survivors and dependents of those who bravely serve our country are not hindered by tuition costs when pursuing their education.” The vote, on Nov. 15, was unanimous with 424 yeas.
YEAS: Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, and Fred Keller, R-Kreamer
CENSURING REPRESENTATIVE: The House has passed a resolution (H Res 789), sponsored by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., to censure Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and remove him from two committees, after he posted an altered cartoon video on his social media accounts that showed him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., with a sword and attacking President Joe Biden. Speier said: “Inciting violence begets violence.” An opponent, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Gosar deleted the video on his own and affirmed that “he does not believe in violence to anyone,” and McCarthy added that the House had failed to censure Democrats for similarly inflammatory behavior toward President Donald Trump. The vote, on Nov. 17, was 223 yeas to 207 nays.
NAYS: Thompson and Keller
VETERANS IN U.S. TERRITORIES: The House has passed a bill (HR 3730), sponsored by Del. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, D-Northern Mariana Islands. It would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to form an advisory committee to consult the agency on issues facing veterans who live in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories. The vote, on Nov. 18, was 420 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Thompson and Keller
AIRPORT SECURITY INFORMATION: The House has passed the TSA Reaching Across Nationalities, Societies, and Languages to Advance Traveler Education Act (HR 5574), sponsored by Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev. The bill would require the Transportation Security Administration to take measures for increasing comprehension of airport security materials, including accommodations for foreign language speakers and those with vision or hearing impairments. The vote, on Nov. 18, was 369 yeas to 49 nays.
YEAS: Thompson and Keller
SENATE
BANKING OVERSIGHT: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Graham Steele to be assistant secretary for financial institutions at the Treasury Department. Steele was a senior staffer on the Senate Banking Committee from 2015 to 2017, and since then has been a Federal Reserve staffer and an official at Stanford’s business school. A supporter, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said “the staff of many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle can attest to his commitment to service and the ability to find common ground.” The vote, on Nov. 16, was 53 yeas to 42 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; NAYS: Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
FARMING OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robert Bonnie to serve as the Agriculture Department’s undersecretary for farm production and conservation. Bonnie was an Agriculture official in the Obama administration, then joined a Duke University environmental institute from 2017 through 2020. The vote, on Nov. 16, was 76 yeas to 19 nays.
YEAS: Casey and Toomey
ANTITRUST LAW: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jonathan Kanter to serve as assistant attorney general heading the antitrust division of the Justice Department. Kanter, most recently a partner at his own law firm, was previously an antitrust lawyer both in private practice and at the Federal Trade Commission. The vote, on Nov. 16, was 68 yeas to 29 nays.
YEAS: Casey; NAYS: Toomey
