A look at how your Congressman voted this week

Jun. 19—WASHINGTON — Acting on a motion from U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., Congress agreed to pass 10 different bills this week without the use of an individual roll call vote.

McGovern's motion was passed by a vote of 287 yeas to 140 nays. North Central West Virginia's Congressman, Rep. David McKinley, R-1, voted yea on the motion. Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

The House rejected the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act — House Resolution 239 — sponsored by Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif. The bill would have barred the Veterans Affairs Department from requiring military veterans to pay for contraceptive products that VA health insurance plans cover the cost of. The vote, on June 15, was 240 yeas to 188 nays, with a two-thirds majority required for approval. McKinley voted nay on the bill.

Sponsored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House passed House Resolution 3325, a bill calling for awarding four Congressional gold medals to the U.S. Capitol Police for protecting the Capitol complex during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Pelosi said the police "risked their safety and their lives for others with the utmost selflessness." The vote, on June 15, was 406 yeas to 21 nays. McKinley voted yea on the bill.

The House rejected the LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act — House Resolution 1443 — sponsored by Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. The bill would have required the reporting by financial companies of data for loans provided to businesses owned by non-heterosexuals. Torres said the requirement "would represent a triumph of transparency in the service of economic opportunity for all, regardless of who you are and whom you love." The vote, on June 15, was 248 yeas to 177 nays, with a two-thirds majority required for approval. McKinley voted nay on the bill.

The House passed the ESG Disclosure Simplification Act, House Resolution 1187, sponsored by Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif. The bill would require companies that issue publicly regulated securities to disclose to their shareholders certain environmental, social, and governance metrics and their connection to the company's long-term business strategy.

"Mandated and standard disclosures of environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, metrics would provide improved insight into long-term business performance and areas of potential future risks," Vargas said. An opponent, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., called a requirement "the next episode in the Democrats' saga to weaponize financial regulation to achieve partisan social and environmental goals." The vote, on June 16, was 215 yeas to 214 nays. McKinley voted nay.

The House passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, Senate 475, sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., to make June 19 (Juneteenth) a legal public holiday called Juneteenth National Independence Day, to commemorate the day in 1865 when news of the end of slavery in the U.S. reached slaves in Texas.

"Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a crucial step in remembering our past, and it will undoubtedly help us build a better future," said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., one of the bill's supporters.

"Naming this day National Independence Day will create confusion and push Americans to pick one of those 2 days as their Independence Day based on their racial identity," said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who opposed the bill. The vote, on June 16, was 415 yeas to 14 nays. McKinley voted yea.

The House passed H.R. 256, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., to repeal Congress's 2002 resolution that authorized the war in Iraq. Lee said "repeal can prevent our country from entering another protracted engagement under this outdated authority. We can't afford to leave this [authority] in place indefinitely."

Meanwhile, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., said repeal would hinder the U.S. effort to combat terrorist threats and militia groups in Iraq, some of whom have backing from Iran. The vote, on June 17, was 268 yeas to 161 nays. McKinley voted against the bill.