How U.S. legislators from Oklahoma voted on controversial bills

Apr. 4—The two chambers of Congress passed legislation over the previous week on several highly-debated topics.

U.S. Representatives and Senators from Oklahoma voted unanimously on these issues including energy, education, war in Iraq and COVID-19.

Here is a look at the bills and how each legislator voted:

Amendment to the Lower Energy Costs Act (Yeas: Reps. Stephanie Bice, Josh Breechen, Tom Cole, Kevin Hern, Frank Lucas)

House Republicans passed this energy bill and a Hern-sponsored amendment to make a variety of changes to federal energy policies.

Changes include faster regulatory reviews of energy development projects, barring President Joe Biden from banning fracking and removing restrictions on oil and natural gas imports and exports.

Hern's amendment expressed the sense of Congress as criticizing the tax increases on oil and natural gas proposed in Biden's fiscal 2024 budget request. It passed, 228-206.

Hern said the increases will kill jobs, raise fuel prices and leave America more dependent on foreign oil.

"We must do everything in our power to restore American energy security," Hern said. "We will continue to push policies that empower domestic energy producers and get the United States back to the position of energy independence we held before Biden took office."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill is dead on arrival, and the White House issued a statement saying Biden would veto it.

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ, said the oil and natural gas industry could weather the tax increases. In 2022, six of the industry's largest companies made $200 billion.

"(They) spent billions to enrich their shareholders with stock buybacks and dividends, all while gouging American drivers at the pump," Pallone said.

Parents Bill of Rights Act (Yeas: Bice, Breechen, Cole, Hern, Lucas)

This House-approved legislation would make federal funding for local elementary and secondary schools contingent on them notifying a student's parents that they have the right to review school curriculum, budget, books and other materials.

Schools would also be required to obtain parental permission to honor a student's request to change their gender-identifying pronouns.

Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the legislation, making the final count 213 yeas to 208 nays. It is highly unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The Act's sponsor, Rep. Julia Letlow, R-LA, said it is not an attempt to have Congress dictate curriculum.

"This bill aims to bring more transparency and accountability to education, allowing parents to be informed and, when they have questions or concerns, to lawfully bring them to their local school boards," Letlow said.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, called the bill "an educational gag order across the nation which will prevent students from learning and prevent teachers from teaching."

Iraq Wars authorizations 66-30 (Nays: Sens. James Lankford, Markwayne Mullin)

The Senate voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 resolutions that authorized use of military force against Iraq in the Gulf War and the Global War on Terrorism, respectively.

Nearly 5,000 U.S. troops were killed in the wars, combined.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA, said the 2002 resolution in particular was rushed through the Senate without proper deliberation before embarking on a lengthy war.

Lankford voted against the repeal, and he said the military authorization in Iraq helps global peace.

"Only a few days after Iranian militants targeted and killed an American contractor in Syria, this vote sends a signal of American retreat, rather than American resolve," Lankford said. "Removing this counter-terrorism authority now weakens our stance in the Middle East and gives the brutal Iranian regime a win. "

Ending national COVID-19 emergency (Yeas: Lankford, Mullin)

The Senate passed a resolution to end the national emergency in response to COVID-19 that then-President Donald Trump declared on March 13, 2020.

A statement from the White House said that while Biden opposes the GOP-led measure, he would not veto it.

The public health emergency, a lesser declaration, is set to end on May 11.