January 31, 2014
Women’s Health Care
On Tuesday the House considered H.R. 7, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. This is another one of those bills with a misleading title. It clearly implies that federal funding is currently used for these purposes. That is, in fact, not the case. You may be familiar with the Hyde Amendment, which has been part of every federal budget since 1976. It prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or if the mother’s life is in danger. H.R. 7 actually goes much further than the Hyde Amendment because it also restricts private insurance coverage. Small businesses will not be eligible to use the small business tax credits established by the Affordable Care Act if the health insurance they offer covers abortion. Also, women seeking insurance through the marketplaces will lose access to premium assistance tax credits if the plan they choose covers abortion. H.R. 7 is clearly designed to limit access for women. I voted NO. H.R. 7 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:
| |
YEA |
NAY |
PRESENT |
NOT VOTING |
| REPUBLICAN |
221 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
| DEMOCRAT |
6 |
187 |
0 |
7 |
| TOTAL |
227 |
188 |
1 |
15 |
MASSACHUSETTS
DELEGATION |
0 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
The Farm Bill and Nutrition Assistance
On Wednesday the House considered the Conference Report on H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act. This legislation does not do enough to achieve savings by reforming farm subsidies yet it cuts $8 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that many Americans rely on to provide food for their families. The Conference Report will reduce SNAP funding for 125,000 Massachusetts families. I voted NO. The Conference Report passed and the entire vote is recorded below:
| |
YEA |
NAY |
PRESENT |
NOT VOTING |
| REPUBLICAN |
162 |
0 |
63 |
6 |
| DEMOCRAT |
89 |
103 |
0 |
8 |
| TOTAL |
251 |
166 |
0 |
14 |
MASSACHUSETTS
DELEGATION |
0 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
Cambridge Community Services
Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining staff from Cambridge Community Services who received a $25,000 grant from the UPS Foundation. The award was announced at UPS’ Somerville facility. Cambridge Community Services is a nonprofit that focuses on empowering young people. It offers mentoring and tutoring as well as internship opportunities and community service. Many of the youth development programs established by Cambridge Community Services now operate independently, giving the nonprofit the opportunity to create new programming. I enjoyed meeting with employees from both organizations, learning more about the work of the UPS Foundation and Cambridge Community Services’ youth programming.
Financial Services
At a January 15th Financial Services Committee hearing, we considered the impact of the Volcker Rule on job creators, I focused on the need to continue establishing a balanced regulatory framework. Too many financial services entities are raising concerns about the Volcker Rule and the level of regulation mandated by the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. As I have long maintained, there is a clear need for enhanced regulation but the debate over how much and what it should look like is a debate worth having. The Volcker Rule requires separation between banks’ consumer lending offerings and their investment practices such as hedge funds. Given the vast amounts of money lost by consumers during the financial crisis, there is just no question that better protections are necessary. You may view my testimony here.
What’s Up Next Week
House votes will take place on Monday February 3rd. A legislative schedule is not yet available.
My Voting Record
