September 16, 2016

Affordable Care Act

On Tuesday the House considered H.R. 3590, the Halt Tax Increases on the Middle Class and Seniors Act. Despite its rosy title, House Republicans are once again pushing legislation that will weaken the Affordable Care Act (ACA). H.R. 3590 eliminates a provision in the ACA that raises the income level for claiming itemized deductions related to medical expenses. This change will cost $33 billion over ten years and that lost revenue is not accounted for anywhere else in the budget. H.R. 3590 primarily benefits those making more than $100,000 annually. The Administration has stated that H.R. 3590 will be vetoed, I voted NO. The entire vote is recorded below:

Veterans

On Wednesday the House considered H.R. 5620, the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016. This legislation undermines Veterans Administration employees, many who are veterans themselves. It allows the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs to fire managers with minimal notice and eliminates a requirement that an employee be informed of the specific reasons for termination. Employees who have been terminated may appeal to the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB). H.R. 5620 gives the MSPB just 60 days to review a case and issue a decision. If the board cannot issue a decision within that very short timeframe, the dismissal stands. While H.R. 5620 does contain some provisions to improve the appeals process for veterans, it takes away important employee protections. I voted NO. H.R. 5620 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Regulatory Action

On Wednesday the House also considered H.R. 5226, the Regulatory Integrity Act of 2016. This legislation requires federal agencies to maintain an online database of all pending regulatory activity. Information available must include when the agency began work on each action, where the regulatory action stands, estimated completion dates and a detailed description of all regulatory activity. H.R. 5226 also requires federal agencies to make public all communication on each action, detailing how and when the communication was received as well as its intended audience. This includes all oral communication. While transparency is important, H.R. 5226 is overly burdensome and could it make it more difficult for agencies to complete work on regulatory actions. I voted NO. H.R. 5226 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Guantanamo Bay

Yesterday the House considered H.R. 5351, To Prohibit the Transfer of any individual detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This legislation prohibits the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay until either the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization becomes law or Inauguration Day 2017. This legislation is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the authority of the President of the United States. The Administration has stated that H.R. 5351 will be vetoed. I voted NO. H.R. 5351 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

What’s Up Next

Next House votes are scheduled for Tuesday, September 20th. The House is expected to consider H.R. 3438: The REVIEW Act, H.R. 5719: Empowering Employees through Stock Ownership Act, H.R. 5461: Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, and H.R. 5931: Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act.