Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes last week:

House

HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB.

By a vote of 308-116, the House authorized spending $50 billion over five years for U.S. support of global programs to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. The bill discontinues a mandate that one-third of AIDS spending be allocated to abstinence programs.

A yes vote was to pass the bill (HR 5501).

Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Schwartz (D., Pa.), Joe Sestak (D., Pa.) and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.) and Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.).

HIV/AIDS funding cut.

By a vote of 175-248, the House refused to cut the spending authorization in HR 5501 (above) from $50 billion to $30 billion over five years.

A yes vote backed a 40 percent spending cut.

Voting yes: Castle, Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, Saxton.

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, Sestak and Smith.

Senate

Mortgage counseling.

In a 44-40 vote, the Senate failed to reach the 60 votes needed to double funding in a House bill (HR 3221) for mortgage counseling by nonprofit agencies. The amendment sought to increase the outlay from $100 million to $200 million in order to extend counseling to an additional 250,000 holders of problem mortgages.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) and Arlen Specter (R., Pa.).

Not voting: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.) and Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.).

Subprime loans, bankruptcy.

Voting 58-36, the Senate killed a measure that sought to give bankruptcy judges authority to change the terms of subprime mortgages on primary residences. The proposal, offered as an amendment to a housing-related bill being debated in the House (HR 3221), would have given the judges power to cut interest rates and principal to help borrowers keep their homes.

A yes vote was to kill the amendment.

Voting yes: Carper and Specter.

Voting no: Biden, Casey, Lautenberg and Menendez.

Gulf Coast aid.

Voting 74-5, the Senate expanded HR 3221 (above) to include a projected $1 billion for homeowners suffering major losses in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The amendment would fund grants of up to $150,000 designed to narrow the gap between insurance payments and home values.

A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.

Voting yes: Biden, Carper, Casey and Menendez.

Not voting: Lautenberg and Specter.

This week.

The House will take up a bill on ocean pollution near shorelines, while the Senate will continue to debate a housing bill.