WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area House members voted on major issues last week (Senate in recess):
House
Repeal of contractors' law. Voting 405-16, the House on Thursday sent the Senate a bill (HR 674) to repeal a law affecting some companies that receive government contracts on the federal, state, and local levels. Scheduled to take effect in 2013, the law is seen by critics as a paperwork burden that will slow job creation, while defenders say it will crack down on tax cheats and boost IRS collections. This bill would reduce federal revenue by $11 billion over 10 years and use a tightening of the 2010 health law (HR 2576, below) to offset the loss.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), Jon Runyan (R., N.J.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).
Health-law eligibility. Voting 262-157, the House on Thursday approved tightening income rules to make it harder for as many as 500,000 low- and middle-income individuals and families to qualify for Medicaid, taxpayer-subsidized private insurance, or Children's Health Insurance under the 2010 health law.
The bill (HR 2576) would start defining nontaxable Social Security benefits as income in determining eligibility for coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Now before the Senate, the bill would reduce spending by $13 billion over 10 years and use the savings to pay for an unrelated bill (HR 674, above) aimed at contractors who owe back taxes to the IRS.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Carney, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.
Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Holden, and Schwartz.
This week. House and Senate legislative schedules were to be announced.
