Area Votes in Congress

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

House

Credit-card rules.

Voting 312-112, the House sent the Senate a bill (HR 5244) setting pro-consumer rules for credit-card firms. In part, the bill would allow card holders to set their own limits above which transactions cannot be processed; set 18 as the minimum age for obtaining a card in most circumstances; require 45 days' notice of rate increases while allowing existing balances to be paid at the previous rate; and prohibit changes in contract terms until a card is up for renewal.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Michael N. Castle (R., Del.) and Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.).

GOP credit-card plan.

Voting 198-219, the House defeated a Republican motion to delay the effects of HR 5244 (above) until the Federal Reserve studied the bill and certified it would not shrink credit availability and damage the economy.

Delaware Rep. Castle said: "What we are simply trying to do in this is to make sure that there is not a reduction in the availability of credit to certain groups, small businesses, veterans or minorities."

A yes vote backed the GOP plan.

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

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

Mental-health parity.

Voting 376-47, the House passed a bill (HR 6983) that would require private insurers to cover mental illness and chemical addiction at the same level and cost that they cover physical ailments in the same policy. The Senate included a similar measure in HR 6049 (below).

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Castle, Dent, Fattah, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Murphy, Schwartz, Sestak and Smith.

Voting no: Pitts.

Not voting: Saxton.

Senate

Tax-break extensions.

Voting 93-2, the Senate passed a bill (HR 6049) to extend tens of billions of dollars in business, family, renewable-energy and education tax breaks due to expire at year's end. The bill contains a one-year fix of the Alternative Minimum Tax, whose cost of at least $64 billion would be added to the national debt. The bill also would require parity between mental and physical health-insurance coverage.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) and Arlen Specter (R., Pa.).

Voting no: Thomas Carper (D., Del.).

Not voting: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.).

This week.

Congress was planning to adjourn for the year after completing work on a bailout of financial institutions.