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Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues last week: House Jobs creation. Voting 217-201, the House passed a jobs bill (HR 2847) that would temporarily exempt businesses from having to pay the 6.2 percent employer's share of Social Security withholding taxes on workers they hire this year from the jobless ranks.

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues last week:

House

Jobs creation. Voting 217-201, the House passed a jobs bill (HR 2847) that would temporarily exempt businesses from having to pay the 6.2 percent employer's share of Social Security withholding taxes on workers they hire this year from the jobless ranks. Employers also would receive a $1,000 tax credit for each new hire who stays on the job for one year. The two incentives are designed to put 300,000 people back to work at a cost to the Treasury of about $13 billion.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: John Adler (D., N.J.), Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).

Voting no: Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Not voting: Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.)

Abusive student discipline. Voting 262-153, the House passed a bill (HR 4247) setting federal standards and authorizing grants to states to curb the abusive discipline of K-12 students in public and private schools. Now before the Senate, the bill addresses practices such as duct-taping and other forcible restraints that inflict harm, seclusion in locked rooms, and the application of drugs not prescribed by the student's doctor.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Pitts.

Senate

Jobless, health benefits. Voting 78-19, the Senate sent President Obama a bill (HR 4691) appropriating $10.3 billion to cover a one-month extension of jobless checks for millions of unemployed people with expired benefits. The bill also funds COBRA health insurance for the jobless, transportation projects, national flood insurance, small-business loan programs, and Medicare payments to doctors, among other programs.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Not voting: Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.).

Tax cuts, stimulus. Voting 44-56, the Senate defeated an amendment to transfer $80 billion in unspent stimulus funds to a program of temporary payroll-tax cuts for the U.S. workforce. The relief would be capped at $500 per person or $1,000 per couple over six months. The amendment was proposed to a bill (HR 4213) extending safety-net benefits and business and personal tax breaks for the remainder of the year. The bill remained in debate.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting no: Carper, Casey, Kaufman, Lautenberg, Menendez, and Specter.

This week. The House will debate the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and a bid to impeach Louisiana U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous Jr. The Senate will debate an extension of safety-net benefits and certain business and personal tax breaks for the remainder of the year.