Vote Notes on Legislation

H.R. 1304 – Self Insurance Protection Act: YES. Some employers set up their own employee health care fund, and will often buy stop-loss insurance that picks up costs above a certain amount, thus protecting the employer from catastrophic losses and assuring employees' expenses are covered. Some states are attempting to regulate these stop loss agreements as health insurance, driving them out of the market. This bill makes clear that these contracts are financial instruments and not to be regulated as if they were end-user health insurance.

S.J.Res. 34 – Congressional Disapproval of FCC Rule on Broadband Privacy: NO

Continuing Resolution to Fund the Government: Yes. Hopefully, this is the last continuing resolution that we will see. Like those before it, it spends too much, abandons Congress’ fundamental responsibility to superintend the nation’s finances, and circumvents the normal budget process. But it also gets us out of the debt, doubt and despair of the Obama administration into the prosperity, hope and promise of the Trump era.

H.R. 6 – 21st Century Cures ACT: YES. This bill expedites FDA approvals for new medical drugs and devices and authorizes spending on major research into cancer and Alzheimer’s. I voted against the original bill because it established multiple new mandatory spending programs outside of Congress’ annual appropriations review and depended primarily on budget gimmicks to pay for them. This version replaces the mandatory spending aspects of the bill with discretionary spending that Congress must review and approve ever year, and greatly reduces the pay-for gimmicks.

Senate Amendment to HR 5325 – Fiscal Year 2017 Continuing Resolution: YES. This bill avoids a government shutdown on October 1st by extending current spending authority through December 9th. This is the WORST way to fund the government, because it fails to exercise congressional oversight through the budget and appropriations bills. Unfortunately, sincere but poorly reasoned opposition from the “Freedom Caucus” blocked adoption of the budget this year and doomed legislative efforts to exercise that oversight.

H.R. 5303 - Water Resources Development Act: YES. On the plus side, out of a total of $10.5 billion for projects across the nation, this bill authorizes $1.6 billion for flood control projects in the Sacramento Delta. (Of course, this would have been unnecessary if the Auburn Dam had been completed, but at the moment that’s, um, water under the bridge). It also includes a provision I have long sought to allow the use of fish hatcheries to meet ESA requirements, which has the potential to save billions of dollars and billions of gallons of water.