Here's how Arizona members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Dec. 11.
House
TAX-BREAK EXTENSIONS
Voting 241 for and 181 against, the House on Dec. 9 sent the Senate a bill (HR 4213) to extend through 2010 a $31 billion package of temporary tax credits and other fiscal incentives that benefit a multitude of U.S. businesses, farms, units of government, schools, charities, individuals, non-profit organizations, religious institutions and other recipients.
The bill uses two measures to pay for itself. One would tax the earnings of hedge-fund managers and certain investment partners as ordinary income rather than capital gains. The other would increase Treasury receipts by cracking down on wealthy Americans who use secret overseas bank accounts to evade taxes.
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The bill allows filers in states and cities without income taxes to deduct sales taxes instead on their federal tax returns and extends the standard deduction for state and local property taxes. The bill also allows teachers to deduct the cost of buying classroom materials and extends tuition tax credits for higher education.
Additionally, the bill extends the research and development tax credit as well as incentives to spur energy conservation and the development of alternative fuels, benefit victims of natural disasters and promote economic development in inner cities. The bill provides breaks for charitable contributions of food and book inventories and computer technology to public schools and liberalizes certain oil and gas depletion allowances, among hundreds of other provisions.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Yes: Ann Kirkpatrick, D-1, Ed Pastor, D-4, Raúl Grijalva, D-7, Gabrielle Giffords, D-8
No: Trent Franks, R-2, John Shadegg, R-3, Harry Mitchell, D-5, Jeff Flake, R-6
CATCHALL 2010 BUDGET
Voting 221 for and 202 against, the House on Dec. 10 sent the Senate a $447 billion catchall spending bill (HR 3288) for 2010 comprising six appropriations bills that Congress had failed to enact individually. Covering the fiscal year that began in October, the bill funds military construction projects, dozens of independent agencies in areas such as financial regulation and disaster relief and the budgets of the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Commerce, State, Justice and Housing and Urban Development.
The bill also clears $650 billion in fiscal 2010 entitlement spending for programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and veterans' benefits.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Yes: Kirkpatrick , Pastor, Grijalva, Giffords
No: Franks, Shadegg, Mitchell, Flake
NEW FINANCIAL RULES
Voting 223 for and 202 against, the House on Dec. 11 passed a bill (HR 4173) to increase federal regulation of the financial services industry, establish an independent agency to protect financial consumers and provide congressional review of Federal Reserve policies. The bill awaits Senate action.
The new Consumer Financial Protection Agency would protect consumers against abusive home- lending and credit-card practices but is barred from regulating auto dealerships and community banks.
The bill creates a Financial Stability Council charged with spotting grave risks to financial markets before they materialize.
Regulators would use powers granted by the bill to unwind "too big to fail" firms in an orderly fashion that would preserve market stability. The council would be staffed by existing regulatory agencies.
The bill empowers the Government Accountability Office, a congressional agency, to review Federal Reserve decisions on interest rates and other aspects of monetary policy. Those deliberations are now walled off from congressional interference.
Additionally, the bill would start limited federal regulation of the secretive financial instruments known as derivatives and give shareholders a non- binding vote on executive compensation.
The bill would require credit-rating agencies such as Moody's and Standard and Poor's to operate more openly but would allow them to continue receiving payments from the firms whose bonds they rate.
The bill would establish a Federal Insurance Office to oversee insurance markets but would leave states in charge of regulating that industry.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Yes: Pastor , Grijalva, Giffords
No: Kirkpatrick Franks, Shadegg, Mitchell, Flake
CONSUMER PROTECTION AGENCY
Voting 208 for and 223 against, the House on Dec. 11 defeated an amendment to strip HR 4173 (above) of its proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. The amendment sought to establish a council of existing financial regulators as the main watchdog for consumers.
A yes vote opposed creation of the agency.
Yes: Kirkpatrick, Franks, Shadegg, Mitchell, Flake
No: Pastor, Grijalva, Giffords
CREDIT-RATING FIRMS
Voting 172 for and 257 against, the House on Dec. 10 defeated an amendment to strip HR 4173 (above) of a provision giving individuals more standing to sue companies such as Moody's and Standard and Poor's for recklessly inaccurate ratings of financial instruments such as corporate bonds.
A yes vote opposed the new authority for suing credit-rating firms.
Yes: Franks, Shadegg, Flake
No: Kirkpatrick, Pastor, Mitchell, Grijalva, Giffords
Senate
ABORTION DISPUTE
Voting 54 for and 45 against, the Senate on Dec. 8 tabled (killed) an amendment to bar federally subsidized private insurance plans from covering abortions and prohibit individuals who receive government premium subsidies from buying plans that cover abortion. The bans would apply even if a woman were to use her own money to buy the policy. The amendment to health-care legislation (HR 3590) went beyond "Hyde Amendment" language already in the bill that would bar federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to save the mother's life.
A yes vote was to kill the amendment.
No: John McCain, R, Jon Kyl, R
INSURANCE EXECUTIVES' PAY
Voting 56 for and 42 against, the Senate on Dec. 6 failed to reach 60 votes needed to pass an amendment to limit the compensation of health-insurance executives. The amendment to HR 3590 (above) sought to reduce from $1 million to $400,000 annually the amount of executive-compensation packages that firms could deduct as a business expense.
A yes vote was to cap executive pay.
No: McCain, Kyl
LAWYERS' FEE CAPS
Voting 32 for and 66 against, the Senate on Dec. 6 refused to limit the contingency fees received by plaintiffs' lawyers in medical malpractice cases. The amendment to HR 3590 (above) sought to limit fees to one-third of the first $150,000 of the judgment plus one quarter of judgments over $150,000.
A yes vote was to limit lawyers' fees.
Yes: McCain, Kyl
MEDICARE AT HOME
Voting 41 for and 53 against, the Senate on Dec. 5 refused to strip a HR 3590 (above) of its $43 billion slowdown in spending growth over 10 years for a program that delivers Medicare services at the patient's home. The proposed cuts would help pay the $848 billion cost of the bill while securing the Medicare trust fund.
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Yes: McCain, Kyl
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
Voting 42 for and 57 against, the Senate on Dec. 8 defeated a motion to reduce taxpayer subsidies of Medicare Advantage plans by $120 billion over 10 years. The savings would be used to help pay for the pending $848 billion health bill (HR 3590) and secure the Medicare trust fund.
Nearly 25 percent of Medicare participants are enrolled in privately run Medicare Advantage plans, which provide supplemental coverage such as dental, wellness and pharmaceutical benefits. Participants pay their standard Medicare premium to the government and a supplemental premium to the private insurer and receive all of their care through the private plan.
A yes vote opposed Medicare Advantage cuts.
Yes: McCain, Kyl
