This is a 100% volunteer effort brought to you by a handful of progressive Democrats and Independents who share a vision of an informed electorate. Thank you to the Demcast and Pennsylvania Indivisible organizations who host our report and help us share it with Commonwealth residents!
Indivisible Scorecard
The Indivisible movement is focused on four key principles – equality, justice, compassion and inclusion. Accordingly, we score legislation that reflects those values:
- Ballot access, voting rights, campaign finance and ethics
- Civil rights, equality under the law and addressing systemic inequities
- Reinforcing and strengthening democratic norms, processes, and oversight
- Addressing economic inequality
This week there were no votes scored.
| Lawmaker | Score | Change from last score |
| 🔵 Senator Bob Casey | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔴 Senator Pat Toomey | 21.7% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick | 43.1% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-02’s Rep. Brendan Boyle | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-03’s Rep. Dwight Evans | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-04’s Rep. Madeleine Dean | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-05’s Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-06’s Rep. Chrissy Houlahan | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-07’s Rep. Susan Wild | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-09’s Rep. Dan Meuser | 3.2% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry | 0.0% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-11’s Rep. Lloyd Smucker | 7.7% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-12’s Rep. Fred Keller | 3.1% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-13’s Rep. John Joyce | 3.1% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-14’s Rep. Guy Reschenthaler | 3.1% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-15’s Rep. Glenn W. Thompson | 7.9% | No change |
| 🔴 PA-16’s Rep. Mike Kelly | 3.1% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-17’s Rep. Conor Lamb | 100.0% | No change |
| 🔵 PA-18’s Rep. Mike Doyle | 100.0% | No change |
Votes of Interest
96% of GOP Rejects House Funding for Domestic Violence Shelters/Programs
House Vote on H.R. 2119: Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021
Before we get into the political rhetoric about this legislation, let’s look at the Library of Congress summary for what it actually does:
Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021 This bill modifies, expands, and reauthorizes through FY2026 the Family Violence and Prevention Services program, which funds emergency shelters and supports related assistance for victims of domestic violence.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants and enter cooperative agreements with state and tribal domestic violence coalitions, and community-based organizations, to support prevention services. Depending on the type of organization, grant recipients must use funding to (1) provide technical assistance; (2) promote evidence-informed prevention strategies; (3) implement coordinated, community responses to reduce risk factors for family violence; and (4) develop prevention partnership strategies.
Further, HHS must award specified grants to organizations that provide population-specific services in underserved communities and to community-based organizations that provide culturally specific domestic violence services to racial and ethnic minority groups. The bill also establishes a grants program for tribal domestic violence coalitions to support the provision of local, tribal, family domestic or dating violence services and requires HHS to award a grant for the administration of a hotline dedicated to serving Indians affected by domestic violence. In addition, the bill modifies certain program-wide definitions; changes the requirements for specified grant applications, eligibility criteria, and use of funds; and makes other technical revisions.
The Republican arguments against this bill are steeped in all of their talking points for their current election, involving abortion, LGBTQ+ concerns and excessive spending. These excerpts from the floor speech of Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) from the Congressional Record are a good representative of the type of rhetoric the GOP used to derail the bill:
I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2119.
The other side of the aisle claims that this would help families, but instead, it would devastate them. The bill would coerce faith-based providers, as the gentlewoman from North Carolina has already said, to violate their deeply held beliefs or stop their work altogether. This bill would redefine the definition of sex, and it inserts gender identity language into U.S. Code. Isn’t that the objective of this administration, this majority, to force our faith-based providers out of business and to redefine sex and to change the identification of gender?…
…Nearly everything that plagues our society can be attributed to a failure to follow God’s laws for morality and His rules for and definition of marriage and family… it would truly inflict more violence on unborn babies’ lives and force taxpayers to fund the murder of unborn life; again, consistent with the goals and objectives of this administration and this Democrat majority….
This is a bad bill because it spends over a billion dollars more in expansive and intrusive government. Violence is already illegal. We Republicans are against it in all forms. This is a matter for local and State law enforcement.
Only nine House Republicas were willing to balk this party line and support funding for shelters and programs to prevent domestic violence and protect its victims. In the Senate, the bill has slightly better potential. Our own 🔵 Senator Bob Casey is an original sponsor of the identical Senate bill alongside Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Vote date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Vote Tally: 228-200
Party Breakdown: All of the 2019 House Democrats were present for this vote and voted YES. Only nine Republicans also voted yes, including 🔴 PA-01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. The 200 NO votes were all from Republicans.
Additional Reading:
Editor’s Note: there was very little mainstream media coverage of this bill, with all of the political world focused on infrastructure, so we had to rely on press releases for additional reading.
- “National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Applauds House Passage of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021,” from the NCADV website
- “Higgins announces approval of Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act,” from Niagara Frontier Publicans
- “Family Violence Prevention & Services Act,” from National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)
Infrastructure?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As we get towards MoCTrack distribution this weekend, this is all still up in the air. Did both the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better Act pass after we sent this out and before you are reading this? GREAT! We’ll fill you in on the details and who voted for what in the next report. And if not, we are waiting as anxiously as you are for this thing to get past the finish line!
Judicial Confirmations
Editor’s Note: There is very little information about judicial nominees/confirmed judges that cannot be found in the recaps provided by the most excellent source, The Vetting Room. MoCTrack will be relying solely on their content for most judicial confirmation recaps from now on.
Judicial Confirmation – Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Senate Confirmation Vote on Myrna Perez to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit
Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Myrna Perez:
- “Born in San Antonio to an immigrant family from Mexico, Perez received her B.A. from Yale University in 1996, an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School in 1998, and her J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2003. After graduating, Perez clerked for Judge Anita Brody on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and for Judge Julio Fuentes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. After her clerkships, Perez served as a Civil Rights Fellow at the firm of Relman Dale & Colfax in Washington D.C. before joining the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.”
- “Perez represented the Idaho Aids Foundation in a suit against the Idaho Housing and Finance Association regarding the cut-off of funding for the former’s programming.”
- “Perez served as counsel for a number of plaintiff groups challenging Texas SB 14, which required photo ID in order to vote. Perez successfully persuaded a panel of the Fifth Circuit to strike down the law.”
- “Perez has been sharply critical of voter “purges” in which states remove large number of voters from voter rolls en masse. Perez has called out such “purges” in Mississippi, Louisiana, Montana, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, among other states. Nonetheless, Perez has spoken out supportively in favor of efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls, and has argued that states must strike the right balance between cleaning up voter rolls and not removing eligible voters.”
Vote date: Monday, October 25, 2021 Vote Tally: 48-43
Party Breakdown: This was a party line vote. All Democrats and Independents present voted YES and all Republicans present voted NO.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey DID NOT VOTE
Judicial Confirmation – Washington DC
Senate Confirmation Vote on Jia M. Cobb to be United States District Judge for the District of Columbia
Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Jia Cobb:
- “Jia Cobb received her B.A. from Northwestern University in 2002 and then received her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School where she served as Coordinating Editor of the Harvard Law Review. After graduating, Cobb clerked for Judge Diane Wood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and joined the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia…where she represented indigent defendants in D.C. Superior Court and in the federal courts.”
- “For the past eleven years, Cobb has served as a Partner at Relman Colfax, where she has practiced civil rights and civil litigation. Among her notable matters at the firm, Cobb represented an African-American bartender fired from Redline bar in Washington D.C. in an employment discrimination suit.”
- “Throughout her career, Cobb has spoken out on issues of race, gender, and diversity, including from her college days. As a college sophomore at Northwestern, Cobb spoke as part of the school’s first conference on diversity on a panel on racial coverage at the Daily Northwestern… Similarly, as a law student, Cobb co-authored a paper discussing the disparities in African Americans serving on law reviews.”
Vote date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Vote Tally: 52-45
Party Breakdown: Democrats and Independents were joined by three Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The 45 NO votes were from the other Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Judicial Confirmation – New Jersey
Senate Confirmation Vote on Karen McGlashan Williams to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey
Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Karen McGlashan Williams:
- “Karen McGlashan Williams, not to be confused with the distinguished jurist who sat on the Fourth Circuit for seventeen years, grew up in Long Island with four siblings. Williams graduated from Penn State University in 1985 and then attended Temple University Beasley School of Law, getting her J.D in 1992.”
- “Williams has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in New Jersey since her appointment in 2009. In this role, she handles settlement, discovery, and makes recommendations on dispositive motions. She also presides over cases where the parties consent and reviews bail and detention motions.”
- “In one notable case, Williams was asked by prosecutors to detain police officers Antonio Figueroa and Robert Bayard who were accused of abusing their power and of stealing cash and drugs from local drug dealers.”
Vote date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Vote Tally: 56-38
Party Breakdown: This nominee had the support of 9 Republicans in addition to all of the Democrats and Independents. The 38 NO votes came from the remaining Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted YES
Judicial Confirmation – Virginia 1
Senate Confirmation Vote on Patricia Tolliver Giles to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia
Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Patricia Giles:
- “In 2017, Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine recommended federal prosecutor Patricia Giles to be appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. However, she was not nominated. In 2018, they recommended her again. She was, again, not nominated.”
- “Patricia Tolliver Giles received a B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1995 and then got a J.D. from University of Virginia Law School in 1998. After graduation, Giles clerked for U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She then spent three years as an Associate at Cooley Godward LLP before becoming a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Giles is still with the office.”
- “Giles has spent virtually her entire legal career as a federal prosecutor, working on a number of prominent cases. In particular, Giles helped lead many prosecutions of figures in the MS-13 gang. For example, Giles prosecuted four MS-13 members charged with stabbing 17-year-old Brenda Paz to death.”
Vote date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Vote Tally: 68-27
Party Breakdown: This nominee had the support of 21 Republicans in addition to all of the Democrats and Independents. Only 27 republicans voted NO.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted YES
Judicial Confirmation – Virginia 2
Senate Confirmation Vote on Michael S. Nachmanoff to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia
Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Michael Nachmanoff:
- “A native of Arlington, Virginia Michael Stefan Nachmanoff received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1991 and then got a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1995. After graduation, Nachmanoff clerked for Judge Leonie Brinkema on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and then joined the firm of Cohen, Gettings & Dunham, P.C. as an associate. In 2002, Nachmanoff joined the Federal Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and became Chief Public Defender in 2007.”
- “In 2014, Nachmanoff was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Alexandria Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He continues to serve there today.”
- “While Nachmanoff did spend a few years in private practice early in his career, the bulk of his practice has been as a federal defender, where he represented indigent defendants in some of the most prominent prosecutions of the 21st century. Notably, Nachmanoff was part of the legal team for Zacarias Moussaoui, an Al Qaeda member charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens.”
Vote date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 Vote Tally: 52-46
Party Breakdown: Democrats and Independents were joined by three Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. All of the 46 NO votes were from the other Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Judicial Confirmation – Connecticut 1
Senate Confirmation Vote on Sarala Vidya Nagala to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut
Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Sarala Vidya Nagala:
- “Nagala received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 2005 and her Juris Doctor from the University of California School of Law in 2008. After graduating law school, she clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Susan Graber on the Ninth Circuit, before joining the San Francisco office of Munger Tolles & Olson as an Associate. In 2012, Nagala moved to the public sector as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the District of Connecticut, becoming Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit in 2017. Nagala is still with the office.”
- “Nagala has spent the last nine years as a federal prosecutor in Connecticut, rising to become Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Division. Among the notable cases that she has handled with the office, Nagala prosecuted Stavros Ganias for tax evasion.”
- “On the pro-bono side, Nagala was part of the legal team, along with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, challenging a gang injunction imposed by Orange County.”
Vote date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 Vote Tally: 52-46
Party Breakdown: Democrats and Independents were joined by three Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. All of the 46 NO votes were from the other Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Judicial Confirmation – Connecticut 2
Senate Confirmation Vote on Omar Antonio Williams to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut
Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Omar Williams:
- “Omar A. Williams earned his B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 1998 and his J.D. from the University of Connecticut Law School in 2002. After graduating law school, Williams joined the State of Connecticut Division of Public Defender Services as an assistant public defender. “
- “William’s primary experience before becoming a judge was as a state public defender, where he represented indigent defendants in trial and appellate courts. Among the notable cases he handled with the office, Williams challenged, under the Fourth Amendment, the police officers’ use of statements his client had made while calling a third-party cell phone in the possession of the police.”
- “Williams has served as a Judge on the Connecticut Superior Court since 2016, when he was appointed by Gov. Dannel Malloy. In this role, Williams has served as a trial court judge, presiding over criminal, civil, family, and housing cases. Williams’ duties include making bail and detention decisions.”
Vote date: Thursday, October 28, 2021 Vote Tally: 52-46
Party Breakdown: Just like the other Connecticut nomination from the previous day, Democrats and Independents were joined by three Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. All of the 46 NO votes were from the other Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Bureaucratic Confirmations
Editor’s note: now that we are almost a year into the Biden Administration, almost all of the major bureaucratic positions have been filled. Many of the positions filled are getting down well past the deputy level, MoCTrack is going to provide slightly less information about these confirmations. These lower level bureaucrats are not often covered in traditional media, so we are left with only press releases and less reliable sources for information. Where possible, we will use the Whie House or departmental releases for biographical information about these new administration team members.
Bureaucratic Confirmation – Labor
Senate Confirmation Vote on Douglas L. Parker to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor
From the White House press release issued upon the nomination of Douglas Parker:
“Douglas L. Parker of San Francisco, California, previously served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, and was a member of the Biden-Harris transition team focused on worker health and safety issues. He also held positions as a senior policy advisor and special assistant at the Department of Labor. He currently serves as chief of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), a position he has held since 2019. Prior to his appointment to Cal/OSHA, Parker was executive director of Worksafe, an Oakland, California-based legal services provider.
Before serving in the Obama Administration, Parker was a partner at the law firm Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy and Welch, in Washington, DC. He began his legal career as a staff attorney at the United Mine Workers of America. Prior to law school, Parker worked in the private sector as a sales and marketing director, in communications for the Democratic National Committee, and was a staff assistant for the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Parker earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. in history from James Madison University. He is married and has two daughters. Parker is originally from Bluefield, West Virginia, and grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia.”
Vote date: Monday, October 25, 2021 Vote Tally: 50-41
Party Breakdown: All of the Democrats and Independents voted YES, along with Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio. The other 41 Republicans voted NO.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey DID NOT VOTE
Bureaucratic Confirmation – Justice 1, National Security Division
Senate Confirmation Vote on Matthew G. Olsen to be an Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division
From the White House press release issued upon the nomination of Matthew Olsen:
“Matt Olsen served for over two decades as a government official on national and homeland security, law enforcement, and intelligence matters. Olsen served for three years as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center under President Obama. Prior to leading NCTC, Olsen was the General Counsel for the National Security Agency. Olsen worked at the Department of Justice in a number of leadership positions. He served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General for national security and was Special Counselor to the Attorney General, overseeing the interagency review of Guantanamo detainees. Olsen helped establish the National Security Division and served as the first career Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security, managing intelligence activities for the Division. For over a decade, Olsen was a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He also served as Special Counsel to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Olsen began his public service career as a career trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
Olsen currently is the Chief Trust and Security Officer at Uber. After leaving government service, Olsen joined with the former director of NSA to found and lead IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc. Olsen has taught national security law at Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia. He is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the Center for American Progress, and is a member of the board of Human Rights First. Olsen graduated from Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia.”
Vote date: Thursday, October 28, 2021 Vote Tally: 53-45
Party Breakdown: Democrats and Independents were joined by four Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. All of the 45 NO votes were from the other Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Bureaucratic Confirmation – Justice, Office of Legal Counsel
Senate Confirmation Vote on Christopher H. Schroeder to be an Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel
From the White House press release issued upon the nomination of Christopher H. Schroeder:
“Christopher H. Schroeder is Charles S. Murphy Emeritus Professor of Law and Emeritus Professor of Public Policy Studies. From 1994-1997, Schroeder served as deputy and acting assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. From 2010-2013, he served as assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Policy. He has also served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, 1992-1993. His scholarship on constitutional law and separation of powers includes Keeping Faith with the Constitution, co-authored with Pamela Karlan and Goodwin Liu, as well as Presidential Power Stories, co-edited with Curtis Bradley.
Schroeder has also written on a broad range of topics in environmental law and policy, risk regulation, and tort theory, as well as on Congressional procedures and affairs. He is co-author of a leading environmental law casebook, Environmental Regulation: Law, Science and Policy (8th Edition, 2018), with Robert Percival, Alan Miller and James Leape. Schroeder received his B.A. degree from Princeton University in 1968, a M. Div. from Yale University in 1971, and his J.D. degree from University of California, Berkeley in 1974, where he was editor-in-chief of the California Law Review. He and his wife, Katharine T. Bartlett, divide their time between Durham, N.C. and Belfast, Maine.”
Vote date: Thursday, October 28, 2021 Vote Tally: 56-41
Party Breakdown: All of the Democrats and Independents were joined by seven Republicans. All of the 45 NO votes were from the other Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Bureaucratic Confirmation – Justice 3, Office of Legal Policy
Senate Confirmation Vote on Hampton Y. Dellinger to be an Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy
From the White House press release issued upon the nomination of Hampton Dellinger:
“Hampton Dellinger is a former Deputy Attorney General in the North Carolina Department of Justice and served as Chief Legal Counsel in the Office of the North Carolina Governor from 2001-2003 where his responsibilities included overseeing the judicial appointment process. In the private sector, he has devoted a significant amount of time to pro bono matters including representing an international coalition of women’s soccer players challenging gender discrimination at the 2015 World Cup.
Dellinger has written on a wide range of legal topics including publications in the Harvard Law Review, the North Carolina Law Review, and for SCOTUSBlog. Other essays he has authored have appeared in Atlantic.com, Politico, Slate, and the National Law Journal. Dellinger received his B.A. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1989. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1993 and served as a senior editor on the Yale Law Journal. He was a law clerk for United States Court of Appeals Judge J. Dickson Phillips, Jr. He and his spouse, Professor Jolynn Childers Dellinger, live in Durham, N.C. and have two grown children.”
Vote date: Thursday, October 28, 2021 Vote Tally: 53-37
Party Breakdown: Democrats and Independents were joined by four Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. All of the 37 NO votes were from the other Republicans. At this point in the day, 10 lawmakers (mostly Republicans) were heading home for the weekend, it appears.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Bureaucratic Confirmation – Justice 4, Solicitor General of the United States
Senate Confirmation Vote on Elizabeth Prelogar to be Solicitor General of the United States
From the White House press release issued upon the nomination of Elizabeth Prelogar:
“Elizabeth Prelogar began serving as the Acting Solicitor General at the U. S. Department of Justice in January 2021. Prelogar has focused her career on Supreme Court and appellate litigation. From 2014 to 2019, she served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General. During her prior tenure at the Department of Justice, Prelogar was asked to serve on the Special Counsel’s Russia investigation and was an Assistant Special Counsel to Robert S. Mueller III. Prelogar has also spent time as a partner at Cooley LLP and an associate at Hogan Lovells, and she taught a course at Harvard Law School on Supreme Court and appellate advocacy.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Prelogar clerked for Judge Merrick B. Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She then completed consecutive Supreme Court clerkships for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Elena Kagan. Prelogar previously completed a master’s degree in creative writing at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, earned her undergraduate degree in English and Russian from Emory University, and was a Fulbright Fellow in St. Petersburg, Russia. Born and raised in Idaho, Prelogar lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and their two sons.”
Vote date: Thursday, October 28, 2021 Vote Tally: 53-36
Party Breakdown: All of the Democrats and Independents were joined by six Republicans. All of the 36 NO votes were from the other Republicans.
Bob Casey voted YES
Pat Toomey voted NO
Votes under Suspension of the Rules
Some bills are so uncontroversial that the leadership of both parties coordinate to bring the bills up under a suspension of the rules – that means that debate and amendments are limited, but the bill needs a ⅔ supermajority to pass. These 14 bills were brought up under a suspension of the rules this week.
🗳️ House Vote on H.R. 4111: Sovereign Debt Contract Capacity Act
From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund to advocate for the fund to promote international standards and best practices with respect to sovereign debt contracts and to provide technical assistance to fund members. Such assistance should focus on lower middle-income countries in order to enhance their capacity to evaluate the legal and financial terms of sovereign debt contracts with private sector creditors.”
Vote date: Monday, October 25, 2021 Vote Tally: 391-29
Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 17-1, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO.
🗳️ House Vote on H.R. 2989: Financial Transparency Act of 2021
From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill requires federal financial regulatory agencies to adopt specified data standards with respect to format, searchability, and transparency.”
Vote date: Monday, October 25, 2021 Vote Tally: 400-19
Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation supported this bill unanimously.
🗳️ House Vote on S. 1502: COPS (Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support) Counseling Act
From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill sets forth requirements related to peer support counseling programs. A peer support counseling program is a program provided by a law enforcement agency that provides counseling services from a peer support specialist to a law enforcement officer of the agency… Among other things, the bill generally prohibits the disclosure of the contents of a peer support communication, and requires the Department of Justice to develop best practices and professional standards for peer support counseling programs.”
Vote date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 Vote Tally: 424-3
Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation supported this bill unanimously.
🗳️ House Vote on S. 1511: Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021
A Library of Congress summary is not available yet. This summary is excerpted from the press release of House sponsor, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ): the bill “makes significant improvements to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program, providing first responders who die or are permanently disabled in the line of duty with a federal benefit of $370,000 and education assistance of $1,200 a month to their children or spouse… Additionally, it increases the interim death benefits amount from $3,000 to $6,000 and ties it to the consumer price index so Congress does not have to readjust it again.”
Vote date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 Vote Tally: 420-3
Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation supported this bill unanimously.
🗳️ House Vote on H.R. 5763: Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021
A Library of Congress summary is not available yet. The text of the bill is really basic, though. It simply extends the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–44) by pushing the funding deadline from the end of October out to december 3, 2021.
Vote date: Thursday, October 28, 2021 Vote Tally: 358-59
Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation supported this bill unanimously.
Unanimously passed legislation
The following bills were passed through unanimous consent or voice vote (which presumes unanimity, as any member can object to the voice vote and ask for a roll call). This list excludes bills related to post offices, stamps, memorials, awareness weeks and other ceremonial activities.
- H.R.2265 – Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2021
- H.R.1899 – Ensuring Compliance Against Drug Diversion Act of 2021
- H.R.4035 – Real Justice for Our Veterans Act of 2021
- H.R.5661 – Continued State Flexibility To Assist Older Foster Youth Act
- S.921 – Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Officers and Employees Protection Act
- H.R.2911 – VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021
- H.R.3919 – Secure Equipment Act of 2021
Quotes of Interest
Senate Tweets
🔵 Senator Bob Casey, @SenBobCasey, 10/31/21:
“The #BuildBackBetter framework would improve millions of American lives and make the United States more economically competitive in the process. I look forward to working with my colleagues in finalizing and passing it with the bipartisan infrastructure bill.”
🔴 Senator Pat Toomey, @SenToomey, 10/28/21:
“New innovations—such as zero commission trading and user-friendly apps—have allowed more Americans to participate in the stock market than ever before. My legislation will stop the SEC from restricting Americans’ access to and choices in the stock market.”
House Tweets
🔴 PA-01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, @RepBrianFitz, 10/25/21:
“Our bipartisan Fair Drug Prices For Kids Act will allow states to purchase drugs for their standalone CHIP program at the lowest price offered, ensuring that families and children have access to affordable medical care and prescription medication.”
🔵 PA-02’s Rep. Brendan Boyle, @CongBoyle, 10/29/21:
✅CHILD CARE
✅MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT
✅AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
✅CLIMATE ACTION
“The #BuildBackBetterAct fully repudiates bankrupt “trickle-down” economics of tax cuts for the rich & corporations and service cuts for the rest of us dominating politics since the Reagan years.
It instead pursues a progressive agenda of bold investments in working families and the environment paid for with fairer taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
The plan will raise nearly $1.9 trillion by closing tax loopholes and ending special breaks for the nation’s wealthiest families and most profitable corporations.
It uses that money to lower costs and raise incomes for parents stretched thin between kids and work; address the accelerating climate crisis; bring down rents and make home purchases more affordable; expand healthcare coverage and make it more affordable; and much more. Not a penny will be added to the national debt and no one making less than $400,000 a year will pay more in taxes.”
🔵 PA-03’s Rep. Dwight Evans, @RepDwightEvans, 10/30/21:
“@POTUS Biden’s #BuildBackBetter package supports Black communities with:
✅Affordable child care
✅Expanded health care
✅Tax cuts for working families
Check out the full fact sheet here: https://t.co/E7btKkyJ3H?amp=1”
🔵 PA-04’s Rep. Madeleine Dean, @RepDean, 10/28/21:
“The #BuildBackBetter framework is here and so is transformational change.
Combined with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and endorsed by @USProgressives, it will move our nation forward in a bold way.
We govern for the people, our planet, our future.”
🔵 PA-05’s Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, @RepMGS, 10/29/21:
“Today, we marked the milestone of 25,000+ Afghan evacuees arriving at @PHLairport.
While only a fraction of these folks will ultimately resettle in PA, our region should be proud to have played a role in welcoming each person who passed through upon their arrival in America.”
🔵 PA-06’s Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, @RepHoulahan, 10/27/21:
“As long as we have new mothers and fathers, the fight for paid leave is not over.
We must not, and cannot, give up — too much is at stake.
Today, tomorrow, and every day until we end this national embarrassment, I will fight for working families’ access to paid leave.”
🔵 PA-07’s Rep. Susan Wild, @RepSusanWild, 10/27/21:
“Today I wore pink to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month with my Fab Four sisters.
I encourage anyone reading this to text/call your friends and remind them to schedule their annual breast cancer screening.
Early detection is key.”
🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright, @RepCartwright, 10/30/21:
“After a lifetime of work, every American deserves the dignity of a secure retirement. I joined WILK recently to discuss a new bill I helped introduce that will boost #SocialSecurity benefits, update the cost-of-living adjustment, and ensure benefits can be paid for years to come.”
🔴 PA-09’s Rep. Dan Meuser, @RepMeuser, 10/28/21:
“Our 3rd quarter GDP is at a disappointing 2%, and our gross domestic spending is just gross.”
🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry, @RepScottPerry, 10/27/21:
“More outstanding bearing and decorum from the tolerant majority…”
🔴 PA-11’s Rep. Lloyd Smucker, @RepSmucker, 10/29/21:
“Inflation is still running rampant and is made worse because of Biden’s reckless spending.”
🔴 PA-12’s Rep. Fred Keller, @RepFredKeller, 10/28/21:
“President Biden’s recent statement that he has no short-term solution for surging energy prices should alarm every American. @GOPoversight requested a briefing from the Biden administration on the steps it’s taking to fix the energy crisis it created. Read our letter:” image available at tweet link
🔴 PA-13’s Rep. John Joyce, @RepJohnJoyce, 10/29/21:
“The Biden Administration’s failures in Afghanistan have made Americans less safe.”
🔴 PA-14’s Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, @GReschenthaler, 10/30/21:
“Biden can say he’s only going to tax the rich all he wants.
That doesn’t change the truth: inflation is Biden’s hidden tax on working and middle-class Americans.”
🔴 PA-15’s Rep. Glenn W. Thompson is recovering from COVID, and did not tweet this week.
🔴 PA-16’s Rep. Mike Kelly, @MikeKellyPA, 10/29/21:
“The American people deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent and if any of that money is going toward paying immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. I’m calling on the Biden administration to answer our questions as soon as possible.”
🔵 PA-17’s Rep. Conor Lamb, @RepConorLamb, 10/26/21:
“Today I joined my colleagues to introduce the #Secure2100 Act. We must expand Social Security for today’s seniors & protect it for future generations. #PA17”
🔵 PA-18’s Rep. Mike Doyle, @USRepMikeDoyle, 10/29/21:
“Our #infrastructure has been damaged by the #ClimateCrisis & is in desperate need of repair. The #BuildBackBetter plan will invest in infrastructure that will help prevent the worst effects of #climatechange – not only for the economy but for our future.”
Casey Quote of the Week
Courtesy of contributor Linda Houk
“Children deserve to go to school without fear or intimidation. Bullying and harassment harm far too many young people with serious, negative impacts on their mental and physical health, emotional well-being and academic achievement. My commonsense legislation will take steps to address this problem, ensuring that school districts across the country take proactive steps to combat bullying and protect our children.”
— the senator discusses his Safe Schools Improvement Act (S.2410) legislation in this My ChesCo article titled “Casey, U.S. Deputy Education Secretary Marten Tour Phoenixville Area School District”
Toomey Quote of the Week
Courtesy of contributor Linda Houk
“Billions of this aid is not targeted. Some of these programs have weak means testing and loopholes. And forget work requirements — even for able-bodied childless adults. They, and many people of above-average income, will do quite well under some of these programs.”
— from a Wilkes-Barre Times Leader article (paywalled) via Yahoo News, titled “Toomey blasts Dems’ ‘reckless housing provisions’”
Fitzpatrick Quote of the Week (secondhand)
Research courtesy of contributor CC
Most of this week, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has kept his head low.
But this tidbit from Axios is interesting:
This report is brought to you by the Pennsylvania MoCTrack team…
CC Linda Houk
Gary Garb Kierstyn Piotrowski Zolfo
Have you seen an interesting or revealing recent quote from a member of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation that was not featured in MoCTrack? We are looking for folks who can help us cover what gets into traditional media, especially in the western parts of the state! Please email KierstynPZ@gmail.com and put “MoC Quote” in the subject, and please be sure to include a link to the article, the article title, and the full quote (in case your editor gets paywalled). Thanks!