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Health, Human Services and Education

  • 15. H.R. 2, State Children’s Health Insurance Program reauthorization. Motion to recommit the bill to the Energy and Commerce Committee with instructions to report it back forthwith after replacing the text with language that would reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program for seven years, require states to insure 90 percent of children under 200 percent of the poverty level before expanding the program to higher income levels, increase restrictions on the eligibility of legal and illegal immigrants for the program, and pay for the expansion by making changes to the corporate tax code. Yes. Failed 179-247. 1/14/09.
  • 16. H.R. 2. On passage of the bill to reauthorize the SCHIP at some $60 billion over four and a half years and offset the cost by increasing the tax on cigarettes by 61 cents to $1 per pack and raising taxes on other tobacco products. Yes. Passed 289-139. 1/14/09.
  • 50. H.R. 2, to concur in the Senate amendment to the bill to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) over four and a half years and increase funding by $32.8 billion and offset the cost of the expansion by increasing the federal tax on cigarettes to 62 cents per pack and raise taxes on other tobacco products. Yes. Passed 290-135. 2/4/09.
  • 72. H.R. 911, to authorize $15 million per year from FYs 2010-2014 and $235 million per year over the same period for a child abuse prevention grant program and require the Department of Health and Human Services to enforce health and safety standards for residential programs for children. No. Passed 295-102, under suspension of rules. 2/23/09.
  • 133. H.R. 1388, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act. Amendment to add development of clean energy programs designed to meet the needs of rural communities to the list of approved Clean Energy Corps activities. Yes. Passed 388-36. 3/18/09.
  • 134. H.R. 1388. Amendment to authorize funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service to administer a new grant program called the Volunteer Generation Fund, with the purpose of assisting non-profit, faith-based and other civic organizations. No. Passed 261-168. 3/18/09.
  • 135. H.R. 1388. Amendment to set authorization levels for service programs in the bill at $405 million for fiscal 2010 and such sums as necessary for fiscal 2011-2014. Yes. Failed 175- 256. 3/18/09.
  • 136. H.R. 1388. Amendment to allow the bill’s grant funds to be used for volunteers in physical education classes at elementary and secondary schools and after-school activities, and for student nutrition education, as well as for food delivery, home legal and medical services, and transportation for the elderly. Yes. Passed 372-57. 3/18/09.
  • 137. H.R. 1388. Amendment to increase the authorization for operational grants to approved national service programs from $600 to $800 per full-time volunteer and from $800 to $1,000 per volunteer if the program supports at least 50 percent disadvantaged youth. No. Passed 283-147. 3/18/09.
  • 138. H.R. 1388. Amendment to create a National Service Reserve Corps to respond to national disasters and other emergencies and require corps volunteers to contribute at least 10 hours annually. Yes. Passed 339-93. 3/18/09.
  • 139. H.R. 1388. Motion to recommit the bill to the Education and Labor Committee with instructions to report it back immediately with language to prohibit participants in approved national service positions from attempting to influence legislation, organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts or strikes, assisting, promoting or deterring union organizing, or engaging in religious instruction. Yes. Passed 318-105. 3/18/09.
  • 140. H.R. 1388. On passage of the GIVE Act to reauthorize Corporation for National and Community Service programs through fiscal 2014, increase the education reward for full-time service volunteers from $4,725 to $5,350 in FY 2010 and make the reward equal to the maximum annual Pell grant thereafter, and authorize funding from FYs 2010-2014 for AmeriCorps, Volunteers in Service to America program, Learn and Serve America, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, Foster Grandparent Program and the Senior Companion Program. Yes. Passed 321-105. 3/18/09.
  • 164. H.R. 20, Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act to authorize $3 million in FY 2010 and such sums as necessary through FY 2012 for the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct research on postpartum depression and would allow the department to develop improved diagnostic techniques, establish education programs on the condition and give grants to entities that provide services to individuals and their families. Yes. Passed 391-8, under suspension of rules. 3/30/09.
  • 165. H.R. 479, Wakefield Act to authorize some $138 million for the Emergency Medicaid Services for Children program from FYs 2010 - 2014. Yes. Passed 390-6, under suspension of rules. 3/30/09.
  • 169. H.R. 1388. To agree to the Senate amendments to the bill reauthorizing Corporation for National and Community Service programs through FY 2014, increasing the education reward for full-time service volunteers from $4,725 to $5,350, making the reward equal to the maximum annual Pell grant thereafter, allowing volunteers 55 and older to transfer the education reward to a child, foster child or grandchild, and requiring states to match corporation service funds for state commissions on national service. No. Passed 275-149. 3/31/09.
  • 170. H.R. 577, to authorize $65 million from FYs 2010-2014 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award matching-fund grants to states for children’s vision care. Yes. Passed 404-17, under suspension of rules. 3/31/09.
  • 171. H.R. 1253, to require group health plan providers to meet conditions in order to limit coverage beneficiaries and allow providers to limit coverage if their limitations and restrictions are explicit and clear, if they have been disclosed to plan sponsors in writing in advance of the point of sale and if employers give restriction information to beneficiaries upon enrollment. Yes. Passed 422-3, under suspension of rules. 3/31/09.
  • 185. H.R. 1256, tobacco regulation bill. Substitute amendment to create a center within the Department of Health and Human Services to regulate tobacco products; require the center to report to Congress on the benefits of restricting the marketing and advertising of tobacco products, including the free speech implications; eliminate the proposed user fees on tobacco manufacturers and importers; prohibit restrictions on raw tobacco growers, and prohibit tobacco or nicotine products from being regulated as a food, drug or device under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, except for those marketed for use as a medical treatment. No. Failed 142-284. 4/2/09.
  • 186. H.R. 1256. Motion to recommit the bill to the Energy and Commerce Committee with instructions to immediately report it back with language prohibiting the use of funds other than the user fees collected from tobacco manufacturers and importers to pay for the regulations authorized under the bill. Yes. Failed 169-256. 4/2/09.
  • 187. H.R. 1256. On passage of the bill to allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the manufacturing, sale and promotion of tobacco products and require the Department of Health and Human Services to collect user fees from tobacco manufacturers and importers on a quarterly basis to help pay for the bill’s authorization. Yes. Passed 298-112. 4/2/09.
  • 249. H.R. 2187, 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. Amendment to require the Department of Education to establish an advisory council on the impact of energy efficient and environmental schools on education, health, energy costs and the environment and require the council to recommend federal policies to increase the number of energy efficient schools and identify policies that prevent states from creating energy efficient schools. No. Passed 270-160. 5/13/09.
  • 250. H.R. 2187. Amendment to require the Department of Education’s Institute of Educational Sciences to evaluate the impact of funds authorized under the bill on student academic achievement, including a comparison of student progress in schools that receive funds authorized in the bill and schools that do not receive funds, and require the department to submit a report to Congress on its findings after 2015. Yes. Passed 432-2. 5/13/09.
  • 251. H.R. 2187. Amendment to allow local educational agencies to use sustainable, domestic hardwood lumber for public school construction that is certified as renewable by the Department of Agriculture Forest Service and require agencies receiving funds to disclose if installed flooring was made from renewable sources. Yes. Passed 425-7. 5/13/09.
  • 255. H.R. 2187. Amendment to allow local educational agencies to encourage schools to teach students about projects authorized under the bill, including educating students about the energy efficiency and environmental benefits of the projects. Yes. Passed 334-97. 5/14/09.
  • 256. H.R. 2187. Amendment to require the Department of Education to reserve 5 percent of the bill’s authorized funding for grants to local educational agencies that serve areas with significant economic distress or that are recovering from a natural disaster. Yes. Passed 433-0. 5/14/09.
  • 257. H.R. 2187. Amendment to allow grant funds authorized in the bill to be used for reducing airborne particles such as dust, sand and pollens in schools to reduce the incidence of asthma and other respiratory illnesses on students and staff and allow reducing those health effects to be one of the voluntary guidelines for schools considered to be high performing and add the reduction of respiratory illness to the list of expected benefits of construction authorized under the bill. Yes. Passed 433-0. 5/14/09.
  • 258. H.R. 2187. Motion to recommit the bill to the Education and Labor Committee with instructions to immediately report it back with language preventing any funds to be authorized under the bill in a fiscal year following any year that the federal deficit is in excess of $500 billion. Yes. Failed 182-247. 5/14/09.
  • 259. H.R.2187. On passage of the bill to authorize $6.4 billion for school construction projects in FY 2010 and unspecified sums in FYs 2011-2015, requiring that a certain percentage be used for construction that meets environmental or energy efficiency standards; authorize $600 million in FYs 2010-2015 for the repair of public schools damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita; apply Davis-Bacon wage requirements to the projects and prohibit states from taking into account funds authorized under the bill when determining a school’s eligibility for other aid. No. Passed 275-155. 5/14/09.
  • 260. H.R. 2187. Amendment to change the title of the bill to “A bill to saddle future generations with billions in debt and for other purposes.” Yes. Failed 149-257. 5/14/09.
  • 335. H.R. 1256. To concur in the Senate amendment to the bill allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the manufacturing, sale and promotion of tobacco products and require the Department of Health and Human Services to collect user fees from tobacco manufacturers and importers on a quarterly basis to help pay for the bill’s provisions. Yes. Passed 307-97. 6/12/09.
  • 338. H.R. 729, to require local educational agencies applying for funds under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program to require schools sponsoring off-campus overnight field trips to develop written safety plans, including policies on curfews, room checks, chaperone qualifications and emergency procedures. Yes. Passed 319-60, under suspension of rules. 6/15/09.
  • 341. H.R. 780, to allow local education agencies to use grants through the Enhancing Education through Technology program and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities to implement programs to protect students against Internet predators and inappropriate material, educate students about appropriate Internet behavior and promote parental involvement in children’s Internet use. Yes. Passed 416-0, under suspension of rules. 6/16/09.
  • 423. H.R. 1777, to make technical changes to the Higher Education Opportunity Act and clarify that assistance received under the Montgomery GI Bill would be exempt from federal financial aid calculations; provide for scholarships to students whose parent or guardian died in military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and allow the Education Department to purchase defaulted federal student loans that qualify as rehabilitated and provide that records of the default would be removed from the borrower’s credit reports. Yes. Passed 411-0, under suspension of rules. 6/23/09.
  • 641. H.R. 3293, FY 2010 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations. Amendment to increase by $10 million funds for awards for the expansion of charter school models and offset the increase by reducing by $9 million funds for innovation and improvement related to the Fund for the Improvement of Education; increase the Reach Out and Read program by $7 million and school improvement programs by $5 million and offset the increase by reducing by $5 million funds for training and employment services for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and prohibit funds from being used to purchase bulbs that are not Energy Star qualified or have the Federal Energy Management Program designation. No. Passed 284-137. 7/24/09.
  • 642. H.R. 3293. Amendment to prohibit funds from being used to provide individuals with hypodermic needles or syringes. Yes. Failed 211-218. 7/24/09.
  • 643. H.R. 3293. Amendment to prohibit funds from being available for Planned Parenthood for voluntary family planning. Yes. Failed 183-247. 7/24/09.
  • 644. H.R. 3293. Amendment to reduce funding in the bill by $803.3 million. Yes. Failed 199-229. 7/24/09.
  • 645. H.R. 3293. Motion to recommit the bill to the Appropriations Committee with instructions to immediately report it back with language increasing funding for special education by $1 billion and reducing funding by $300 million for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, by $195 million for the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration, by $148 million for the Education Department for innovation and improvement and by $111.6 million for the Corporation for National and Community Service operating expenses. Yes. Failed 171-248. 7/24/09.
  • 646. H.R. 3293. On passage of the bill to provide $730.5 billion in FY 2010 appropriations for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and related agencies. Yes. Passed 264-153. 7/24/09.
  • 657. H.R. 2749, to establish a risk-based inspection schedule for food facilities; impose criminal and civil penalties for violating food safety laws; authorize the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to impose mandatory food quarantines; require food facilities to register with the FDA annually and pay a fee, and require facilities to implement written food safety plans. Yes. Failed 280-150, under suspension of rules. 7/29/09. [Note: 2/3 vote required for passage under suspension of rules.]
  • 679. H.R. 2749, food safety enhancement. Motion to recommit the bill to the Energy and Commerce Committee with instructions to immediately report it back with language inserting provisions related to defraying the cost of additional safety inspections of food as well as income loss related to an erroneous action by the government. Yes. Failed 186-240. 7/30/09.
  • 680. H.R. 2749. On passage of the bill to make several changes to food safety laws, including establishing a risk-based inspection schedule for food facilities and imposing criminal and civil penalties for violations. Yes. Passed 283-142. 7/30/09.
  • 710. H.R. 3221, student loan program. Amendment to strike provisions in the bill authorizing $6.6 billion for school construction programs in elementary and secondary public schools, as well as institutions of higher education. Yes. Failed 161-262. 9/17/09.
  • 711. H.R. 3221. Amendment to prohibit the use of school construction funds authorized in the bill to assist local educational agencies that receive funding for school modernization and repair under the 2009 economic stimulus law. Yes. Failed 167-251. 9/17/09.
  • 712. H.R. 3221. Amendment to strike provisions in the bill related to the American Graduation Initiative, which includes grants for community college programs. No. Failed 126-301. 9/17/09.
  • 713. H.R. 3221. Amendment to modify language in the bill to strengthen financial literacy programs, including authorizing states to use certain grant funds for programs to provide financial literacy education and counseling to elementary, secondary and postsecondary students that include an examination of how financial planning may impact a student’s ability to pursue postsecondary education. Yes. Passed 428-2. 9/17/09.
  • 714. H.R. 3221. Amendment to specify that academic credits earned while serving in the armed forces transferred between institutions of higher education would be part of a benchmark, developed by an institution receiving one of the community college reform grants, aimed at improving employment and education programs. Yes. Passed 428-0. 9/17/09.
  • 715. H.R. 3221. Amendment to direct the Department of Education, in awarding grants to schools, states, and non-profits for programs to increase the number of individuals with postsecondary degrees or certificates, to give priority to applications that include activities to encourage dislocated workers to complete postsecondary education opportunities. Yes. Passed 425-5. 9/17/09.
  • 716. H.R. 3221. Amendment to specify that all savings in federal expenditures not otherwise allocated in the bill be used for deficit reduction. Yes. Passed 425-0. 9/17/09.
  • 717. H.R. 3221. Substitute amendment to extend the temporary authority of the Department of Education to purchase student loans to July 1, 2014, and require a study to be conducted to make recommendations for the development of a federal student loan program that incorporates a partnership between the federal government and the private sector. Yes. Failed 165-265. 9/17/09.
  • 718. H.R. 3221. Motion to recommit the bill to the Education and Labor Committee with instructions to immediately report it back with language prohibiting federal agreements from being entered into with certain organizations, including the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), prohibiting federal funds from being provided to the organizations, and prohibiting federal employees or contractors from promoting the organizations. Yes. Passed 345-75. 9/17/09.
  • 719. H.R. 3221. On passage of the bill to end the authority of the private sector Federal Family Education Loan program to make or insure new student loans after June 30, 2010, and direct the federal government to originate student loans. No. Passed 253-171. 9/17/09.
  • 737. H.R. 3631, to adjust 2010 Medicare premiums to equal 2009 premiums, paid for by a reduction of the same amount to Medicare Improvement Fund expenditures for FY 2014. Yes. Passed 406-18, under suspension of rules. 9/24/09.
  • 793. S. 1793, to reauthorize the Ryan White HIV/AIDS federal assistance program through FY 2013, authorizing $2.35 billion in FY 2010 and increasing the funding level each year, reaching $2.7 billion in FY 2013, and remove a sunset provision in current law. Yes. Passed 408-9, under suspension of rules. 10/21/09.
  • 884. H.R. 3962, health care reform. Amendment to prohibit the use of federal funds authorized in the bill to pay for an abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes abortion coverage, unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if the woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury or illness that would, as certified by a physician, endanger the woman’s life; provide that individuals with subsidized policies who also want abortion coverage would have to purchase it separately, using their own money, and prohibit individuals from using affordability credits to purchase a plan that provides for elective abortions. Yes. Passed 240-194. 11/7/09.
  • 885. H.R. 3962. Republican substitute amendment to require each state to establish a reinsurance health care program or high-risk pool by 2010; allow small businesses to pool together through association health plans; allow consumers to purchase licensed health insurance in any state, not just their state of residence; prohibit any federal funding from being used to pay for abortions, unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if the woman’s life is in danger; provide incentives for states that reduce health care costs and the average number of uninsured non-elderly residents; establish a statute of limitations on beginning a health care lawsuit, and cap the awards that plaintiffs and their attorneys could receive in medical malpractice cases. Yes. Failed 176-258. 11/7/09.
  • 886. H.R. 3962. Motion to recommit the bill to the Energy and Commerce Committee with instructions to immediately report it back with an amendment creating a fund that aims to preserve access to the Medicare Advantage program, establish new regulations for medical malpractice lawsuits, prohibit the filing of malpractice suits more than three years after an incident, limit attorney fees to a certain percentage of a claimant’s reward, and allow the awarding of punitive damages only if malicious intent is established. Yes. Failed 187-247. 11/7/09.
  • 887. H.R. 3962. On passage of the bill to reform the nation’s health insurance system and require most individuals to buy health insurance by 2013; create the Health Choices Administration tasked with establishing a federal health insurance exchange, including a government-run public health insurance option, to allow individuals without coverage to purchase insurance, and provide that those that do not obtain coverage would be subject to an excise tax and exclude from the mandate those exempt from filing income tax and others with a hardship waiver; require employers to offer health insurance to employees or contribute to a fund for coverage and provide that businesses that fail to provide coverage could face penalties of up to 8 percent of their payroll; provide tax credits to certain small businesses for providing coverage; provide subsidies to individuals making up to four times the federal poverty level, excluding illegal immigrants; allow states to enter into compacts to facilitate coverage purchase across state lines; prohibit the use of federal funds to provide abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or if the woman’s life is in danger, and prohibit insurance companies from denying or reducing coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions. No. Passed 220-215. 11/7/09.
  • 908. H.R. 3961, Medicare physician reimbursement. Motion to recommit the bill to the Energy and Commerce Committee with instructions to immediately report it back with an amendment requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to pay for up to $22.3 billion of costs resulting from adjustments to the Medicare physician reimbursement rate. Yes. Failed 177-252. 11/19/09.
  • 909. H.R. 3961. On passage of the bill to create a new Medicare payment formula for physician services and under the rule passage for the bill, add statutory pay-as-you-go rules that requiring most new mandatory spending and tax cuts to be offset. No. Passed 243-183. 11/19/09.