House passes bill creating federal 'blue alert' system

The House on Tuesday evening approved legislation that would establish a federal system for sharing information to make it easier to catch people who injure or kill law enforcement officers.

By a 394-1 vote, members approved the National Blue Alert Act of 2011, H.R. 365. The only "no" vote was from Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), a routine dissenter.

Members also debatd several other bills under a suspension of House rules Tuesday evening, and approved five of them (votes on the rest will follow Wednesday and possibly Thursday):

H.R. 3874 - Black Hills Cemetery Act, conveying land used as cemeteries to communities in South Dakota. Passed 400-1 (Amash was also the only "no" vote on this bill).

H.R. 205 - Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Home Ownership act, to give Indian tribes more authority to lease their land. Passed 400-0.

H.R. 1864 - Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2011, prohibiting states from collecting income taxes on out-of-state workers until they have worked in that state for 30 days. Passed voice vote.

H.R. 3534 - Security in Bonding Act of 2011, to strengthen the requirement that contractors on federal construction projects pledge assets to ensure payment to subcontractors. Passed voice vote.

H.R. 4045 — to ensure members of the military receive the time off they were promised, despite a change to the policy by DOD after they were deployed. Passed voice vote.

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