Votes

The Senate agreed to five more amendments to the water infrastructure bill by unanimous consent on Wednesday evening.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced one of the amendments, which would give communities with populations smaller than 25,000 people additional help in developing rural water infrastructure projects.

The House on Wednesday took a step toward passing a bill that would let the government borrow money above and beyond the debt ceiling to pay interest on the debt and for the Social Security Trust Fund.

Members approved a rule for the Full Faith and Credit Act, H.R. 807, in a party-line 226-199 vote. The rule calls for an hour of debate and consideration of one amendment — the House is expected to approve it later in the week.

The Senate approved a bipartisan amendment to the water infrastructure bill that would combat the spread of Asian carp into U.S. waters.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced the amendment along with Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.). The amendment was approved on a 95-0 vote on Wednesday.

The workplace bill gives private workers the option of using overtime for paid time off instead of taking extra pay.

The first GOP amendment voted on for the Senate’s water infrastructure bill was about gun rights.

The Senate is considering the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which would authorize projects related to flood and storm risk reduction, coast and inland navigation, and ecosystem restoration.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) introduced an amendment to the bill dealing with gun use on Army Corp of Engineer’s land.

Coburn’s amendment failed on a 56-43 vote Wednesday — 60 votes were needed for passage. It would have allowed individuals to carry guns at water resources development projects administered by the Secretary of the Army.

The Senate approved a bill, which allows the Mint to move forward with creating a commemorative baseball coin.

On Tuesday, the Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent. Last month, the House approved the same measure by voice-vote, meaning the bill now heads to President Obama’s desk for his signature.

The House on Tuesday afternoon took a step toward passing a bill that would let private sector workers use overtime for time off instead of taking overtime pay.

Members approved a rule governing debate on the bill in a party-line 228-199 vote, which sets up more debate and passage of the bill on Wednesday.

The Senate confirmed a nominee from President Obama on Tuesday to serve on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

In a 53-45 vote, David Medine was confirmed to serve as chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The vote split down party lines, with Democrats supporting Medine and Republicans opposing his nomination. Sens. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) missed the vote.

The House on Monday easily approved legislation aimed at making it easier for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) to collect private donations to build a new education center.

In a 398-2 vote, and after a token debate, the House approved H.R. 588, the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgement Act. The bill allows the VVMF to acknowledged private donations to build the center inside the center, something it is currently not permitted to do under current law.

Legislation to restructure the federal government's sale of helium from the Federal Helium Reserve easily passed the House on Friday.

Members voted 394-1 in favor of the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, H.R. 527. The only member against it was Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.).