Votes

Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee offered assurances on Wednesday that legislation allowing companies to share information on cyber threats with the government would not allow the government to collect data on private customers.

Consumer privacy remains a major concern related to H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA.

The Senate voted 58-42, rejecting a gun control amendment addressing straw gun purchases.

Sens. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the bipartisan amendment.

The Senate rejected a GOP substitute bill on gun control reforms Wednesday.

Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) amendment failed on a 52-48 vote. It would have replaced S. 649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act, which would expand background checks on gun purchases, crack down on gun trafficking and beef up security in schools. 

It failed by a vote of 54 to 46, with five Democrats voting against it. Only four Republicans supported it.

In her maiden speech, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) honored the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings.

“I rise to remember the lives of those we have lost,” Warren said Wednesday. “We will miss them.” 

The House on Wednesday made a last-minute change on the floor that could make privacy advocates more comfortable with a cybersecurity bill that the House is expected to pass on Thursday.

Members were considering a rule for H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. That bill would allow the government and companies to share information with each other on potential cyber threats, but some have criticized it for letting companies share that information directly with the military, instead of sending it to a civilian agency first.

The Senate approved the resolution with no debate by unanimous consent, just in time for Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday.

The House on Tuesday afternoon passed three bills aimed at updating the federal government's cybersecurity controls, and boosting research and education in information technology fields.

None of the three bills were controversial, and all were easily approved under a suspension of House rules, which requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Members voted 250-159 in favor of the bill, short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage.

After observing a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, the Senate approved the nomination of Beverly Reid O'Connell to be a U.S. District Judge.

“I, like every member of the Senate, am shocked and saddened by the news of the bombs at the Boston Marathon,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said before asking for a moment of silence. “I commend the first responders and observers who rushed to those who were hurt.”