Votes

The House on Tuesday afternoon approved legislation that would authorize the Coast Guard through 2014, and also sets a single, national standard for ballast water discharge that Democrats opposed. The bill was approved by voice vote after a motion to recommit the bill failed.

The bill is aimed at letting the Coast Guard maintain current personnel levels for the next three years. It provides $8.5 billion in 2012, $8.6 billion in 2013 and $8.7 billion in 2014.

The House voted Monday night to name three more post offices, one in Massachusetts, one in Texas, and one in New York.

By a 385-0 vote, the House approved S. 1412, which names a post office in Woburn, Massachusetts after Office John Maguire. Members also approved H.R. 298 in a 391-0 vote; that bill names a post office in Cedar Park, Texas after Army Specialist Matthew Troy Morris.

And by a 390-0 vote, the House passed H.R. 2422, which names a post office in State Island, New York, after Sergeant Angel Mendez.

These votes ended legislative work in the House for Monday, and members started evening speeches soon afterwards.

The House adjourned just before 6 p.m., and will return at 6:30 p.m. for eight votes on bills naming post offices and one courthouse.

Before adjourning, members approved H.R. 588 by voice vote. That bill redesignates the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuse.

The Senate on Thursday afternoon voted 81-14 to end debate on H.R. 2354, which is slated to become the legislative vehicle for a "minibus" appropriations bill on Energy and Water, Financial Services and General Government and State-Foreign Operations.

Earlier in the day, the Obama administration released a Statement of Administration Policy that called on the Senate to meet several spending priorities in that bill.

The Senate is expected to take up an amendment to broaden the bill next week, and possibly consider other amendments.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted 10-8 to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law under which the federal government defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and several other Democrats supported the repeal bill, which they said was needed to undo DOMA and allow the federal government to treat all U.S. citizens fairly.

The House on Friday afternoon spiked two Democratic amendments to the Coast Guard authorization bill that would have maintained some degree of state flexibility over the discharge of ballast water.

The underlying bill is H.R. 2838, which includes not only funding for the Coast Guard through 2014, but also includes language that would set a single, national standard for ballast water discharge for commercial vessels. Republicans say a single standard is needed because now, there are two federal standards and more than two dozen state and tribal standards to meet, making compliance difficult.

The House on Friday quickly approved a bill that sets up a certification process for certifying vessels that will participate in and support the America's Cup race in San Diego next weekend.

The measure, H.R. 3321, easily passed in a 387-2 vote. It eases regulations related to the transportation of passengers and other maritime activities related to the America's Cup race.

The House on Friday morning approved the rule for H.R. 2838, a bill that would reauthorize the Coast Guard through 2014. Members approved the rule in a 245-166 vote.

In earlier debate, Democrats objected to language in the bill that would set a single, nationwide standard for ballast water discharge for commercial oceangoing vessels.

The House on Thursday evening easily passed two bills that would give small startup companies more leeway in accessing capital without having to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and still found plenty of time for partisan fighting despite the wide bipartisan support for the measures.

In a 407-17 vote, members approved H.R. 2930, which would let investors collect up to $1 million in capital through "crowdfunding," or accumulating several small investor donations through the Internet, without having to register.

The House late Thursday voted down two Democratic amendments to a bill that would allow "crowdfunding" to be used to gather up to $1 million without registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. But members did accept one Democratic amendment, as well as three GOP amendments.

Details on amendment votes are below; the House was expected to approve the bill, H.R. 2930, later Thursday evening.