Votes

The House on Thursday afternoon accepted two Democratic amendments to a bill authorizing intelligence spending for the rest of FY 2011.

The first, from Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.), would require intelligence agencies to work with black colleges to develop curricula that will prepare students for intelligence careers. The second, from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), would require a report on the diversity of intelligence officers.

The House ended debate on amendments to the bill, H.R. 754, at about 4:20 p.m., and will need to take up four roll-call votes on amendments Friday before moving to a vote on the bill itself. Several Democrats indicated earlier in the day that they would support the bill.

The House on Thursday approved the rule for a bill authorizing intelligence spending for the rest of FY 2011.

The rule was approved in a 251-133 vote. All Republicans present and 21 Democrats voted for the rule.

During debate, several Democrats said they would oppose the rule for debating the bill because it does not allow for consideration of many Democratic amendments. But several, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), said they would vote for the bill itself because it was written with input from both parties.

The House on Thursday approved H.R. 1231, a bill that sets oil-and-gas production goals for the U.S. and requires increased offshore drilling in the most productive regions as a way of getting there.

The bill was approved in a 243-179 vote with 21 Democrats joining all but nine Republicans in support of the bill.

The House Wednesday evening rejected three Democratic amendments to a bill that sets oil and gas production goals for the U.S. and requires increased offshore drilling as a way of getting there.

In successive votes that ended at about 6:30 p.m., the House rejected an amendment from Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) that would have made sure that offshore drilling does not conflict with naval military operations. Republicans said this language is redundant, and the amendment was defeated in a 193-228 vote.

The House on Wednesday afternoon approved a rule for considering, H.R. 1231, the Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act.

The rule was approved in a 243-179 vote. Only 10 Democrats voted with Republicans.

With the 3:15 p.m. vote, the House moved to debate the bill and was expected to also consider a series of amendments to the bill.

The House on Wednesday passed H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, which would restrict how long Department of the Interior could take to decide on Gulf drilling permits and codify certain safety requirements for drillers.

The bill was approved in a 263-163 vote after a debate in which several Democrats criticized the bill for failing to raise taxes on oil companies. In the end, 28 Democrats voted for the bill.

The House on Tuesday night rejected three Democratic amendments to a bill that would set firm deadlines by which the Department of the Interior would have to accept or reject Gulf of Mexico drilling permits.

The first amendment to H.R. 1229, from Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), would require safety reviews of all drilling permits to ensure they comply with all safety and environmental laws. Republicans said this is duplicative and unnecessary, and it was rejected in a 167-245 vote in which three Republicans voted for it, and 15 Democrats voted against it.

The House on Tuesday evening approved H.R. 1016, which would require the White House to conduct and release a report on humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Haiti after a January 2010 earthquake that caused significant property and infrastructure damage there.

The non-controversial bill was approved by voice vote at about 5:30 p.m.

The House on Thursday passed H.R. 1230, which would require the Department of the Interior to conduct four specified lease sales for offshore oil drilling.

Members approved the bill in a 266-149 vote. While several Democrats objected to the bill on the House floor, 33 Democrats supported it in the final vote, and only two Republicans voted against it.

The House on Thursday approved a rule providing for debate and votes on two bills that Republicans hope will expand U.S. oil and gas production.

The House approved the rule on a 245-167 vote.

The rule covers H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, and H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act.