H.R. 3567 would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
H.Con.Res. 185 would express the position of Congress that hearings should be held, and President Obama should provide details about the authority of "czars" in his adminstration.
How They Voted
Transportation spending bill
The Senate approved a bill to fund the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
Vote: 73-25 in the Senate. The bill now heads to the president.
Rebuke of Rep. Joe Wilson
The House approved a resolution expressing disapproval of Wilson's remarks during a presidential speech.
Vote: 240-179 in the House. There will be no other action on this resolution.
Past Issues
Create a New Consumer Agency?
Supporters say the new agency would be similar to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Instead of regulating household goods such as coffee makers, however, it would oversee the terms of mortgages and problems with credit cards.
Banks and other financial institutions say they are already being regulated by state and federal agencies. They object to fee increases that would fund the new agency.
But supporters say the agency could help prevent problems similar to last year's mortgage meltdown.
Tell your lawmakers what you think about the proposed agency.
Click here to write a letter in support:
Create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency
Click here to write a letter in opposition:
No New Financial Agencies
The Washington Post and ABC News recently asked 1,007 adults around the country for their views on tort reform.
Remember that while Internet questions are a good test of the intensity of feelings on a subject, they are not valid measures of broader public opinion.
Bills of the Week
H.Res. 721 states that any major health care reform bill should be available for review for at least 30 days.
Click here to tell your Members of Congress what you think of this resolution.
H.R. 3548 would extend emergency unemployment insurance benefits for an additional 13 weeks for some states.
Click here to tell your Members of Congress what you think of this bill.
How They Voted
Travel Promotion Act of 2009
The Senate approved a bill creating a nonprofit corporation to promote travel to the United States.
Vote: 79-19 in the Senate. The bill now heads to the House.
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Reauthorization
The House approved a bill to make funding permanent for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network.
Vote: 311-107 in the House. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Create Health Care Co-Ops?
Health care co-ops already exist in Washington state and Minnesota.
Unlike private insurance companies, they are created and run by members as nonprofit organizations, similar to a credit union or the sporting goods store REI.
Some Democrats fear co-ops would not have enough clout to increase coverage affordably, while some Republicans fear they are a "back-door" to government-run insurance.
Another alternative is to agree to create a public option a few years from now if the other reforms don't reduce the costs of private insurance enough.
Tell your lawmakers what you think about the compromises.
Click here to write a letter in support:
Create Health Care Cooperatives
Add a Trigger to the Public Option
Click here to write a letter in opposition:
Don't Compromise on Health Care Reform
Leave Health Care Alone
What Do You Think?
Ipsos and McClatchy newspapers recently asked 1,057 adults around the country for their views on health care cooperatives.
How would you have answered?
Share your thoughts or see the results of the poll.
Last week, we asked for your thoughts about proposed changes to energy policy.
About 90 percent of Congress.org subscribers who answered the question said they opposed the proposals. By contrast, 57 percent of respondents in a scientifically conducted poll supported the changes.
Remember that while Internet questions are a good test of the intensity of feelings on a subject, they are not valid measures of broader public opinion.
Name Health Care for Kennedy?
Earlier this year, Sen. Kennedy called health care reform "the cause of my life."
After his death, Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat, suggested renaming the proposed America's Affordable Health Choices Act after him. Other Democrats have suggested naming the public insurance option in the bill for Kennedy.
Some Democrats think the name would honor the Senator and give the bill a much-needed boost. But some Republicans think Kennedy's liberalism would further taint the bill among conservatives.
Tell your lawmakers what you think about the proposal.
Click here to write a letter in support:
Name the Health Care Bill for Kennedy
Name the Public Option for Kennedy
Click here to write a letter in opposition:
Don't Name the Health Care Bill for Kennedy
What Do You Think?
A polling company recently asked 1,001 adults around the country for their views on proposed changes to energy policy.
How would you have answered?
Share your thoughts or see the results of the poll.
Last week, we asked for your thoughts about women in combat.
Roughly 56 percent of Congress.org subscribers who answered the question said they opposed allowing women in the military to join combat units. By contrast, 83 percent of respondents in a scientifically conducted poll by the New York Times and CBS News supported women in combat.
Remember that while Internet questions are a good test of the intensity of feelings on a subject, they are not valid measures of broader public opinion.
Ban Texting While Driving?
The federal texting ban was proposed after research showed texting increases the risk of a car crash.
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that the chances of a car crash were 23 times greater for truck drivers who texted, while the University of Utah found that texting drivers were as impaired as drunken drivers.
Still, the Governors Highway Safety Association has said that more research is needed.
Fourteen states already ban texting while driving, but Congress hopes to use federal highway funds to pressure the rest.
Opponents say that the laws are difficult to enforce and argue that federal legislation would interfere in a matter best left to individual states.
Tell your lawmakers what you think about the proposal.
Click here to write a letter in support:
Ban Texting While Driving
Click here to write a letter in opposition:
Let States Decide on Texting Bans
