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Will Congress Help Homebuyers?
An $8,000 tax credit for new home buyers will expire in a few weeks unless Congress extends it. One thing that could draw the attention of lawmakers back to the credit: Home sales dipped in August, the first drop after several months of steady improvement. Lawmakers have generally been in favor of the program, and several bills have been introduced to extend it past the Nov. 30 deadline. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has endorsed a bill that would extend the program into June. But the Senate committee responsible for moving the bill along hasn't schedule a hearing yet because it's been busy with the health care bill.
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Three provisions of the PATRIOT Act are sceduled to expire at the end of the year. President Barack Obama wants Congress to renew them.
Some Democrats, led by Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, want to use the renewal as an opportunity to make broader changes in the law because they think it gives the government too much power to snoop.
Proponents of the PATRIOT Act, including many Republicans and the head of the FBI, say the law gives law enforcement much-needed flexibility to track terrorist activity in the U.S.
Key Votes
View the Most Recent Key House and Senate Votes
-- Vote No. 298 voted on 05/05/2011. Chamber: H.
This House bill would require the Interior Department to sell oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia. The bill’s future in the Senate is uncertain.
-- Vote No. 66 voted on 05/04/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate confirmed attorney John J. McConnell to be a district court judge in Rhode Island.
-- Vote No. 290 voted on 05/04/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this bill that would repeal a section in the 2010 health care bill providing funding for the construction of school-based health centers. The bill is unlikely to advance in the Senate.
-- Vote No. 292 voted on 05/04/2011. Chamber: H.
This bill would prohibit federal funds from being used for abortions, except in the cases of rape, incest or danger to the woman’s life. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate, but it is unlikely to gain any traction.
-- Vote No. 285 voted on 05/03/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this bill to eliminate federal grants to states to set up health insurance exchanges. The grants are part of the 2010 health care bill which requires each state to establish an exchange by 2014. The bill is unlikely to advanc...
-- Vote No. 277 voted on 04/15/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed a budget resolution that calls for $1.019 trillion in discretionary spending in the 2012 fiscal year. The budget resolution would allow for $2.859 trillion in overall spending. The resolution is non-binding but is used as a...
-- Vote No. 59 voted on 04/14/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate rejected this enrollment correction resolution that would have blocked funding for the implementation of the health care law in the 2011 fiscal year spending bill. The House adopted the resolution. Both chambers had to pass the r...
-- Vote No. 60 voted on 04/14/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate rejected this enrollment correction resolution that would have blocked funding for Planned Parenthood in the 2011 fiscal year spending bill. The House adopted the resolution. Both chambers had to pass the resolution for it to be ...
-- Vote No. 61 voted on 04/14/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate gave final approval to this bill funding the government through the end of the current fiscal year. Based on the agreement negotiated to prevent a government shutdown, the bill provides $1.055 trillion in federal spending. The pr...
-- Vote No. 271 voted on 04/14/2011. Chamber: H.
Following passage of the 2011 spending bill, the House adopted this enrollment correction resolution that would have blocked funding for Planned Parenthood. The Senate rejected the resolution so it will not be part of the final spending bill...
-- Vote No. 270 voted on 04/14/2011. Chamber: H.
Following passage of the 2011 spending bill, the House adopted this enrollment correction resolution that would have blocked funding for the implementation of the health care law. The Senate rejected the resolution so it will not be part of ...
-- Vote No. 268 voted on 04/14/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this bill to fund the government through the end of the current fiscal year. Based on the agreement negotiated to prevent a government shutdown, the bill provides $1.055 trillion in federal spending. The Senate passed the b...
-- Vote No. 264 voted on 04/13/2011. Chamber: H.
This House bill would eliminate funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was established by the health care law. Supporters of the bill say there is no accountability to determine where the money is spent. Opponents of the b...
-- Vote No. 253 voted on 04/09/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this one-week appropriations measure, giving negotiators time to draft the full-year appropriations measure. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent earlier on Friday night. The president signed the measure into law...
-- Vote No. 252 voted on 04/08/2011. Chamber: H.
This resolution would nullify a Federal Communications Commission rule prohibiting broadband Internet service providers from blocking content or traffic. Supporters of the resolution say the FCC does not have the authority to regulate the In...
-- Vote No. 249 voted on 04/07/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases for the purpose of addressing climate change. A similar measure failed in the Senate earlier in the week.
-- Vote No. 54 voted on 04/06/2011. Chamber: S.
During work on this small business bill, the Senate fell short of the 60 votes required to pass this amendment that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases for the purpose of addressing climate chang...
-- Vote No. 49 voted on 04/05/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate gave final approval to this bill repealing a provision of the 2010 health care bill requiring businesses to report payments to vendors over $600 to the Internal Revenue Service. The House passed the bill last month. The president...
-- Vote No. 220 voted on 04/01/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration for four-years. The Senate passed a two-year bill in February. The two chambers will now work out a compromise bill. Sig...
-- Vote No. 224 voted on 04/01/2011. Chamber: H.
This bill would declare the House-passed spending bill, H.R.1, to be enacted if the Senate does not pass a FY2011 spending bill by April 6. Supporters say the vote highlights the Senate’s inability to pass a budget, while opponents say...
-- Vote No. 204 voted on 03/30/2011. Chamber: H.
The House voted to revive a voucher program that would help low-income Washington D.C. residents send their children to private schools. The bill faces an uncertain future but could be attached to the 2011 spending bill currently being negot...
-- Vote No. 198 voted on 03/29/2011. Chamber: H.
The House voted to end the Home Affordable Modification Program, a home foreclosure prevention program that uses Troubled Asset Relief Program money to help homeowners modify their mortgages. The Senate is unlikely to take up the bill. ...
-- Vote No. 174 voted on 03/11/2011. Chamber: H.
This House bill would terminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Emergency Homeowner Loan Program and redirect the unused funds to paying down the national debt. The program provides emergency loans to unemployed homeo...
-- Vote No. 171 voted on 03/10/2011. Chamber: H.
This bill would end a Federal Housing Administration program that helps homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth refinance their mortgages. The bill is unlikely to see action in the Senate.
-- Vote No. 36 voted on 03/09/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate rejected this House-passed continuing resolution that would have reduced spending by $57.5 billion over the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year. The current, short-term continuing resolution expires on March 18, 2011.
-- Vote No. 35 voted on 03/08/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate passed this bill that would overhaul the nation’s patent system and change the way they are issued and challenged. The House is expected to pass its own patent bill. Sign up for a fr...
-- Vote No. 162 voted on 03/03/2011. Chamber: H.
The House voted to repeal a provision of the 2010 health care bill requiring businesses to report payments to vendors over $600 to the Internal Revenue Service. There is support in the Senate for repeal, but the two chambers disagree on how t...
-- Vote No. 29 voted on 03/02/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate gave final approval to this continuing resolution funding government operations through March 18, 2011. Passage of the CR gives lawmakers time to work out a long-term solution to the 2011 fiscal year budget. The president signed it...
-- Vote No. 154 voted on 03/01/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this continuing resolution funding government operations through March 18, 2011. Passage of the CR gives lawmakers time to work out a long-term solution to the 2011 fiscal year budget. The president signed it into law the nex...
-- Vote No. 147 voted on 02/19/2011. Chamber: H.
The House passed this long-term CR that would fund government operations through September 30, 2011, the end of the current fiscal year. The bill includes $61.5 billion in spending cuts. The current funding expires on March 4, 2011. The bill ...
-- Vote No. 25 voted on 02/17/2011. Chamber: S.
This $34.6 billion bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration for two years and sets aviation policies. The House is working on its own version of the bill that would cover four years.
-- Vote No. 66 voted on 02/17/2011. Chamber: H.
The House gave final approval to this bill extending some expiring provisions of the Patriot Act for 90 days. The original House bill would have extended the provisions to December 8, 2011, but the Senate approved the short-term bill on Febru...
-- Vote No. 19 voted on 02/15/2011. Chamber: S.
The Senate passed this bill extending some expiring provisions of the Patriot Act for 90 days. The extension allows both chambers more time to work on long-term bills. The House cleared the measure for the president two days later.
-- Vote No. 28 voted on 02/09/2011. Chamber: H.
Under a vote that required a two-thirds majority, the House failed to pass this bill that would establish as United States policy that the United Nations should return $179 million overpaid into the U.N. Tax Equalization Fund as of Dec. 31, ...
-- Vote No. 26 voted on 02/08/2011. Chamber: H.
Under a vote that required a two-thirds majority, the House failed to pass this bill that would extend through Dec. 8, 2011, three provisions of the anti-terrorism law known as the Patriot Act. The bill is likely to be voted on this week und...
-- Vote No. 9 voted on 02/02/2011. Chamber: S.
During the debate over the Federal Aviation Administration bill, the Senate rejected this amendment that would have repealed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The text was similar to the bill the House passed on January 19, 201...
-- Vote No. 25 voted on 01/26/2011. Chamber: H.
The House voted to end a program put in place in 1976 that provides taxpayer funds to presidential candidates and the major parties for their nominating conventions. The bill’s future in the Senate is unclear.
-- Vote No. 20 voted on 01/25/2011. Chamber: H.
The House approved this resolution directing the chair of the Budget Committee to reduce non-security spending to 2008 levels for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year. The Budget Committee sets spending levels but does not appropriate funds...
-- Vote No. 14 voted on 01/19/2011. Chamber: H.
The House voted to repeal the 2010 health care law. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has vowed to block the bill in the Senate. Sign up for a free weekly e-mail tracking how your lawm...
-- Vote No. 10 voted on 01/07/2011. Chamber: H.
The House approved the rules for debating H.R.2, the bill to repeal the 2010 health care law. The rules provide for seven hours of floor debate. The vote on H.R.2, which was scheduled for Jan. 12, was postponed following Saturday’s sh...
-- Vote No. 8 voted on 01/06/2011. Chamber: H.
The House voted to reduce operating expenses for lawmakers and committee offices. Budgets for House salaries and office expenses in 2011 and 2012 will be 5 percent less than the 2010 level. ...
To view the rest of the votes, click here
Advocacy Network
Calls to Action from Groups & Organizations
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by International Myeloma Foundation on 08/03/2011
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by Traditional Values Coalition on 08/02/2011
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by Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society on 08/03/2011
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by International Rescue Committee on 08/02/2011
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by National Coalition for Literacy on 08/03/2011
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