How Virginia's members of Congress voted last week

HOUSE VOTES

Credit card rules

Voting 312- 112, the House on Tuesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 5244) setting consumer rules for credit-card firms. T he bill allows cardholders to set their own limits above which transactions cannot be processed; sets 18 as the minimum age for obtaining a card in most circumstances; requires 45 days' notice of rate increases while allowing existing balances to be paid at the previous rate, and prohibits changes in contract terms until a card is up for renewal.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes Wittman, Drake, Scott, Forbes

GOP credit card plan

Voting 198- 219, the House on Tuesday defeated a Republican motion to delay the effects of HR 5244 (above) until the Federal Reserve studies the bill and certifies it would not shrink credit availability.

A yes vote backed the GOP plan.

Voting yes Wittman, Drake, Forbes

Voting no Scott

Mental health parity

Voting 376- 47, the House on Tuesday passed a bill (HR 6983) requiring private insurers to cover mental illness and chemical addiction at the same level and cost that they cover physical ailments in the same policy. The Senate included a similar measure in HR 6049 (below).

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes  Wittman, Drake, Scott, Forbes 

Stopgap budget, offshore drilling

Voting 370- 58, the House on Wednesday approved a $630 billion bill (HR 2638) to provide regular 2009 appropriations for veterans' programs and the departments of Defense and Homeland Security along with stopgap funding through March 6 for the remainder of the federal government. The bill also allows the congressional ban on offshore drilling to expire while providing $25 billion in loan guarantees to help U.S. automakers build hybrid and electric vehicles, $23 billion for recovery from natural disasters and billions of dollars for members' earmarks. Democratic leaders chose stopgap funding at 2008 levels in hopes that their spending priorities will fare better in the next administration.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes Wittman, Drake, Scott, Forbes

2009 millitary budget

Voting 392- 39, the House on Wednesday joined the Senate in authorizing $612.5 billion in military spending for 2009, including $70 billion to pay for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for part of the fiscal year. The bill (S 3001) sets a 3.9 percent military pay raise, bars permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, bans premium or co-pay increases in the military health plan known as Tricare and provides billions of dollars for members' earmarks.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes Wittman, Drake, Scott, Forbes

Filipino veterans benefits

Voting 392- 23, the House on Tuesday passed a bill (HR 6897) that would award payments to some 13,000 Filipino veterans who fought under U.S. command in World War II but were denied veterans' benefits by a 1946 act of Congress. The bill would provide one-time payments of $15,000 to Filipinos of U.S. citizenship living in the United States and $9,000 to those who are not U.S. citizens. The bill must be reconciled with a similar Senate measure.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes Wittman, Drake, Scott, Forbes

Alternative minimum tax

Voting 393- 30, the House on Wednesday joined the Senate in approving a bill (HR 7005) enabling 22 million middle-income households to avoid the Alternative Minimum Tax in 2008, with the $64 billion-plus cost added to the national debt. The House voted in June to pay for the bill by closing loopholes that benefit oil and gas firms, investment partnerships and hedge funds. Senate Republicans (below) objected to that approach on grounds that spending cuts rather than tax increases should be used to pay for the fix.

A yes vote vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes Wittman, Drake, Forbes

Voting no Scott

SENATE VOTES

Tax break extensions

Voting 93-2, the Senate on Tuesday passed a bill (HR 6049) to extend tens of billions of dollars in business, family, renewable-energy and education tax breaks due to expire at year's end. Most of the extensions would be for at least two years and would be offset elsewhere in the budget. The bill contains a one-year fix of the Alternative Minimum Tax whose cost of at least $64 billion would be added to the national debt. The bill requires parity between mental and physical health insurance coverage and extends deductions for state and local sales taxes in states without an income tax.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes Warner, Webb

Pay as you go

Voting 53- 42, the Senate on Tuesday failed to reach 60 votes for offsetting the $64 billion-plus cost of fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax in 2008. To keep the fix from adding to the national debt, the amendment to HR 6049 sought to close loopholes that concern the offshore compensation of hedge-fund managers and worldwide interest payments by multinational corporations. The amendment also sought to increase royalty payments on Outer Continental Shelf energy production and crack down on non-substantive business transactions designed solely to evade taxes.

A yes vote backed pay-as-you-go.

Voting yes Webb

Voting no Warner

Key votes ahead

Legislative schedules were unannounced as Congress drafted a bailout bill for financial institutions and sought to set an adjournment date.