Updates

Occasionally, family emergencies, health emergencies, and travel delays may prevent me from being present to vote on legislation. As your Representative, I believe that you deserve to know what my position would have been, even when circumstances prevent me from casting a vote.

Due to the recent birth of my twin daughters, I was unable to be present for votes on the House floor the week of April 13, 2015. Below is an explanation of how I would have voted and why.

I would have voted for H.R. 1259, the Helping Expand Lending Practices in Rural Communities Act, which creates a process for areas to be considered rural to allow otherwise prohibited balloon payments in qualified mortgages. This bill aims to improve access to financing for borrowers in rural, underserved areas, which will help families nationwide achieve the dream of home ownership.
I would have voted for H.R. 1265, the Bureau Advisory Commission Transparency Act, which requires advisory committees established by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to adhere to federal ethics and conflict-of-interest laws. Government transparency is essential to holding administration officials accountable, and this bill will help ensure that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau conducts their crucial work out in the open.
I would have voted for H.R. 1480, the SAFE Act Confidentiality and Privilege Enhancement Act, which would provide confidentiality protections to financial services regulators when they access information in the national mortgage licensing and registry system. This bill will provide financial regulators the confidentiality protections they need to protect consumers and eliminate fraud in the mortgage industry.
I would have voted against H.R. 650, the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act, which reduces regulatory restrictions on high-cost mortgages in the manufactured housing industry to increase the maximum interest rates manufactured housing vendors can charge. This bill would hamstring Dodd-Frank regulations designed to protect consumers from predatory lending practices in the manufactured housing industry.
I would have voted for H.R. 685, the Mortgage Choice Act of 2015, which seeks to clarify conflicting definitions under current law concerning affiliated and unaffiliated title companies, and could help keep interest rates on mortgage loans affordable.
I would have voted for Rep. Van Hollen's Motion to Instruct Conferees on S.Con.Res. 11, which would instruct conferees to recede to the Senate budget resolution accommodation for legislation to improve workplace benefits, including paid sick leave. The motion would also instruct budget conferees to reject the House-passed budget's provision to turn Medicare into a voucher program. Our seniors depend on Medicare, and I will reject any attempt to end the Medicare guarantee and increase out-of-pocket health costs for seniors.
I would have voted for H.R. 1562, the Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2015, and H.R. 1563, the Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2015. H.R. 1562 would generally prohibit individuals and companies with seriously delinquent tax debts from receiving federal contracts and grants, and H.R. 1563 would make individuals with seriously delinquent tax debt ineligible for federal employment if they fail to accept a payment plan within nine months of enactment. Corporations and individuals with serious tax delinquencies should not receive taxpayer-subsidized benefits over those who fulfill their tax obligations.
I would have voted against H.R. 622, the State and Local Sales Tax Deduction Fairness Act, which would permanently allow taxpayers to deduct state and local sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes, without offsetting the cost. This bill would increase the deficit by $42 billion and encourages states to raise taxes, pressuring the federal government to increase taxes to account for the difference. California does not benefit from the state and local sales tax deduction, so this bill would push more of the nation's tax burden onto hardworking taxpayers in my district.
Finally, I would have voted against H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act. This bill repeals the federal estate tax, which currently affects only estates valued at $5.4 million or above ($10.8 million for couples). This bill would add $269 billion to the federal deficit, and the entirety of those benefits would go to the wealthiest 0.2 percent of estates. The federal tax code should expand opportunity for everyone, rather than stacking the deck against middle-class families.

Due to the birth of my daughters Sky and Sage I was unable to be present for votes on the House floor the week of March 23, 2015. Below is an explanation of how I would have voted and why.

I would have voted for H.R. 360, to re-authorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 because it helps provide housing assistance to Native Americans by allowing tribes to determine their own low-income housing needs, including housing for Native American veterans who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.
I would have voted for H.Res. 162, which calls on the President to provide Ukraine with military assistance to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, because an independent, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine is in the national interest of the United States, and that Russia has engaged in political, economic, and military aggression that violates the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
I would have voted for H.R. 216, the Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Planning Reform Act of 2015, which I also supported in the Veterans Affairs Committee. This bill requires the VA to plan ahead, annually submit a five-year budget plan for the agency to meet its commitment to veterans, including the resources necessary to meet those needs, and will help in holding the VA accountable for its obligation to our veterans.
I would have voted against the Ellison Amendment to H.Con.Res. 27. While I support some of the provisions of this alternative budget, I oppose raising America's tax burden by $6.9 trillion over the next decade. This budget would not do enough to reduce the deficit and trim wasteful government spending, among other concerns.
I would have also voted against the Butterfield Amendment to H.Con.Res. 27. While this alternative also contains many measures I agree with, I cannot support a budget that adds $2.7 trillion in new taxes over the next 10 years. My district's priorities dictate a more fiscally responsible approach.
I would have also voted against the Van Hollen Amendment to H.Con.Res. 27. While I support many of the priorities in this budget, it increases the deficit and adds $1.8 trillion in additional taxes. This budget does not do enough to trim unnecessary government spending, and is not right for the 36th District of California.
I would have voted against the Stutzman Amendment to H.Con.Res. 27, the Republican Study Committee substitute budget. This extremist, destructive plan would end the Medicare guarantee turning it into a voucher program that would raise seniors out-of-pocket costs substantially. It would keep seniors from receiving Social security until age 70, and result in millions of individuals, families, and children losing health coverage. There is no place in Congress for radical, extremist agendas that distract us from pragmatic solutions for hardworking Americans, and I would have vehemently rejected this alternative budget.
I would have strongly opposed and voted against the Price Amendments to H.Con.Res. 27, the House Republican budget resolution. Once again, House Republican Leadership seeks to balance the budget on the backs of middle-class families and seniors, undermine our economic recovery, and end the Medicare guarantee.
- This disastrous Republican budget puts an end to Medicare as we know it, turning it into a voucher program that makes health care more expensive and less accessible for seniors. Thousands of seniors in my district rely on Medicare, and this backwards budget proposal threatens the retirement security of seniors living in our desert and across the nation. Our priority should be to strengthen Medicare by reducing health care costs and improving patient outcomes.
- Instead, House Republican Leadership has shifted the cost of Medicare to seniors, prioritizing more tax cuts for billionaires and big business. We must work together to protect and preserve Medicare, reduce our deficit, and decrease health care costs. This budget would do the opposite – jeopardizing Medicare and threatening the wellbeing of our seniors.
- The House Republican budget would end Medicare as we know it, ask seniors and families to pay more for less health coverage, and decimate economic growth for the middle class, all to give huge tax breaks to wealthy corporations. This is not a serious effort to work across party lines for the good of the country, but a reflection of the extreme, upside-down priorities of the House Republican Leadership.
Finally, I would have voted for H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. This long-overdue legislation abolishes the flawed SGR formula and replaces it with a bipartisan agreement to provide stability for Medicare beneficiaries and providers alike. By providing a reliable, value-based payment system, this bill will protect seniors' access to Medicare and preserve their established relationships with their doctors.
- Additionally, this bipartisan bill will extend the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides crucial health coverage for low-income children, extend vital funding for Community Health Centers and other safety net providers, and avoid premium spikes or doctors dropping Medicare patients.
- I have always advocated for a long-term SGR fix for our seniors and physicians. I co-sponsored the bipartisan framework that forms the foundation of this bill, and I have written to House leadership multiple times asking for this solution to be brought to the floor. This bill is a practical solution that will protect and preserve Medicare for our seniors and provide stability for our nation's health care providers, and I am proud to support it.

Due to a death in my immediate family I was unable to be present for votes on the House floor the week of February 9, 2015. Below is an explanation of how I would have voted and why.

I would have voted for H.R. 719, the TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act of 2015 because the bill requires Transportation Security Administration Criminal Investigators to spend at least half of their time investigating individuals suspected of committing a crime.
I would have voted for H.R. 720, the Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015 to ensure the Transportation Security Administration has adequate emergency plans in place to handle a shooting attack at an airport.
I would have voted for H.R.431, to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in March of 1965, which served as a catalyst for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I am a cosponsor of the bill.
I would have voted against S. 1, the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act because the bill allows a Canadian company to be exempt from paying its fair share into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which could leave taxpayers on the hook for an expensive clean-up in the event of an oil spill. Furthermore, the current planned route for the pipeline runs directly over the Ogallala aquifer, putting at risk a critical freshwater supply.
I would have voted for H.R. 644, the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act of 2015 to encourage donations to charitable organizations. The bill would expand tax deductions for food donations, property conservation donations, and charitable foundations.
I would have voted for H.R. 636, the America's Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2015 because the bill is designed to help small businesses grow and create new jobs. This bill would facilitate investment in new equipment, new property, and technology upgrades for small businesses. Providing tax relief will help level the playing field for small businesses, which will stimulate economic growth and create jobs across the country.

Past Votes:

1) H.R. 5230 - Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes.

I would have voted against this bill because it eliminated the protections for children who are victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse that were enacted with bipartisan support in 2008, and failed to provide adequate support to address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

2) H.R. 5272 - To prohibit certain actions with respect to deferred action for aliens not lawfully present in the United States, and for other purposes.

I would have voted against this bill because it would have rolled back and prevented the implementation of the Dream Act, which allows young people who were brought to this country as children, through no fault of their own, to stay in this country if they are serving in the military or attending college.

3) H.R. 5089 – Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2000 Mulford Road in Mulberry, Florida, as the "Sergeant First Class Daniel M. Ferguson Post Office"

I would have voted yes on this bill to honor Sergeant First Class Daniel M. Ferguson, who died while barricading a door during a shooting spree at Fort Hood military base near Killeen, Texas.

4) H.R. 5019 – Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1335 Jefferson Road in Rochester, New York, as the "Specialist Theodore Matthew Glende Post Office"

I would have voted yes on this bill to honor Army Spc. Theodore Glende, who was killed in July 2012 by enemy fire while trying to help fellow soldiers in Afghanistan.

5) H.R. 4283 – To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho

I would have voted yes on this bill to allow the Forest Service to carry out their normal stewardship activities over the Smith Gulch in Idaho.