Congressional Digest: Votes held on trade, Obamacare, dyslexia funding

Lawmakers this week dealt with a plethora of trade and financial issues, while a vote to override the President’s veto on a bill seeking to repeal the federal health care law failed.

Also, lawmakers asked for a federal disaster declaration for 38 counties in Arkansas as a result of severe weather.

Following is a breakdown of the week that was in the nation’s capital.

OBAMACARE VOTE REPEAL FAILS IN THE HOUSE
The House voted 240-181 Tuesday to attempt to override a veto from President Obama earlier this year involving the federal healthcare law. However, the vote on HR 3762 was 46 short of a two-thirds vote needed to override the veto.

U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, French Hill, R-Little Rock, Steve Womack, R-Rogers and Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs were among the 239 Republicans and 1 Democrat to vote yes on the bill. Voting no were 3 Republicans and 178 Democrats.

Womack and Hill said the law needs to be repealed.

“The passage of the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act marked the first time Congress used the Reconciliation process since the Obama Administration did so six years ago to force Obamacare and its taxes and mandates onto us all. It is a shame that the President and his allies continue to live in a world of denial while ignoring the will of the electorate. House Republicans will continue to fight for fiscal discipline and relief from this train wreck of a law,” Womack said.

Obama vetoed the bill on Jan. 8, saying the law has accomplished a lot since it was approved by Congress in 2009.

IRAN TERROR FINANCE TRANSPARENCY ACT
A bill seeking to increase congressional oversight on the issue of transparency involving a recent deal with Iran cleared the House Tuesday. The House voted 246-181 on HR 3662. The bill was approved by 243 Republicans and 3 Democrats while 181 Democrats voted no.

The bill drew support from all four members of the House delegation. Westerman and Hill said the oversight was a check on the executive branch of government.

“Recent events in California, France, Egypt, and Turkey have made clear that the threat of terrorism is more real now than ever before,” Westerman said. “The Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act imposes accountability on the president, keeping him from allowing banks to provide services to Iran, the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. To stop the spread terrorism, we must first stop the flow of money. This bill aims to do just that.”

“A few weeks ago on the House Floor, I drew from the wise words of Winston Churchill in his reminder to the House of Commons that “an appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile in the hopes it will eat him last.” Unfortunately, so much of what has transpired with respect to the Iranian nuclear deal reeks of the mentality of an appeaser,” Hill said on Facebook.

FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION REQUESTED
On Wednesday (Feb. 3), Arkansas’ Congressional delegation asked President Barack Obama to place 38 counties under a federal disaster area due to recent storms.

In the press release, the delegation said the storms from Dec. 23, 2015 to Jan. 23, 2016 caused the state to experience “a pattern of destructive storms, severe flooding and tornadoes.”

“As they always do in time of crisis, Arkansans have come to the aid of their neighbors; however, the extent of the damage has surpassed the state government’s ability to respond. State and community agencies are working tirelessly to assist citizens and begin the process of cleaning up and ultimately rebuilding. Resources at the state and local level, including the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas Forestry Commissions and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, are being fully utilized, but greater assistance is needed to help communities recover,” the delegation said in the press release.

If approved, the declaration would be for Benton, Bradley, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Crawford, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Little River, Lee, Logan, Madison, Marion, Mississippi, Montgomery, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Polk, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Stone, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell counties.

ENCOURAGING EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP ACT
The House voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill that would direct the Securities and Exchange Commission to protect investors in so-called “Exchange Traded Funds.”

The bill, H.R. 1675, was sponsored by U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, and was approved by a 265-159 margin. The bill was approved by 241 Republicans, including Hill and Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, Steve Womack, R-Rogers and Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs; and 24 Democrats. One Republican and 158 Democrats voted against the bill.

Hill said in a statement that the bill, which was part of an overall package of financial services bills, took a basic approach to a complex issue. The bill also included H.R. 2356, which covered the issue of Exchange Traded Funds.

“Spending the past three decades in the investment industry, I have witnessed firsthand ETFs skyrocket. Yet despite their increased popularity, there is little research on ETFs due to anomalies in the securities laws. My commonsense bill would clarify the law and allow broker-dealers to publish ETF research, allowing investors to access useful information in this rapidly growing market. I appreciate Chairman Hensarling’s and the Congress’ efforts to promote capital formation, reduce unnecessary burdens, and grow jobs and the economy and was proud to support this bill,” Hill said.

DYSLEXIA FUNDING BILL CLEARS THE HOUSE
House members approved a bill by voice vote Thursday that would set aside $2.5 million each year to study dyslexia.

The bill, H.R. 3033, was co-sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs. Under the bill, the Research in Disabilities program of the National Science Foundation would study early identification of children and students with dyslexia, provide professional development for teachers and administrators and build curriculum and education tools for children with dyslexia.

Westerman said the bill, which now heads to the President’s desk, will provide needed help.

“Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting more than 90 percent of all individuals identified as learning disabled, including an estimated one out of six U.S. school children,” Westerman said. “This learning disability causes difficulty with reading comprehension, math, and a variety of other subject areas. More research is needed to understand dyslexia so students receive research-based instruction and have the best opportunity to learn and succeed in the 21st century. That is why I co-sponsored and voted for the READ Act of 2015. This bill is good for students, educators, and America.”

Westerman also said Thursday he will host the Dyslexia Congressional Forum on March 7 in Hot Springs to look at the issue.

OTHER VOTES
Courtesy of the website govtrack.us, the following are a list of other votes this week in the House.

H.R. 4168: Small Business Capital Formation Enhancement Act
Republicans: 224-1
Democrats: 166-0
Not Voting: 42

The bill was approved under suspension of the rules.

H.R. 2187: Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act
Republicans: 203-1
Democrats: 144-7
Not Voting: 78

The bill was approved under a suspension of the rules.

H.R. 1675: Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2015
Republicans: 241-1
Democrats: 24-158
Not Voting: 9

The bill would direct the Securities and Exchange Commission to allow for a change in its rules. The change would allow for an increase on the threshold amount for requiring issuers to provide certain disclosures relating to compensatory benefit plans, the website noted.