The issue that Congress addressed in recent weeks was the Patriot Act, Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization and Fiscal 2016 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations. Following are the corresponding votes from Senators Bill Nelson, Senator Marco Rubio and House Representative Gwen Graham, of the 2nd Congressional District, and Congressman Ted Yoho, of the 3rd Congressional District.
In the Senate:
Patriot Act Reauthorization – Passage: The Senate votes 67-32 with one abstaining to pass a bill that would modify domestic surveillance authorities by prohibiting the National Security Agency's bulk collection and storage of telephone metadata and limiting collection of other bulk data. The measure would require the NSA to obtain approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to examine the calling records of individual target telephone numbers on a case-by-case basis, before the request for information is made to a phone company, and limit the associated calling records of a telephone number that may be examined to two "hops" from the suspect's number - essentially codifying proposals made by the president in 2014. Nelson voted yes. Rubio voted no.
In the House:
Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization – Passage: The House voted 225-152 with 55 not voting to pass a bill that would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act through fiscal year 2019. The measure would authorize $397 million annually through fiscal year 2019 for federal activities to carry out the law. Yoho voted yes. Graham voted no.
Fiscal 2016 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations – Passage: The House voted 242-183, with seven not voting to pass a bill that would provide $51.4 billion in discretionary funds in fiscal 2016 for the departments of Commerce and Justice and other agencies such as NASA and the National Science Foundation. It would provide roughly $8.2 billion for the Commerce Department and roughly $27.9 billion for the Justice Department, including $8.5 billion for the FBI, $7.2 billion for the federal prison system and roughly $2 billion for state and local enforcement and crime prevention grant programs. Yoho and Graham voted yes. There are three upcoming votes for the House. Fiscal 2016 Defense Authorization (H.R. 1735), which would reauthorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. Fiscal 2016 Transportation-HUD (H.R. 2577), which would Appropriations make appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2015, and for other purposes. Fiscal 2016 Defense Appropriations (H.R. 2685), which would make appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2016, and for other purposes.