112TH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION U.S. House Of
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FRC ACtion And CitizenLink VOTE SCORECARD 112TH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Dear Voter and Friend of the Family: FRC Action and CitizenLink present our Vote Scorecard for the Second Session of the 112th Congress. This scorecard outlines votes on legislation and nominations that FRC Action and CitizenLink either supported or opposed. It provides you with information about how your elected representatives voted on key issues affecting the family. In reaction to the liberal agenda of President Barack Obama and the 111th Congress, the 2010 elections brought about a Republican majority in the House as well as a pro-family and pro-life majority. This led to passage of pro-life legislation in the first session in 2011 restoring the ban on federal funding of abortion in the District of Columbia, passage of the “No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act” by a wide bipartisan majority to remove abortion from the Obama health care law, and repeated votes to repeal and defund the widely unpopular health care law which was pushed through Congress in 2010. These efforts were blocked by the liberal majority in the Senate. After the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the lame duck session of 2010, the House attempted to pass legislation to ensure that Pentagon funds were not used to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies on military bases, and to reiterate support for the Defense of Marriage Act since the administration decided not to defend it in multiple court cases. This year, with the economy’s continued weakness, with the health care law’s outcome uncertain before the Supreme Court and “sequestration” budget cuts looming in the Defense Department and other agencies—and with the upcoming election—Congress again failed to pass most of the government spending bills through regular order. Therefore, action on pro-life and pro-family legislation was minimal. At the time of this publication, an agreement to pass a “continuing resolution” to continue to fund the government well past the election is reportedly in place, and this means additional pro-life/ pro-family provisions added to some House spending bills will not see action this year. Other amendments we scored in the House also will not be negotiated with the Senate. This scorecard therefore contains six House votes on issues important to the American people. One concerns an amendment that would have protected the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law which the administration has refused to defend in court. The House did vote on a ban on sex-selection abortions and a ban on late term child pain-capable abortions. While these bills received a majority vote, they failed to pass since House leaders agreed to the votes only under a fast-track rule requiring a two-thirds vote to pass. After the damaging Supreme Court ruling upholding Obamacare based on the incredibly illogical premise that mandating people to buy insurance is constitutional under the taxation power —the House voted again to repeal Obamacare. The Senate avoided such a vote. At a time when the Obama Administration is expanding its power through executive action, we scored a vote in the House on a bill that passed the Senate last year to eliminate the current requirement for Senate confirmation for a number of presidential appointments. We also scored fewer votes in the Senate than we did in 2011. Once again, the Senate failed to pass a budget and the spending bills did not see any floor activity. Many of President Obama’s judicial nominees were confirmed by the Senate, yet conservatives opposed a number of liberal jurists who view the Constitution as a document to be stretched based on their own philosophies—most notably Andrew David Hurwitz of Arizona to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth District. Unfortunately, a small number of Senate conservatives unsuccessfully opposed the nomination of Michael Walter Fitzgerald of California to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California. Conservatives also fought the nomination of Mari Carmen Aponte to be ambassador to the Republic of El Salvador, due in part to her pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage efforts and opposition by many in that country. Her nomination passed despite the Senate having already rejected her nomination late last year. We also scored against a campaign finance bill—the DISCLOSE Act—which aims to add government restrictions on First Amendment free-speech protections for those mentioning candidates and parties, even if they already comply with campaign-finance rules. The effect would be to stifle donor privacy unrelated to campaign contributions, a not-so- veiled attempt to protect incumbents. We scored against a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, since this new version would do less to help victims of abuse than fund government bureaucrats and liberal interest groups—and would discriminate against religious grantees opposed to homosexual behavior. In another sign that the Senate majority backs the president’s animus to religious organizations, the Senate defeated an amendment containing the “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act” which would restore conscience rights in the wake of the administration’s mandate that religious employers and individuals violate their consciences by paying for and participating in health care plans that include possible abortifacients, contraceptives and sterilizations. Despite the House’s ability to pass similar legislation to protect religious freedom, leaders in that chamber chose not to do so. The votes recorded here are only a part of our effort to protect the family as much work this year has been directed to stopping intrusive and discriminatory government regulations. As we work to defend traditional, pro-family policies in Washington, we encourage you to stay engaged as informed and active constituents. Your involvement is a great asset in the battle to preserve the American family. Thank you for joining us in our defense of the family. Please contact the Government Affairs office of FRC Action for questions about the Scorecard. Thomas McClusky Tom Minnery Vice President of Government Affairs Executive Director FRC Action CitizenLink Vote Scorecard of the 112th Congress: U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate © 2012 FRC Action All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America house pro-family issues 1. Prohibit the Justice Department from Undermining the Defense of 4. Repealing Health Care Law Marriage Act Sponsored by Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), the Repeal Obamacare Offered by Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), this amendment (H.AMDT. Act (H.R. 6079) would have repealed both the Patient Protection and 1096) to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act of 2013 Affordable Care Act, (PPACA, P.L. 111-148) signed into law March 23, (H.R. 5326) would prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (P.L. 111-152) funds in contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The signed into law March 30, 2010. The House voted to repeal Obamacare DOJ withdrew its defense of DOMA in the courts, and the House moved after the Supreme Court upheld the law on June 28, 2012. PPACA and in 2011 to defend DOMA through an appointed counsel. The amendment the companion bill allow for taxpayer funding for abortion, authorize the seeks to ensure that DOJ will not begin litigating against DOMA in the rationing of health care by the newly established Independent Payment future. Advisory Board and undermine conscience protections. (Passed 5/9/12, 245 yeas to 171 nays, Roll Call No. 235) (Passed 7/11/12, 244 yeas to 185 nays, Roll Call No. 460) FRC Action and CitizenLink Supported this Amendment. FRC Action and CitizenLink Supported this Measure. 2. Allow Medical Marijuana 5. Presidential Nominations Act Offered by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), this amendment (H.AMDT. Sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), the Presidential 1084) to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act of 2013 Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act (S. 679) previously passed (H.R. 5326) would have prevented funding to the Department of Justice the Senate June 29, 2011. This bill would allow the President to make from being used to prohibit states from legalizing medical marijuana. appointments to thousands of government positions without going through (Failed 5/9/12, 163 yeas to 262 nays, Roll Call No. 238) the Senate confirmation process. President Barack Obama signed this FRC Action and CitizenLink Opposed this Amendment. legislation into law on August 10, 2012. (Passed 7/31/12, 261 yeas to 116 nays, Roll Call No. 537) 3. Ban on Sex-Selection Abortion FRC Action and CitizenLink Opposed this Bill. Sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), the Prenatal Non-discrimination Act of 2012 (PRENDA, H.R. 3541) would have banned sex-selection 6. Ban of Abortion on Pain-Capable Unborn Children in the District of abortions by doctors, but would not authorize penalties against pregnant Columbia mothers. PRENDA would have ensured that sex-selection abortions are Sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), the District of Columbia Pain- prohibited and would prevent demographic imbalances accompanying Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 3803) would have banned gendercide from occurring in the United States. The bill failed under doctors from performing abortion in the District of Columbia on unborn the two-thirds requirement under a fast tracked rule despite receiving a children after twenty weeks, while exempting pregnant mothers from any majority of votes. penalties. Unborn children having surgery as early as twenty weeks routinely (Failed 5/31/12, 246 yeas to 168 nays, Roll Call No. 299) receive anesthesia because they can experience severe pain.