NTF Issue Paper: cong137.doc. 6-17.
NEBRASKA TAXPAYERS FOR FREEDOM ISSUE PAPER:
CONGRESSMAN DON BACON: A CONSTANT CONSERVATIVE HERO TO TAXPAYERS.
BACKGROUND. Congressman Don Bacon, 2nd District NE, in the few months he has served as a representative in Washington, D.C., has proved himself a constant hero to taxpayers and veterans. His steady stellar record in House votes deserves wide publicity and acclaim. His Spring votes clearly demonstrate that he is a staunch fiscal conservative. Constituents should show their gratitude to this fine elected official who so conscientiously serves his district. Call his office at 402-938-0300 and personally thank him for his service.
SPENDING:
HR 99: To extend federal government funding through May 5, a continuing appropriation that maintained only current government spending levels. Voted YES.
GOVERNMENT REGULATION:
HR 10: To repeal liberal changes legislated after the 2008 recession that placed strangling regulations on the economy through the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the Financial Stability Oversight Council, and other regulations that prevent commercial banks from trading for their own gain. Voted YES
HR 240: To consider a bill to direct the Security & Exchange Commission (SEC) to revise rules to increase the threshold amount for requiring issuers to provide specific disclosures relating to compensation benefits. Voted YES.
HR 242: To expand investor limitation for qualifying venture capital funds. Voted YES.
HR 299: To consider a bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide compensation time for private sector employees. Voted YES.
HR 348: To amend the federal insecticide act to clarify congressional intent regarding regulation of use of pesticides, deleting overly restrictive regulations. Voted YES.
LB 375: To consider a bill to eliminate bailouts and eliminate bureaucracy to increase access to capital and credit. To repeal Dodd-Frank provisions that make our economy less stable and less free. Voted YES.
HR 953: To amend the federal insecticide act to clarify congressional intent that pesticides registered and used under the act do not require an additional permit for use around navigable waters. Voted YES.
HR 1219: To allow qualifying venture capital funds to obtain backing of up to 250 individuals without registering in order to promote capital formation at earliest stages of private companies. Voted YES
HR 1304: To continue to allow employers to use stop-loss insurance coverage when offering employees health care coverage through self-funded plans. Voted YES.
HR 1312: SEC must disclose planned actions to investigate unnecessary impediments to small business capital formation and address their elimination or reduction and to improve environment for small business capital formation, including investor protection. Voted YES.
HR 1343: To loosen SEC regulations to allow companies to sell securities to their employees without filing a registration statement with the SEC. Voted YES.
HR 1678: To re-establish a 3-year statute of limitations on actions to recover FEMA grants given to state and local governments after a disaster. Limitation does not apply to cases of fraud, waste, or abuse. Voted YES
HR 1679: Requires FEMA to modernize its grant management system and provide secure online access for applicants to fill out and submit forms and access status of applications. Voted YES.
HR 1694: To make Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac subject to requirements of the Freedom of Information Act, which would make their records available to the public for scrutiny. Voted YES.
HEALTH:
HR 378: To consider a bill to require provision of Social Security numbers to receive Obama Care premium tax credits. Voted YES.
HR 1628: To pass the American Health Care Act to repeal and replace Obama Care and defund Planned Parenthood. Voted YES.
HR 2192: Removes an exemption, so that congressmen must accept the same health care options as others. Voted YES.
HR 2581: No advance payments of Obama Care premium tax credits, unless verification that individual is a legal citizen. Voted YES.
LAW & ORDER:
HR 115: To include the killing or attempted killing of a local or state law officer or first responder as an aggravating factor in federal death penalty determinations while these individuals are on duty or because of their status, in federal capital cases such as one stemming from a joint law enforcement task force raid. Voted YES.
HR 323: To consider a bill to provide additional aggravating factors for imposing the federal death penalty. Voted YES.
HR 324: To consider a bill to allow federal probation officers to arrest hostile third parties who obstruct or impede a probation officer during performance of duties. Voted YES.
HR 657: To extend whistleblower protection to federal employees who refuse to violate federal rules and regulations. Voted YES.
HR 876: To require TSA to study and implement better screening for its 900,000 employees after attempts by TSA employees to set off bombs, smuggle guns and drugs, and who became involved in terrorism overseas. New screening would include creating a database of employees who had security clearances revoked for failure to comply with aviation security requirements. Voted YES.
HR 1039: To authorize a federal probation officer to arrest someone without a warrant if probable cause to believe this person assaulted or obstructed such officer while performing official duties. Currently, this lack of authority may force a probation officer to retreat when encountering an uncooperative or violent third party, allowing the third party to escape and cause loss of evidence that an offender has violated a condition of probation or supervised release or evidence of other criminal activity. Voted YES.
HR 1039 Amend. 117: To sunset after 30 months the new authority for federal probation officers to arrest hostile third parties who obstruct or impede a probation officer during performance of duties. Voted NO.
HR 1616: To establish within DHS a cybersecurity institute operated by the Secret Service to disseminate DHS information relating to investigation and prevention of cyber and electronic crime, including threats or acts of terrorism. To train and equip state and local law officers, prosecutors, and judges. Voted YES.
HR 1761: To amend a federal law against sexual exploitation of minors to protect child porn victims by closing a loophole that requires a defendant to have specific intent to produce porn prior to abusing a child. Voted YES.
HR 1793: To extend mandatory reporting requirements of child abuse to national governing bodies to ensure that reports immediately made to local or federal law enforcement officials. Minors can file civil lawsuits against sex abuse perpetrators by clarifying that once harm occurred, court will presume monetary damages warranted. Bill extends civil statute of limitations in these cases. Voted YES.
HR 1862: To expand coverage of laws pertaining to unlawful sexual contact with minors during foreign travel. This law would close a loophole that allows those who engage in foreign sex tourism to escape prosecution. Offenders may receive a mandatory life sentence if having a prior sex conviction in which the victim was a minor. Voted YES.
HR 1892: To authorize the governor of a state or territory to proclaim that a U.S. Flag can fly at half-staff after the death of a first responder working in such jurisdictions and who died in the line of duty. Voted YES.
MILITARY AFFAIRS:
HR 305: To encourage effective voluntary investments to recruit, employ, and retain those who served in military by giving annual awards to employers making such efforts. Voted YES.
HR 467: To ensure that each VA medical facility complies with requirements relating to scheduling veterans for speedy health care appointments. Voted YES.
HR 2052: To prohibit wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images in the military. Voted YES.
HR 2288: To reform rights and processes relating to appeals of decisions about claims for veteran benefits. Voted YES.
S. 1094: Allows VA secretary to fire incompetent or rule-breaking employees through expedited appeals process. Secretary can fire low level staff and senior managers. Easier to remove employee pensions and bonuses. Pres. Trump supports this bill. Voted YES.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS:
HR 92: To condemn North Korean development of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles and welcome deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea. Urges Red China to stop its economic coercion of South Korea because of THAAD deployment. Voted YES.
HR 479: Requires Sec. of State to determine if North Korea meets criteria of a state supporter of terrorism. Voted YES.
HR 1644: To modify and increase presidential authority to impose sanctions on people who violate our North Korea sanctions. Bill targets individuals overseas who employ North Korea slave labor, restricts North Korean shipping and use of international ports, and requires the Administration to determine if North Korea is a state sponsor of terrorism. Voted YES.
Source: GovTrack. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes.