HOW DID OUR POLITICANS VOTE LAST WEEK?

April 20, 2015 In this MegaVote for Alabama's 5th Congressional District: Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Medicare Payments to Physicians - Passage House: Manufactured Housing High-Cost Mortgages - Passage House: State and Local Sales Tax Deductions - Passage House: Estate Tax Repeal – Passage Upcoming Congressional Bills Senate: Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act House: Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act House: Energy Efficiency Improvement Act House: Protecting Cyber Networks Act

Recent Senate Votes

Medicare Payments to Physicians - Passage - Vote Passed (92-8) The Senate passed a bill that would repeal the sustainable growth rate formula and replace it with a system in which physicians could choose to participate in either a reimbursement method where their payments would be subject to adjustments based on performance or a method where they would move away from the fee-for-service structure. It would provide for a 10-year transition period under which Medicare reimbursement rates would gradually increase annually until 2020 and then remain stable for five years. The bill is cleared for the president. Sen. Richard Shelby voted NO Sen. Jeff Sessions voted NO

Recent House Votes

Manufactured Housing High-Cost Mortgages - Passage - Vote Passed (263-162, 6 Not Voting) The House passed a bill that would modify federal rules regarding high-cost-mortgages as they apply to manufactured housing, specifically by changing the definitions of "high-cost mortgage" and "mortgage originator" under federal law to reduce associated regulatory requirements. The measure would change the definition of high-cost mortgage by increasing the maximum rates and fees that a lender may charge on loans for manufactured housing without that mortgage being considered a high-cost mortgage. Rep. Mo Brooks voted YES State and Local Sales Tax Deductions - Passage - Vote Passed (272-152, 7 Not Voting) The House passed a bill that would make permanent the ability of taxpayers to deduct state and local sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes, which expired at the end of 2014. The measure would be effective for tax years beginning with 2015. Rep. Mo Brooks voted YES Estate Tax Repeal – Passage - Vote Passed (240-179, 12 Not Voting) The House passed a bill that would repeal the federal estate tax. The measure also would repeal the generation-skipping transfer tax and reduce the top marginal rate for the federal gift tax from 40 percent to 35 percent. Rep. Mo Brooks voted YES

Upcoming Votes

Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act - S.178 The bill would provide justice for the victims of trafficking. Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act - H.R.471 The bill would improve enforcement efforts related to prescription drug diversion and abuse, and for other purposes. Energy Efficiency Improvement Act - S.535 The bill would promote energy efficiency. Protecting Cyber Networks Act - H.R.1560 The bill would improve cybersecurity in the United States through enhanced sharing of information about cybersecurity threats, and for other purposes.