Here's how North Carolina members of Congress and the two presidential contenders were recorded on major votes last week:
House
Electronic records preservation: Voting 286-137, the House on Wednesday passed a bill requiring federal agencies, including the White House, to preserve all e-mail messages and other electronic records under the purview of the National Archives. Now awaiting Senate action, the bill is a response, in part, to White House admissions it cannot account for hundreds of e-mails sought by congressional investigators. The bill awaits Senate action.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: G.K. Butterfield, D-1; Bob Etheridge, D-2; Walter Jones, R-3; David Price, D-4; Mike McIntyre, D-7; Heath Shuler, D-11; Melvin Watt, D-12; Brad Miller, D-13.
Voting no: Virginia Foxx, R-5; Howard Coble, R-6; Robin Hayes, R-8; Sue Myrick, R-9; Patrick McHenry, R-10.
Not voting: None.
Senate
Government spy powers: Voting 69-28, the Senate on Wednesday sent President Bush a bill to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through 2012 and grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications firms that helped the government spy on Americans after 9/11 without court warrants. The bill would permit surveillance without specific warrants on totally foreign communications passing through U.S. switching points; authorize the secret FISA court to issue blanket warrants for surveillance of communications between U.S. and foreign locations and continue the existing requirement that strictly domestic spying targeting Americans be authorized by the FISA court on a case-by-case basis.
By establishing FISA as the exclusive basis for intelligence spying, the bill debunks the Bush administration doctrine that presidents have inherent executive authority to conduct surveillance as they see fit.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Richard Burr, R, voted yes.
Elizabeth Dole, R, voted yes.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did not vote.
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., voted yes.
Telecoms' retroactive immunity: Voting 66-32, the Senate on Wednesday refused to strip the FISA bill of retroactive immunity for companies such as AT&T, Sprint Nextel and Verizon that have been sued over their helping the administration spy on Americans without court warrants for several years after 9/11.
A yes vote was to deny telecom immunity.
McCain did not vote.
Obama voted yes.
Medicare doctor payments: Voting 69-30, the Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill to rescind the administration's 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors that took effect July 1, with the $20 billion multi-year cost offset mainly by cuts in the privately run, federally subsidized Medicare Advantage program. The bill was then sent to President Bush on a nonrecord vote. The bill would increase Medicare payments to doctors by 1.1 percent in January and establish equal copayment levels for mental and physical ailments.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Burr voted no.
Dole voted yes.
McCain did not vote.
Obama voted yes.
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