Roll Call

Here's how area members of Congress voted on major issues last week.

HOUSE

□ Medicare Doctor Payments: Voting 243 for and 183 against, the House on Thursday passed a bill (HR 3961) that would avert a 21 percent cut next year in Medicare payments to doctors. The bill was opposed mainly because its cost of $210 billion over 10 years would be deficit spending. The bill would permanently change the Medicare formula for paying doctors. It would increase payments by nearly $20 billion per year over 10 years and cause slight annual increases in Medicare premiums.

Voting yes: G.K. Butterfield, D-1, Bob Etheridge, D-2, David Price, D-4, Mike McIntyre, D-7, Larry Kissell, D-8, Heath Shuler , D-11, Melvin Watt, D-12, Brad Miller, D-13

Voting no: Walter Jones, R-3, Virginia Foxx, R-5, Howard Coble, R-6, Sue Myrick, R-9, Patrick McHenry, R-10

Not voting: None

□ GOP Medicare Plan: Voting 177 for and 252 against, the House on Thursday defeated a Republican motion to restructure HR 3961 (above) as a two-year rather than permanent fix of Medicare's system for paying doctors. The motion also identified a revenue source to pay for the proposed two-year remedy.

Voting yes: Jones, Foxx, Coble, Myrick, McHenry

Voting no: Butterfield, Etheridge, Price, McIntyre, Kissell, Shuler, Watt, Miller

Not voting: None

□ Cruise-Ship Safety: Voting 416 for and four against, the House on Tuesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 3360) to address sexual assaults and other crimes on cruise vessels carrying American passengers.

The bill requires cruise-ship operators to promptly report crimes to the FBI and Coast Guard, publish crime data online, establish procedures to assist victims, and have at least one crew member trained to investigate crime scenes. Operators also would be required to limit crew access to passenger cabins and publish information for contacting U.S. embassies and consulates in countries on the cruise itinerary. The bill would cover 125 to 150 vessels that use U.S. ports.

Voting yes: Butterfield, Etheridge, Jones, Price, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller

Voting no: None

Not voting: None

SENATE

□ Guantanamo Prisoners: Voting 57 for and 43 against, the Senate on Tuesday allowed funds in the 2010 military-construction budget (HR 3082) to be used for securing U.S. prisons to hold terrorist suspects transferred from overseas. The vote tabled (killed) an amendment designed mainly to prevent detainee transfers from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison.

Voting yes: Kay Hagan, D

Voting no: Richard Burr, R

Not voting: None

□ Judge David Hamilton: Voting 59 for and 39 against, the Senate on Thursday confirmed federal Judge David Hamilton, 52, of the Southern District of Indiana, for a seat on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Based in Chicago, the court hears appeals from federal rulings in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Hamilton's confirmation would put four Democratic appointees on the court, compared to seven judges appointed by Republican presidents.

Voting yes: Hagan

Voting no: Burr

Not voting: None

□ Veterans' Caregivers: Voting 98 for and none against, the Senate on Thursday passed a bill (S 1963) to provide monthly stipends and health care to family members who stay home to care for veterans severely injured in Afghanistan or Iraq. The stipend would equal what an outside agency would pay an employee to provide similar care. The new program is projected to cost $3.9 billion over five years in deficit spending.

Additionally, the bill would expand services for women veterans, veterans living in rural areas, and the estimated 130,000 homeless veterans.

Voting yes: Hagan, Burr

Voting no: None

Not voting: None

□ United Nations Dues: The Senate on Thursday refused, 32 for and 66 against, to reduce U.S. payments to the United Nations and other international organizations by $3.9 billion over five years to pay the projected cost of S 1963 (above).

Voting yes: Burr

Voting no: Hagan

Not voting: None