Sen. Jim Demint (R-S.C.) offered an amendment to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would have enacted a national “right-to-work” law, blocking union-security clauses which ensure that all workers who receive the benefits of union representation and collective bargaining agreements share the costs of maintaining the union. A motion to table (kill) the amendment was agreed to on Jan. 22 on a vote of 66-31 (R: 10-31; D: 54-0; I: 2-0) Roll Call 11. Y=R, N=W

The House and Senate jointly agreed to $3.56 trillion budget resolution for fiscal year 2010. The resolution allows modest increases in funding to housing, education, job training, safety and health care programs that have been consistently cut during the past eight years.  The resolution assumes $764 billion in tax cuts over five years, including an extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for households earning less than $250,000 annually, a three-year adjustment to prevent additional taxpayers from paying the alternative minimum tax and a permanent extension of the 2009 estate tax cuts. It also establishes reserve funds for health care reform and climate change legislation to reduce the nation’s emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The resolution was adopted April 29 by a vote of 233-193 (R 0-176; D 233-17) Roll Call 216.  Y=R, N=W

The Davis-Bacon Act requires that construction workers on federal projects be paid prevailing wages. It ensures high-quality work standards and decent living standards for workers and their communities. Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) offered an amendment to the Water Quality Investment Act that would strike language in the bill applying Davis-Bacon requirements to water construction projects financed under the bill. The amendment was rejected March 12 on a vote of 140-284 (R: 139-35; D: 1-248; I: 0-1) Roll Call 122. Y=W, N=R

The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 will, among other provisions, allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgage loans for distressed homeowners. This provision is a logical fix to assist thousands of working families to restructure their home mortgages much in the same way as investors and those who have second homes do now. The House passed the bill March 5 on a vote of 234-191 (R: 7-167; D: 227-24) Roll Call 104. Y=R, N=W

The omnibus spending bill combines nine funding bills for several federal agencies, including the Department of Labor and Department of Education. The bill included funding for critical labor and health and safety programs and would fund government operations through Sept. 30, 2009. The bill passed Feb. 25 on a vote of 245-178 (R: 16-158; D: 229-20) Roll Call 86. Y=R, N=W

As a first priority of the Obama administration and a key step toward rebuilding an economy that works for all Americans, the House passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The investment provisions of the bill are specifically targeted to creating and maintaining jobs, and make major investments in transportation, infrastructure, state Medicaid and other health care programs, education and housing assistance, and well as energy-efficiency projects. The bill was passed Jan. 28 on a vote of 244-188 (R: 0-177; D: 244-11). Y=R, N=W

Since the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was enacted in 1997 with broad bipartisan support, the number of uninsured children has dropped by one-third, even as the rate of uninsured adults has increased steadily. The CHIP reauthorization bill preserves coverage for more than 6 million children while extending coverage to nearly 4 million more uninsured children. H.R. 2 was passed Jan. 14 on a vote of 289-139 (R: 40-137; D: 249-2). Y=R, N=W

The House passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that restores longstanding protections against pay discrimination that were eliminated by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 2007 decision, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber. Lilly Ledbetter, a Goodyear Tire Co. supervisor, did not learn that she was being paid substantially less than her male colleagues, in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, until she retired after 19 years on the job. The Supreme Court ruled that Ledbetter lost the right to sue 180 days after she received her first paycheck. Prior to this decision, other courts had ruled that each paycheck started the 180-day clock over because each check was fresh evidence of discrimination. The bill passed Jan. 9 on a vote of 247-171 (R: 3-166; D: 244-5). Y=R, N=W

The Paycheck Fairness Act would require employers to demonstrate that wage gaps between men and women doing the same work are truly a result of factors other than sex, and would prohibit retaliation against workers who share salary information or inquire about their employer's wage practices. H.R. 12 also amends the Equal Pay Act to allow the same remedies and class-action procedures available for other civil rights claims. The Paycheck Fairness Act was passed Jan. 9 on a vote of 256-163 (R: 10-160; D: 246-3). Y=R, N=W