Congressman Harris Vote Update: February 2021

Among the legislative activities of Congressman Harris during the month of February, 2021, these may be of interest:

February 4, 2021:  Congressman Harris voted no on removing Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.   The resolution passed, 230 to 199.  Eleven Republican representatives voted with 219 Democratic representatives to pass the resolution.   Two representatives did not vote.  Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives – Vote Details.

February 5, 2021:  The Congressman joined the rest of the Maryland Congressional delegation to urge U.S. Postal Service Leadership to resolve persistent and widespread delivery delays.  Maryland Congressional Delegation Urges Local U.S. Postal Service Leaders to Fix Delivery Problems | Congressman Andy Harris (house.gov).

February 5, 2021.  The Congressman voted no on H.R.  447 –  National Apprenticeship Act of 2021.   The bill passed, 247 to 173.  Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives – Vote Details

According to the legislative summary, the bill provides statutory authority for the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) within the U.S. Department of Labor. The OA’s responsibilities include (1) supporting the development of apprenticeship models; (2) recognizing qualified state apprenticeship agencies, and operating apprenticeship offices in states without a recognized agency; (3) providing technical assistance to state agencies; (4) periodically updating requirements for each occupation in the apprenticeship program and determining whether to approve new occupations for the program; (5) promoting greater diversity in the national apprenticeship system; and (6) awarding grants provided under this bill.  https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/447?s=1&r=4.

February 19, 2021:  The Congressman wrote a letter to Governor Hogan and Maryland Acting Secretary of Health Dennis Schrader urging them revise the State’s vaccine administration guidelines and use all available Covid-19 vaccine doses for first dose administration “until all vulnerable and essential populations are inoculated.”  The Congressman cited research findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet to argue that a delayed second dose distribution model would address vaccine scarcity and broaden the vaccinated population.  Harris Urges Governor Hogan to Consider Vaccine Administration Changes to Maximize Number of Vaccine Recipients | Congressman Andy Harris (house.gov)

February 26, 2021:  Congressman Harris co-sponsored H.R. 1417 (with 21 other Republican members of the House) “to clarify protections related to sex and sex-segregated space and to activities under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.”   The text of the bill was not available as of 2/28/21.  H.R.1417 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): To clarify protections related to sex and sex-segregated spaces and to activities under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

According to the website of the sponsor, Mary Miller (R. Illinois), the bill would “clarify that nothing in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 can be interpreted to give the Biden Administration the authority to prohibit schools from maintaining sex-segregated bathrooms, locker, rooms, sports teams, and academic programs. According to the sponsor, the bill would “clarify that ‘sex’ means biological sex, not gender identity.”  Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act Introduced by Congresswoman Miller | Representative Mary Miller (house.gov).

Congresswoman Miller, who is newly elected to the House of Representatives, drew attention shortly after she was sworn in for quoting Adolf Hitler.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/us/mary-miller-hitler-remarks-controversy.html.   She and her husband also drew attention after a photo of their pickup truck was shared on Twitter.  The truck was parked at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and displayed a decal of the logo of an extremist movement.  Chris Miller ‘Three percenters’ logo: Illinois lawmaker under fire for displaying logo for extremist ideology at U.S. Capitol – The Washington Post

February 27, 2021:  Congressman Harris voted no on H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion Covid -19 virus relief bill.  The bill passed the House of Representatives early in the morning of February 27 by a vote of 219 to 212.  210 Republicans voted no (one Republican House member did not vote); two House Democrats also voted no. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives – Vote Details.

Congressman Harris promptly issued a tweet, labelling the bill the “Biden bailout” and describing it as “nothing but a pricey liberal wish list”.  Congressman Andy Harris | Representing the First District of Maryland (house.gov). According to the Congressman’s tweet, there is $1 Trillion in currently unspent stimulus dollars that should be spent on reopening schools and “following the science on vaccine policy.”

The Congressman’s reference to $1 Trillion in unspent funds is misleading.  According to the Committee for A Responsible Federal Budget, much of the money from earlier COVID-19 relief is already committed and scheduled to be disbursed.   Monies already allocated include, for example, Medicaid matching payments for the states.  http://www.crfb.org/blogs/how-much-covid-relief-money-left.