Former Missouri lawyer named to elections panel; Congress casts key votes on Yemen, flood insurance

Nov. 30--WASHINGTON -- Congress took a handful of substantive votes during the week of Nov. 26-30, and appeared to be working toward resolution on a new farm bill.

In addition, the Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., held hearings on the nominations of two new members to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

One, Benjamin W. Hovland, formerly was deputy general counsel for the Missouri Secretary of State's office. He currently is a lawyer for the Senate Rules Committee.

Donald Palmer of Virginia is the other nominee.

President Donald Trump's nominations of the two are expected to be voted out of committee soon, and they could come before the full Senate for confirmation before adjournment for the year in mid-December.

The commission, a national clearinghouse and independent commission that helps administer a 2002 voting law, is in the spotlight because of controversies over elections in Florida, Georgia and elsewhere in recent elections.

Among the things that Blunt said he expects the commission to tackle: whether there should be a national paper trail requirement to assure correct election copying and guard against hacking of election results.

That's a tricky topic because elections are run by states, not the federal government, a fact that Blunt has said actually helps guard against broad cyber attacks on election results.

On major votes during the week, here is how members of the St. Louis area delegation came down:

HOUSE

National Flood Insurance --The House on Nov. 29 passed, 350-46, a bill that would extend the National Flood Insurance Program through Dec. 7, averting a closure set for Nov. 30. The House last year passed a long-term extension, now stalled in the Senate, that has proved controversial over its partial privatization of the federally run program. A yes vote was to send HR 7187 to the Senate, where it was passed and forwarded to President Trump for his signature.

Yes --William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis; Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin; Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth; Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro; Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville; John Shimkus, R-Collinsville.

No --Jason Smith, R-Salem.

SENATE

U.S. Withdrawal from Yemen War --The Senate on Nov. 28 voted, 63-37, to discharge from the Committee on Foreign Relations a measure that would end U.S. military support of a Saudi-led coalition waging war on Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen. A yes vote was to advance SJ Res 54 toward debate on the Senate floor that could occur soon.

Yes --Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

No --Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Thomas Farr Judicial Nomination --The Senate on Nov. 28 advanced the nomination of Thomas A. Farr as a federal judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The tally was 51-50 with Vice President Pence casting the deciding vote. The nomination was shelved later when a key senator, Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina, said he would oppose Farr due to his participation in the legal defense of voting restrictions in North Carolina that courts have stuck down as discriminatory toward African-Americans. A yes vote was to advance the nomination.

Yes --Blunt.

No --McCaskill, Durbin, Duckworth.

KEY VOTES AHEAD

Congress will debate a fiscal 2019 spending bill in the week of Dec. 3 in hopes of averting a pre-Christmas Day partial shutdown of the government.

The votes and descriptions are compiled by "Voterama in Congress," a legislative tracking organization.

___

(c)2018 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.