Tradition dictates that 10-year anniversaries are celebrated with tin, but the Senate marked the decade since Bear Stearns required a Federal Reserve bailout with a bill to modify banking regulations.

S.2155, or the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, amends the Truth in Lending Act, a 1968 law that promotes the informed use of consumer credit, to allow financial institutions, including non-traditional lending companies with less than $10 billion in assets, to waive ability-to-repay requirements for some residential mortgage loans.

The bill also grants an exemption from adhering to the Volcker Rule, which prohibits banking agencies from engaging in proprietary trading or entering into partnerships with hedge funds and private-equity funds.

The measure passed the Senate 67-31.

Republican Sen. Dean Heller, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a Senate floor speech that the bill allowed financial institutions to tailor their products to the consumer and would help Nevadans have more access to financial resources and opportunities.

“It will give Nevadans more choices when it comes to finding a loan to buy a house, buy a car to get to work, start a business, or grow a business,” Heller said.

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who voted no, said in a statement that she was worried the bill would have damaging repercussions on American families.

“By stripping away important regulations to hold banks accountable, we are risking another financial crisis that is rooted in unfair lending practices,” said Cortez Masto. “We risk a repeat of the housing crisis that robbed Nevadans of their homes and livelihoods because banks had free rein to mislead consumers with false promises.”

On another front, coming the day students staged a school walk-out and one month after 17 people were killed at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the House passed the STOP School Violence Act. The vote was taken under a special House procedure called “suspension of the rules” used to pass non-controversial bills but that requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

The bill passed the House 407-10 with all the state’s representatives voting yes.

Under the act, funding would be made available to help schools develop threat assessment systems that identify and stop potential aggressors before they commit acts of violence. None of the money allocated for the bill would be used to arm teachers or school officials, although that idea has gained traction since it was proposed by President Trump.

In an effort also driven by news reports, Cortez Masto this week introduced legislation to protect animals on commercial flights. The Welfare Of Our Furry Friends Act (WOOFF) would direct the FAA to create regulations prohibiting storing animals in any overhead compartments and establish fines for violations.

The bill was introduced following reports of a pet dog’s death after being placed in an overhead compartment by a United Airlines flight attendant.

“Too many animals have died as a result of human neglect and carelessness,” said Cortez Masto.

United Airlines has launched an investigation and pledged to put special tags on pet carrier bags to help flight attendants identify non-human passengers in the future.

Heller this week also introduced legislation to combat drought conditions by reauthorizing the Colorado River System Conservation Program (CRSCP) for four more years. The water-efficiency project pays ranchers and farmers to conserve water or allow rainwater to run into the Colorado River rather than using it for irrigation. The river provides the state with 90 percent of its water.

The money-for-water program passed in 2014 as a short-term fix for drought and climate change that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said caused Lake Mead water levels to be at its lowest point since it was filled in 1937.

“Southern Nevada is no stranger to drought, and that’s why I continue to fight for policies that strengthen our state’s water security and infrastructure,” said Heller. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation, which reauthorizes the CRSCP, an initiative that has proven to help conserve water in the Colorado River Basin. Supporting this innovative program is especially important at a time when the surface of Lake Mead continues to fall year after year.”

For a full rundown of the measures the delegates supported or opposed this week, check out The Nevada Independent’s congressional vote tracker and other information below.

SEN. DEAN HELLER

Legislation sponsored:

• S. 2548 - A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish mental health care to certain former members of the Armed Forces who are not otherwise eligible to receive such care, and for other purposes.
• S. 2539 - A bill to amend the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, to reauthorize certain projects to increase Colorado River System water.

Legislation co-sponsored:

• S. 2540 - A bill to provide predictability and certainty in the tax law, create jobs, and encourage investment.

SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

Legislation co-sponsored:

• S. 636 - Healthy Families Act
• S. 2556 - A bill to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to promulgate regulations to prohibit the storage of live animals in overhead compartments of airplanes.
• S. 2545 - A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a special behavioral health program for Indians.
• S. 266 - Anwar Sadat Centennial Celebration Act
• S. 1945 - Keep Americans Safe Act

REP. MARK AMODEI

Legislation co-sponsored:

• H.R. 1617 - Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act
• H.Res. 774 - Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4760) to amend the immigration laws and the homeland security laws, and for other purposes.

REP. JACKY ROSEN

Legislation co-sponsored:

• H.R. 5141 - United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018
• H.R. 5180 - Tip Income Protection (TIP) Act of 2018
• H.R. 5292 - To establish a task force to review new decennial census questions and their impact on response rates for minorities, the accuracy of the census, redistricting, costs and funding distribution, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 5301 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from requiring a surviving spouse of a veteran to return certain payments for a month in which the veteran dies.
• H.R. 66 - Route 66 Centennial Commission Act
• H.R. 291 - TRUST Act
• H.R. 4811 - Securing Our Schools Act of 2018
• H.R. 4967 - Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2018
• H.R. 5038 - Reserve Component Benefits Parity Act of 2018
• H.R. 5099 - Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act
• H.R. 5049 - Facilitating Veterans' Education Act
• H.R. 5126 - Deterring and Defeating Rocket and Missile Threats to Israel Act of 2018

REP. DINA TITUS

Legislation sponsored:

• H.R. 5251 - To make demonstration grants to eligible local educational agencies or consortia of eligible local educational agencies for the purpose of increasing the numbers of school nurses in public elementary schools and secondary schools.

Legislation co-sponsored:

• H.R. 5294 - To amend title 40, United States Code, to address the impact of drug abuse on economic development in Appalachia, and for other purposes.
• H.Con.Res. 115 - Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers Memorial Service and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition.
• H.R. 5132 - Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Economic Exclusion Act
• H.J.Res. 33 - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to equal rights for men and women.

REP. RUBEN KIHUEN

Legislation co-sponsored:

• H.R. 5180 - Tip Income Protection (TIP) Act of 2018
• H.R. 2911 - National Museum of the American Latino Act