Indy Congressional Tracker: A fight for DREAMers and changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act
Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto began the week working on bipartisan immigration legislation that would put 1.8 million DREAMers on a 12-year path to citizenship. The Senate failed to reach a compromise and DREAMers still face the March 5 deadline that would see their immigration protections expire.
“President Trump is trying to force a $25 billion border wall on the American people,” said Cortez Masto. “He’s continuing an assault on immigrant families in Nevada, and throughout the country by ending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Dreamers are not numbers, or charts. For decades, they’ve lived their lives under constant threat of deportation in the only country they have ever known and loved.”
Cortez Masto said President Trump created a “crisis” when he repealed DACA. She added that the Senate was engaged in good faith negotiations to give immigration rights to DREAMers.
The Senate had five roll call votes to address a fix for DACA. The last vote came Thursday with a 39-60 vote rejecting the final measure, the Broader Options for Americans Act. The measure had Heller voting yes and Cortez Masto voting no. Both the House and the Senate have a week off and will be back in session on Feb. 26.
In the House, a change to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) added more requirements for a disabled person to prove discrimination claims. The bill, H.R. 620, makes it harder to sue a business if its facilities fail to accommodate a disabled person’s access. Under Title III of the ADA, a disabled person can sue a business if its facility cannot accommodate them. H.R. 620 requires a written notice to the business citing the specific section of the ADA that the facility is violating. It also gives the business 180-days to comply with the request. Owners of the facility only need to prove that they have made a “substantial progress” in accommodating the person with the disability. Substantial progress is not defined by the bill.
Republican Rep. Mark Amodei was the only member of the delegation to vote yes on the bill.
In light of the two recent government shutdowns, Cortez Masto introduced the bipartisan Families of Fallen Service Members First Act. The legislation would pay death benefits to service member families during any future government shutdowns. It added an appropriation of funds that would immediately pay military death benefits to survivors of service members killed during any government shutdown.
“A government shutdown should not stand in the way of military family members getting the support they deserve,” Cortez Masto said.
Non-bank financial institutions and payday lenders can now buy personal bank loans and charge higher interest rates to the borrower. The “Protecting Consumers' Access to Credit Act of 2017” would overturn a Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision that keeps interest rates from exceeding state caps. There was strong Democratic opposition. Only 16 Democrats voted yes on the bill. Democratic Reps. Ruben Kihuen, Jacky Rosen and Dina Titus voted no while Amodei voted yes. The legislation is expected to face a fierce fight in the Senate.
A bill to modify disclosure requirements on mortgage loans passed the House. The bill aims to help consumers understand the costs associated with buying a home and getting title insurance. The legislation will require mortgage lenders to disclose charges for any title insurance premiums to borrowers.
Kihuen, who co-sponsored the legislation, said that strides have been made since the 2008 financial crisis regulations have become more “burdensome” for homebuyers.
“That is why I proudly cosponsored H.R. 3978, which will ease confusion and provide clarity in the mortgage process,” said Kihuen in a statement. “Las Vegas is still grappling with the effects of the 2008 financial crisis that caused thousands across our country and the state of Nevada to lose their homes. H.R. 3978 will bring us one step closer to helping Las Vegas recover.”
Although Nevada’s delegates voted along party lines for most of the bills introduced in the House and Senate, they all voted yes to finding service members missing in action. The House passed a resolution urging all foreign governments to intensify efforts to find or account for service members. The bipartisan vote extended to the renaming of a health-care facility in the Department of Veterans Affairs site in Lexington, KY as the Franklin R. Sousley Campus.
Pfc. Sousley was a Marine in the Pacific during World War II when he landed in Iwo Jima, Japan. He is immortalized in the iconic photo of six Marines raising the large US flag atop Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945. Sousley was killed in battle by sniper fire around Kitano Point, Japan less than a month later.
For a full rundown of the measures the delegates threw their support behind this week, check out The Nevada Independent’s congressional vote tracker and other information below.
SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO
Legislation co-sponsored:
REP. DINA TITUS
Legislation co-sponsored:
REP. RUBEN KIHUEN
Legislation co-sponsored:
- H.R. 4256 - BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act
- H.R. 4838 - Reaching English Learners Act
- H.R. 4884 - Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines Act of 2018