H.J.Res. 38: Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule.
This was a vote to agree to H.J.Res. 38 (115th) in the Senate.
H.J.Res. 38, now P.L. 115-5, disapproved of the rule submitted by the Department of Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule.
The new rule attempted to reduce the environmental impact of coal mining. It established a buffer zone rule blocking mining within 100 feet of streams, and imposed stricter policies that required companies to restore land to pre-mining conditions. The rule also required operators to collect data about the site of any proposed operations, as well as adjacent areas, before beginning mining to establish a baseline for measuring impact of mining activities. Additionally, the rule adjusted monitoring requirements to allow for the rapid detection and correction of any problems in the quality or quantity of surface and groundwater, and looked to ensure that mine operators and regulatory agencies use the most current science and technology. These adjustments were made through the alteration of 475 individual regulations enforced through the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
The rule, published on December 19, 2016, was in effect from January 19, 2017 until February 16, 2017, when H.J.Res. 38 became P.L. 115-5.
Source: Republican Policy Committee
| All Votes | Republicans | Democrats | Independents | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yea | 55% |
54
|
50
|
4
|
0
|
| Nay | 45% |
45
|
1
|
42
|
2
|
| Not Voting |
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Bill Passed. Simple Majority Required. Source: senate.gov.
The Yea votes represented 47% of the country’s population by apportioning each state’s population to its voting senators.
Seat position based on our ideology score.
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Vote Details
“Aye” and “Yea” mean the same thing, and so do “No” and “Nay”. Congress uses different words in different sorts of votes.
The U.S. Constitution says that bills should be decided on by the “yeas and nays” (Article I, Section 7). Congress takes this literally and uses “yea” and “nay” when voting on the final passage of bills.
All Senate votes use these words. But the House of Representatives uses “Aye” and “No” in other sorts of votes.
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Statistically notable votes are the votes that are most surprising, or least predictable, given how other members of each voter’s party voted and other factors.
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Study Guide
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You can find answers to most of the questions below here on the vote page. For a guide to understanding the resolution this vote was about, see here.
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- What was this vote on?
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Not all votes are meant to pass legislation. In the Senate some votes are not about legislation at all, since the Senate must vote to confirm presidential nominations to certain federal positions.
This vote is related to a resolution. However, that doesn’t necessarily tell you what it is about. Congress makes many decisions in the process of passing legislation, such as on the procedures for debating the resolution, whether to change the resolution before voting on passage, and even whether to vote on passage at all.
You can learn more about the various motions used in Congress at EveryCRSReport.com. If you aren’t sure what the Senate was voting on, try seeing if it’s on this list.
Take a look at where this resolution is in the legislative process. What might come next? Keep in mind what this specific vote was on, and the context of the resolution. Will there be amendments? Will the other chamber of Congress vote on it, or let it die?
For this question it may help to briefly examine the resolution itself.
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- How did your senators vote?
- How much of the United States population is represented by the yeas?
Members of Congress side together for many reasons beside being in the same political party, especially so for less prominent legislation or legislation specific to a certain region. What might have determined how the roll call came out in this case? Does it look like Members of Congress voted based on party, geography, or some other reason?
There are two votes here that should be more important to you than all the others. These are the votes cast by your senators, which are meant to represent you and your community. Do you agree with how your senators voted? Why do you think they voted the way they did?
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GovTrack displays the percentage of the United States population represented by the yeas on some Senate votes just under the vote totals. We do this to highlight how the people of the United States are represented in the Senate. Since each state has two senators, but state populations vary significantly, the individuals living in each state have different Senate representation. For example, California’s population of near 40 million is given the same number of senators as Wyoming’s population of about 600,000.
Do the senators who voted yea represent a majority of the people of the United States? Does it matter?
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