John Carney

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to join my colleagues in opposition to H.R. 1459. This bill will clearly undermine the Antiquities Act, one of our country's most important environmental and historic preservation tools, and one that has been critical to protecting beautiful land in my home State of Delaware. Currently, Delaware is the only State in the Union without a national park. That means that every summer as families flip through the guidebooks of national parks and search through the Internet for outdoor vacation ideas, Delaware is not on the map, except, of course, for our beautiful beaches. The good news is that, last year, the Antiquities Act helped fix this problem. It allowed for the creation of the First State National Monument, including the historic Woodlawn property, through a process that involved broad public input and public participation. The Woodlawn property is 1,100 historic acres spanning the border of Delaware and Pennsylvania. It had been privately owned and used for public recreation for over 100 years and was about to be sold, potentially leading to extensive residential development. In response to considerable public outcry about the possible loss of this great property, a private foundation, the Mt. Cuba Center, stepped in with an incredibly generous donation of more than $20 million to protect the property for future generations. Given the various limitations related to the management and transfer of the property, the Antiquities Act provided the right path for us to move quickly with plenty of public input to ensure that the monument effectively represented our community's goals. As part of this process, we held over a dozen public meetings on the creation of the monument, including a hearing attended by the National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis and hundreds of Delawareans and Pennsylvanians who expressed strong support for the protection of the Woodlawn property. The First State National Monument continues to enjoy virtually unanimous, enthusiastic support from all stakeholders in our community, including colleagues on the other side of the aisle representing districts in Pennsylvania. The provisions in this bill under consideration today would have jeopardized this process, and we may not have been able to realize the tremendous gift.

Mr. CARNEY. I thank the gentleman for the additional time. Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican President, a great outdoorsman, and a lover of nature, said this about the importance of protecting our national treasures. He said: It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it. Let's continue our Nation's tradition of protecting our public lands in a way that reflects the greatness of our Nation. I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 3448. I would like to thank Mr. Garrett, chairman of the Capital Markets Subcommittee. Particularly, I would like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Duffy) for his good work on this piece of legislation. I certainly enjoyed working with him on it. I particularly want to applaud Mr. Duffy for his willingness to address concerns raised by stakeholders, members of the committee, and those we heard from during the hearing on this bill. I appreciate his commitment to working in a bipartisan way in developing good and workable policy in this legislation. As has been already said, the purpose of our bill is really pretty simple. We know that small businesses are the engine of job creation in this country. We want to encourage investors to take a closer look at small businesses and invest in them so that they can continue to grow and create jobs once they have gone public. In my home State of Delaware, as a corporate center, we have a lot of people who spend a lot of time paying attention to corporate formation and corporate governance. In a former life as the State secretary of finance and as Lieutenant Governor, I worked with a lot of these people. They have been following the trends over the past 10 years, and they have seen and observed the decline in IPOs and the changes in the growth of emerging growth companies after going public. That is why last year I worked with my colleague, Mr. Fincher from Tennessee, on a provision in the JOBS Act that created an onramp for companies to go public. The bill has already been credited with helping fuel the recent uptick we have seen in the initial public offerings, which is very good for job growth in this economy. H.R. 3448 builds on that work by helping companies grow after their IPO. Our hope, as has been described, is that increasing the increments that stocks trade in will draw more attention to these small emerging growth companies. We hope that brokers will spend more time and resources researching these companies and, ultimately, encourage greater investment in them. This increased coverage from brokers and analysts will help small companies grow and create jobs. We have heard concerns about some unintended consequences that increased tick size could have, which is why this bill instructs the SEC to conduct a pilot program to better examine the effects and effectiveness of larger spreads. Additionally, this bill gives the SEC the flexibility to implement a pilot program in a way that will produce the best information on how to proceed afterwards. Thanks to members and staff on both sides of the aisle working closely together, we were able to come up with a bill that makes sense and that addresses the concerns that we heard from other members, from stakeholders, and from the Financial Services Committee hearing that we had. The four amendments accepted in the committee were all consistent with our original objective. Each improved the bill based on input that we received from members and stakeholders. This bill is truly a bipartisan effort. As Mr. Garrett pointed out, it passed out of the committee on a 57-0 vote. As with any piece of legislation, once we got into the weeds, it turned out to be a little bit more complicated than we initially thought, but the end result is a good product that Members on both sides of the aisle can support. I want to close by again thanking Mr. Duffy and his staff for their hard work and for working together with us and involving us in the discussions about the particulars of this bill. I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 3448, the Small Cap Liquidity Reform Act of 2013. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I wish to clarify my position on rollcall votes 12 and 13 cast on January 13, 2014. On rollcall vote No. 12, on consideration of H.R. 1513 I did not vote. It was my intention to vote ``aye.'' On rollcall vote No. 13, on consideration of S. 230 I did not vote. It was my intention to vote ``aye.''

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 1973 basketball team from Howard High School in Wilmington, Delaware. This year marks 40 years since Howard's sensational '73 team won Delaware's boys State championship with an undefeated season of 24-0. Howard's '73 team wasn't the biggest; but the Wildcats were disciplined, and they played with a lot of heart. They were led by their brilliant guards David Roane and Kenny Hynson and the irrepressible Mike Miller, who battled much taller players under the boards. Supported by a big family of coaches, teachers, classmates, and Howard alumni, the Wildcats became the first team in Delaware history to finish the season undefeated. There were several games where it looked like Howard might get knocked off, including a nail-biter against the much bigger Salesianum in the State semifinal; but the Wildcats were always able to pull out the victory in the end. Today I want to recognize Howard High School's 1973 boys basketball team, honor them for their historic season, and thank them for the work they continue to do for youth in the State of Delaware.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. About a year ago, I talked to a young marine from Magnolia, Delaware, in my district. He had been wounded in Afghanistan and was home recovering. I had called him really just to wish him well and to see how he was doing. This marine was not focused on his injuries. All he could think about and talk to me about was getting back to his base. Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress, we need to be worthy of this marine's sacrifice, his selflessness, and his dedication to fighting for his country. Our Nation's most sacred obligation is to care for our men and women in uniform, both when they are serving abroad and when they come back home. Unfortunately, today, we are falling short of this duty. Today, about 60,000 veterans are homeless. Close to 13,000 of these are veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While veterans represent only 7 percent of the U.S. population, they represent 13 percent of homeless Americans. These numbers are just unacceptable. That is why I was pleased to join with my colleagues and friends, Mr. Heck and Mr. Renacci, in introducing the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2013. We are all part of a bipartisan working group that meets a couple of times a month. We have come up with a number of commonsense ideas just like this bill. Mr. Delaney and Mr. Renacci have another bill later on today. Simply put, the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act ensures that veterans who need and deserve housing assistance get it. Right now, those veterans who are struggling the most--those who are severely disabled and have virtually no income--receive a benefit from the VA to cover the cost of their care. This benefit goes to caretakers who help our veterans with the daily tasks of living, bathing, eating, maintaining prosthetics, and the list goes on. However, when these same veterans go to apply for housing assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, this aid counts as income, making it harder for them to qualify for housing assistance. This policy just doesn't make sense, and it is hurting our veterans. H.R. 1742, the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act, fixes this problem so that our severely disabled veterans aren't victims of homelessness as well. It excludes this aid--meant to address the health and daily living needs of severely disabled veterans--from the calculation of income in the housing assistance program. Mr. Speaker, often when Members come in through the doors of the House Chamber to vote, we are greeted by members of our military who have been wounded in service of our Nation. Most have lost limbs, and all their lives are irreparably changed. Despite all they have already given, these men and women come to our Nation's Capitol to continue giving back and to inspire and thank us. We should thank them. As we approach Veterans Day, I hope the House will honor their sacrifice by passing legislation that will make life just a little easier for those who have given so much to protect ours. I know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle recognize this as a critical issue. A similar version of this bill passed the House by voice vote in the last Congress. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill once again for the sake of our Nation's most vulnerable veterans. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I just would like to thank the sponsors, Mr. Heck, Mr. Renacci, and other veterans, Mr. Cotton, the Members from the Democratic side who cosponsored this, and all the Members of the House who supported this the last time. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, it is time to end this destructive government shutdown. It just doesn't make any sense, and it's hurting people, and it's hurting the economy. While Congress is wasting time on the shutdown, we have important work to do. We need to reform our housing finance system. Right now, the Federal Government backs over 90 percent of all mortgages being made. That's just not sustainable. We have to bring private capital back into the markets, and we have to reduce the government's role, but we have to do it in a smart way. For generations, owning a home has been part of the American Dream. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has made that dream possible for many of us, and so our number one priority in reforming our housing finance system should be preserving the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. But the legislation currently moving through the House doesn't do that. That's why we need to work together on both sides of the aisle to fix that problem. We need to reform our housing finance system and protect taxpayers, but we also must preserve home ownership for millions of American families.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the midst of this manufactured crisis here in the Capitol to join many of my colleagues on the Democratic side for something that we all can get behind, which is creating strong manufacturing jobs here in our great country. One of the frustrations about the impasse that we have here in the House and in the Capitol is that we have some really serious issues that confront us as a country. And I think the most important among them is, where are the jobs of the future going to come from? We know that in our districts--Mr. Ryan of Ohio and some of the other speakers tonight, in my State of Delaware--that manufacturing has been the backbone, particularly of those jobs that provide middle class incomes for generations. We've lost so many since 2008. My home State, we've lost both of our auto manufacturing plants, the General Motors plant at Boxwood Road and the Chrysler plant in Newark. We've lost, over the past 10 years or so, Avon Products, a manufacturing facility in Newark. And for generations, downstate in the town of Seaford, the Dupont nylon plant provided a pathway to middle class for generations of families down there. We know that the competition for those jobs, today and into the future, is going to define the success of our own ability to maintain a middle class here in the United States, and also, define the competition that we have with our neighbors around the world. There's some hope on the horizon. In recent years, we've seen a new trend called insourcing. We're actually seeing companies moving back jobs here into the United States. General Electric, one of the premiere manufacturing industrial conglomerates, international companies here in the U.S., has started to move appliance manufacturing to the States of Indiana and Ohio and other places in the Midwest from their plants that they moved some years ago to Mexico. Apple just announced it'll start manufacturing a new laptop here in the United States. But here's the thing. Not only do we have to attract and bring jobs back to the United States, but once we get them back here through this insourcing trend, we need to make sure that we keep them here. Making things here at home, whether it's building new cars, the cars of the future, whether it's building the appliances or electronics that we're talking about, help create the strong economic foundation that we've enjoyed as a country and will do so for future generations. So it's our job, as Members of Congress, to pass laws that will encourage innovation and job creation right here at home, and put hardworking Americans back to work. And that's why I've worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come up with ways to attract and keep U.S. manufacturing jobs here. This summer, I joined my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) to introduce the Made in America Act. It's really a simple bill. It creates a labeling system called the America Star labels, much like Energy Star, that companies can use to identify the extent to which their products are made in America. Just this past summer I had to go shopping for a new air-conditioner. My air-conditioner broke down. And it was difficult to determine what products were made here, how much they were made here, what kind of parts were made here. Last year I bought a new front door, a new oak front door; spent a lot of time going around trying to find a door that was made here in the U.S., and found a wonderful product just over the line in Pennsylvania. Made in America is something that people want to see, and they want to know what the products that they buy and that they see out there in stores, how much is foreign-made and how much is made here in the USA. And people, consumers, care about it, and that's why this piece of legislation is important because it provides people with the opportunity to know that. I also got together with the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), who's here in the Chamber, with the Scaling Up Manufacturing Act. I'm sure he'll talk about it. The bill creates a 25 percent tax credit for the cost of construction or lease of a company's first domestic manufacturing facility. Thank you, Mr. Honda, for that, for the opportunity to join you on that. I also introduced a bill to increase the research and development tax credit from 14 percent to 17 percent and, more importantly, to make it permanent, to create certainty for businesses to locate their research and development facilities here in this country. This will give those companies that certainty that they need to set up those operations. These are just a few examples, Mr. Speaker, of the ways that Congress can do something to make it possible for us to make things here in America again. We all believe, many of us here, frankly, on both sides of the aisle, believe that making things in America is the key to our economic recovery. We need to get our house in order here, with the impasse that we're dealing with over the last week, and focus on these efforts, focus on the things that we can do to incentivize U.S. manufacturing.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on my colleagues to resolve this fight and stop this government shutdown. Today, Federal workers across the country, including at Dover Air Force Base in my home State of Delaware, are being sent home without pay. America is better than this. Many of us on both sides of the aisle are willing to work together to find consensus and to focus on solutions. That's the responsible way to govern. And I'm convinced that many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't want this government shutdown either. It's only a small minority of those in the Tea Party who have forced this on the American people. But the other side has been hijacked by these extremists, and they're holding our government hostage. It's time to put the people above politics. It's time for the responsible voices here in Congress to prevail. It's time for us to do what's right for the American people, and end this government shutdown.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I wish to clarify my position on a vote cast on September 18, 2013. The vote was on passage of H.R. 761, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act. On rollcall vote No. 471, I did not vote. It was my intention to vote ``no.''

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of a bipartisan, straightforward amendment that I introduced with my colleague, Congressman Radel of Florida, that will help maximize the efficiency of taxpayer dollars used in the Federal crop insurance program. Periodically, the USDA, through the Risk Management Agency, renegotiates its agreement with private crop insurers for the delivery and administration of Federal crop insurance. These negotiations, known as Standard Reinsurance Agreements, do not affect the premium subsidies paid to farmers and instead focus on the percent of gains or losses assumed by taxpayers and the level of crop insurance administrative and operating costs paid by the Federal Government. The most recent negotiation was finalized in 2010 and yielded $6 billion in savings. Of these savings, $4 billion was used to reduce the Federal deficit, and the remaining $2 billion was put back into farm programs to supplement conservation efforts and improve certain products provided through the Federal crop insurance program. Our amendment simply maintains current law by striking a provision in the bill requiring that any savings from future Standard Reinsurance Agreements be put back into the Federal crop insurance program. This amendment continues to respect the importance of a robust farm safety net while maintaining USDA's tools to improve Federal crop insurance, reduce the deficit, and strengthen conservation programs within the farm bill. Our amendment is supported by taxpayer advocates as well as the environmental community who share the same goal of ensuring that the Federal crop insurance program works for farmers and for taxpayers. I want to thank my colleague from Florida for working with me on this amendment, and I urge its support. Thank you for your consideration. I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Radel).

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining?

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to close by thanking the gentleman from Florida for his assistance on this amendment and just to ask my colleagues to think about what we've been trying to do since I came to this House in 2011, which is to get a budget balanced and to find savings wherever we can. This is an opportunity to use savings from the renegotiations of these agreements for deficit reduction and other things that the USDA might deem appropriate. So I want to thank my colleague for that, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. I rise today to pay tribute to a fallen soldier from my home State of Delaware. Last week, I joined the family of Warrant Officer Sean Mullen at Dover Air Force Base to witness the dignified transfer of his remains. Sean, whose family resides in Dover, Delaware, was killed earlier this month in Afghanistan. He was on his sixth tour of duty. He leaves behind his wife, Nancy, and a life full of service, loyalty, and courage. As I stood with Sean's mother, Mariam, through her tears, she asked me to do one thing. She said, ``Let the people know what these men and women go through. Let them know what they do for their country.'' That's why I'm here on the floor today--to do what this Gold Star mother asked me to do, which is to remember the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have volunteered out of a sense of patriotism and selflessness to put themselves in harm's way in service to their country. So to Sean Mullen and to his heroic brothers and sisters in arms who have given their lives to protect ours, I stand here today to say thank you, and may God bless you.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. I would like to thank Mr. Scott for yielding time and for his leadership on this issue. I rise today in support of H.R. 1256. It will lead to a stronger, more robust set of regulations for the derivatives market. Let me be clear, this is not an effort to roll back Title VII of Dodd-Frank or to weaken its reach overseas. In fact, its intent is to harmonize regulations for cross-border swaps transactions, to eliminate confusion, and to prevent the establishment of two sets of rules in certain jurisdictions, which we know will leave us vulnerable to companies who would want to exploit those loopholes. In fact, this is a goal that our former chair and ranking member articulated well in a letter that he cosigned with Senator Tim Johnson to the regulators dated October 4, 2011, in which he says: U.S. regulators should work with other international regulators to seek broad harmonization of appropriately tough and effective standards. Should current harmonization efforts ultimately fail or prove a race to the bottom that would undermine effective regulation, the U.S. would of course reserve the right to proceed to extend the application of its standards to overseas operations. That's exactly what this bill does: it calls on the CFTC and the SEC to issue joint regulations in overseas markets, and in the G8 plus Hong Kong, in those markets where there are already rigorous regulations, the CFTC to determine whether our regulations are strong enough. If they are not, they can apply our regulations there. So this bill is a good bill to create one set of regulations around the world that will be strong and clear and consistent. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 1256. It will lead to a stronger, more robust set of regulations for the derivatives market. Let me be clear, this is not an effort to roll back Title 7 of Dodd- Frank or to weaken its reach overseas. In fact its intent is to harmonize regulations for cross-border swaps transactions. To eliminate confusion. And to prevent the establishment of two sets of rules in certain jurisdictions--which we know leaves us vulnerable to companies who want to exploit loopholes when there's a patchwork of regulations. Unfortunately, since the passage of Dodd-Frank, the CFTC and SEC have moved forward with conflicting proposals to enforce Dodd-Frank derivatives law in markets overseas. This bill has one goal: to create clear, strong and consistent rules governing derivatives transactions for U.S. companies operating around the world. It does this in two ways. First: it tells the SEC and CFTC to coordinate and issue their swaps regulations jointly. That way, we have one set of regulations that companies have to follow. Under current law, the two agencies can issue overlapping, or even conflicting regulations. In fact, that's exactly what they've done. This is confusing and burdensome for U.S. firms. But more importantly, it creates opportunities for firms to exploit inconsistencies and loopholes in the regulations. This bill requires one consistent set of regulations to close loopholes and eliminate confusion. Second: this bill acknowledges the strong regulatory commitment some nations have already made to regulate swaps. The bill says that since these countries are moving forward with derivatives regulations that are comparable to ours in scope and rigor, companies engaged in derivatives transactions in these countries can follow those regulations. During consideration of this bill in the Financial Services Committee, I supported an amendment offered by the Ranking Member that would have flipped the presumption in the bill. Instead of presuming that certain countries have broadly equivalent regulations to ours, it would've directed the regulators to proactively make that determination. That amendment didn't pass. But there is a failsafe in this bill. But, this is critical. Under this bill, if the SEC and CFTC look at these countries' regulations and determine that they are not in fact as strong or robust as our regulations, the agencies can require that companies operating in those countries follow U.S. law. Our regulators remain in control. Without this bill, firms operating overseas, even in the nine countries where most of this business takes place, will have to comply both with U.S. regulation, and the regulations of those countries. Again, this leaves us vulnerable to firms that want to exploit this patchwork regulatory framework. Or worse, it could drive derivative trading away from US firms and further away from the view of our regulators. The SEC, just a few weeks ago, proposed a draft rule that acknowledges the need for harmonization between our rules and the rules of other countries. Here's the bottom line. The goal is really simple, and that is to reach an accommodation where we have strong regulatory requirements that are consistent across borders, that are strong, but that do not create loopholes or confusion in those markets.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the urgent need to make college more affordable. As the father of a rising college freshman, I have renewed appreciation for the astronomical cost of college. On July 1, the problem will get even worse. Interest rates on Federal student loans are set to double; and that's why I cosponsored the Student Loan Relief Act, which would extend the current, lower rates for 2 more years. Last month, I voted against a proposal that would have increased rates with the extra money raised going to the Federal Government. Balancing the budget on the backs of our college students is just plain wrong. The amount of money Americans owe in student loans is greater than the amount we owe in credit card debt. This is a serious problem with serious consequences, and it's getting worse. The future of our country, we know, depends on the ability of our young people to compete in this global economy. This means making it easier to go to college, not harder. I urge my colleagues to support legislation that will keep interest rates low and make college more affordable.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 147--``yes'', 148--``yes'', 149--``yes.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Thank you, Ranking Member, for your leadership on efforts to strengthen the SEC and to beat back this legislation. As a member of the Financial Services Committee, I had the privilege yesterday of meeting the new SEC chairman, Mary Jo White. I was very impressed. I heard her describe her plans to take a tough, fair, and apolitical approach to regulating the financial sector. She wants to strengthen enforcement, she wants to oversee the markets through wise regulations that keep pace with technology, and she wants to complete the rulemaking progress for Dodd-Frank. We know how important each of those things is. She certainly has her work cut out for her, but it sounds like she knows just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, today's bill threatens to distract Chairman White from her efforts to protect investors and to protect our financial system from another crisis. Today's bill piles needless requirements and bureaucratic burdens on an agency that's already got too much to do and that is underfunded. A critical part of the SEC's mission is protecting investors. This bill protects banks from regulation. It does nothing for investors. In fact, it could hurt investors in the long term. Chairman White has already committed to issuing rules in a thoughtful way that incorporates rigorous economic analysis, and she told us that yesterday. The bill is also unnecessary. Regulating our financial sector and protecting American investors is a tall task as it is. We should be passing laws that make the SEC's job easier, not harder. We should be providing the SEC with the resources that it needs to do that job, and that's why I urge my colleagues to oppose today's legislation.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I wish to clarify my position for the record on rollcall votes 147 through 149 cast on May 15, 2013. On rollcall vote No. 147, on consideration of H.R. 767 I did not vote. It was my intention to vote ``aye.'' On rollcall vote No. 148, on consideration of H.R. 701 I did not vote. It was my intention to vote ``aye.'' On rollcall vote No. 149, on consideration of H.R. 384 I did not vote. It was my intention to vote ``aye.''

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 125, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I wish to clarify my position for the Record on a vote cast on April 26, 2013. The vote was on passage of H.R. 1765, the Reducing Flight Delays Act. On rollcall vote No. 125, I did not vote. It was my intention to vote ``yea.''