WASHINGTON — Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted recently.
U.S. House
Prisoner communications: The House has passed the Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act, to bar the Justice Department from monitoring privileged electronic communications between an incarcerated person and that person's lawyer. The vote on Wednesday, Feb. 24, was 414-11.
Yeas: U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, D-Greensboro, 6th District
Puerto Rico bankruptcies: The House has passed the Puerto Rico Recovery Accuracy in Disclosures Act to require business professionals involved in bankruptcy cases in Puerto Rico to disclose conflicts of interest and potential conflicts of interest. The vote on Wednesday, Feb. 24, was unanimous with 429 yeas.
Yeas: Manning
Equality Act: The House has passed the Equality Act, would adopt a variety of measures aimed at barring discrimination against non-heterosexuals or on the basis of sex. The vote on Thursday, Feb. 25, was 224-206.
Yeas: Manning
U.S. Senate
Agriculture secretary: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Tom Vilsack to serve as Agriculture secretary. Vilsack served in the same post throughout both terms of the Obama administration, and previously was the governor of Iowa. The vote on Tuesday, Feb. 23, was 92-7.
Yeas: U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, both R-N.C.
Ambassador to United Nations: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield to serve as ambassador to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield has been in the State Department's Foreign Service for 35 years, including diplomatic postings in Africa, Europe, and Asia. The vote on Tuesday, Feb. 23, was 78-21.
Yeas: Burr, Tillis
Energy secretary: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jennifer Granholm to serve as Energy secretary. Granholm was the governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011; since then, she has been a law professor at the University of California-Berkeley. The vote on Thursday, Feb. 25, was 64-35.
Yeas: Burr
