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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 3:27 p.m., Friday, July 18, 2008

Key votes by Hawaii's congressional delegation

Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON — Here's how Hawaii's congressional delegates voted this week in the Senate and House.

Key House votes

1. Medicare Veto Override

The House voted 383-41 on Tuesday to override the president's veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which averts a 10.6 percent pay cut for doctors treating Medicare patients. The bill offsets the cost of restoring the payments to doctors by taking money from the Medicare Advantage program, which consists of private health plans serving the elderly and disabled.

Neil Abercrombie: Yes

Mazie Hirono: Yes

2. Responsible Drilling Act

A bill that would have required energy companies to forfeit undeveloped oil and gas leases before gaining access to areas now off limits to exploration fell 34 votes short of the two-thirds majority it needed to pass on Thursday. The vote was 244-173.

Abercrombie: No

Hirono: Yes

Key Senate vote

1. Medicare Veto Override

The Senate voted 70-26 on Tuesday to override the president's veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which averts a 10.6 percent pay cut for doctors treating Medicare patients. The bill offsets the cost of restoring the payments to doctors by taking money from the Medicare Advantage program, which consists of private health plans serving the elderly and disabled. The measure also postpones, for 18 months, a program designed to save Medicare money by having makers of medical devices bid for Medicare's business rather than receiving prices set by the program.

Daniel Inouye: Yes

Daniel Akaka: Yes

What's ahead: The Senate will try to move ahead on a Democratic bill to tighten regulation of trading on energy futures markets. Headline items in the House include the National Highway Bridge and Reconstruction Act, a reauthorization bill to help fight AIDS and other diseases globally and legislation to address the mortgage crisis. The housing bill includes provisions to bolster the quasi-government mortgage companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as provisions to establish a strong regulator to police the companies, their mortgage portfolios and their capital requirements.