[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 122 (Thursday, July 30, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6165-S6166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AND VETERANS HEALTH CARE CHOICE IMPROVEMENT ACT 
                                OF 2015

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to the consideration of H.R. 3236, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3236) to provide an extension of Federal-aid 
     highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and 
     other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, to 
     provide resource flexibility to the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs for health care services, and for other purposes.

  The bill was ordered to a third reading, and was read the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, Shall the bill pass?
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from South Carolina 
(Mr. Graham), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator from 
Louisiana (Mr. Vitter).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. 
Alexander) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. 
Vitter) would have voted ``yea.''
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz) is 
necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hoeven). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 91, nays 4, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 261 Leg.]

                                YEAS--91

     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gardner
     Gillibrand
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johnson
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Scott
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey

[[Page S6166]]


     Udall
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                                NAYS--4

     Corker
     Lee
     Sasse
     Sessions

                             NOT VOTING--5

     Alexander
     Graham
     Moran
     Schatz
     Vitter
  The bill (H.R. 3236) was passed.


                            Vote Explanation

 Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I unequivocally support the passage 
of a 3-month extension to the Federal highway program. I would like the 
Record to reflect my support for the 3-month extension, as well as for 
a long-term highway bill. Unfortunately, I will be notably absent for 
the vote on the 3-month extension--but not without just cause. A week 
ago today, Lafayette, LA--a vibrant, wonderful city in the heart of 
Acadiana--was rocked by a senseless tragedy that took the lives of two 
of its residents. I believe it is imperative Louisianians come together 
as a community, and I will be in Lafayette today to stand with and 
support family members of the victims. Earlier today, the Senate passed 
its version of the highway reauthorization bill, known as the DRIVE 
Act. With the passage of the DRIVE Act and the 3-month extension today, 
the Senate has laid the foundation for Members of both Chambers to work 
together and produce a long-term highway reauthorization bill.

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