WASHINGTON — Here’s how Washington state’s members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending July 31. The House is now on its summer recess until Sept. 8. The Senate meets for another week before its summer recess begins.
House
Civil-service job protections
By a vote of 256 for and 170 against, the House on July 29 passed a bill (HR 1994) reducing certain civil-service protections to make it easier for supervisors to fire or demote poorly performing employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill denies those receiving notices the opportunity to appeal their dismissal to the full Merit Systems Protection Board, often a months-long process.