How Hawai'i Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Mazie K. Hirono and Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye voted in key legislation last week.

KEY HOUSE VOTES

1. Alternative Minimum Tax

The House voted 393-30 Wednesday for a one-year tax code patch to give an estimated 20 million Americans relief from having to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax. The AMT, created in 1969, was designed to keep the wealthy from avoiding taxes but was not indexed for inflation, making an increasing number of Americans subject to it.

Hawai'i votes:

Neil Abercrombie (D) YEA

Mazie K. Hirono (D) YEA

2. Defense authorization bill

The House voted 392-39 Wednesday for a $612 billion defense authorization bill that includes a pay raise for troops. The measure now goes to the Senate. A separate appropriations bill is needed to spend the money authorized in the bill.

Hawai'i votes:

Neil Abercrombie (D) YEA

Mazie K. Hirono (D) YEA

3. Stopgap spending

The House voted 370-58 Wednesday to pass legislation funding a litany of government agencies — such as Homeland Security, Defense and Veterans Affairs — through the end of the year and beyond. The current funding was set to expire Oct. 1. The measure does not include an extension of the offshore drilling ban, which will allow the ban to lapse.

Hawai'i votes:

Neil Abercrombie (D) YEA

Mazie K. Hirono (D) YEA

4. Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act

The House voted 376-47 Tuesday for a bill aimed at requiring that health insurers provide the same coverage for mental health patients as patients with physical conditions. The measure would cost $3.9 billion over 10 years. The cost would be offset through foreign income interest. The Senate passed the act, 93-2, as a part of another bill the same day but did not include the offset. The two chambers would need to pass the same version to send it to the president.

Hawai'i votes:

Neil Abercrombie (D) YEA

Mazie K. Hirono (D) YEA

KEY SENATE VOTES

No key Senate votes.

WHAT'S AHEAD

Congress continues to work on a spending bill to keep the government going past the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year and on a proposal for a bailout of Wall Street financial firms. Once those are done, lawmakers are expected to return home to campaign for the Nov. 4 election.