Bright breaks party ranks with two early votes

As Congress prepares to begin another work week, an affirmative vote for a controversial Speaker of the House and two party-breaking votes highlighted Congressman Bobby Bright’s first week in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bright, D-Montgomery, began the week by casting a vote for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as Speaker of the House. The vote drew immediate criticism from state Republicans who reminded Bright of his pledge to be an independent voice in Washington.

But later in the week, Bright joined House Republicans in voting against two bills dealing with wage discrimination. Bright voted no on H.R. 11, a bill that would increase the window of time during which employees can file legal claims for pay disparities, and H.R. 12,  a bill that would allow workers claiming wage discrimination to seek punitive damages and make it easier to expand the pool of plaintiffs in class action cases. Bright was one of only five Democrats to vote against H.R. 11, and one of only three Democrats to vote against H.R. 12. Fellow Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith, D-Huntsville, also voted no on both bills.

“I believe that H.R. 11 and 12 could have opened new litigation stretching back decades, causing small businesses unnecessary legal expenses,” Bright said. “While they were reviewed and debated in the last Congress, I voted against my party on these bills because in their current form, they could have been harmful to small businesses who are already struggling in this economy.”

Bright was also assigned to the House Armed Services Committee, and he introduced his first bill. H.R. 361 would allow small businesses an extra year to write off some capital expenses and would provide for a greater depreciation allowance for some business property.