This vote was on a procedural motion on legislation authorizing $16 billion for a federal and state revolving fund to help local governments fight water pollution. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) sought to attach an amendment to bar individuals with a transportation worker identification card from boarding a maritime vessel if they have been convicted of felonies including espionage, treason, sedition, murder, racketeering and crimes dealing with explosives or incendiary devices.

The overall legislation would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize $14 billion over the next 5 years to local agencies to fight water pollution, and an additional $2 billion from fiscal 2008 through 2012 for three other existing clean-water Environmental Protection Agency programs.

Cantor's motion sought to send the bill back to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with instructions to include his amendment.

Cantor said his amendment was "intended to protect our maritime workforce, our national security, and ultimately the ports that serve and provide commerce to our great nation."

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) responded during floor debate that the minority did not make the language of the amendment available for the majority's review until just before submitting it, and thus he could not make comments, adding that the House should not amend port security policy "on 30 seconds notice."

"There may be very good and valid provisions of this motion to recommit that we might very well be in support of, but only in due course, only in a proper forum," Oberstar said, adding that Cantor couldn't even answer his questions about the precise nature of the amendment. "I object to the procedure that has been followed, not perhaps to the substance of it."

Despite Oberstar's objections, Republicans scored a rare parliamentary victory and successfully sent the measure back to the Transportation panel with instructions to add Cantor's amendment. The House then adopted Cantor's amendment by voice vote.

By a vote of 359-56, the motion to recommit with instructions was agreed to and thus the bill to provide federal- and state-backed loans to municipalities to prevent water pollution was amended to bar certain felons from boarding ships with a transportation-worker identification card.