THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502050034
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 222 lines
Here's how area members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending Jan. 20.
HOUSE
Debate issue: By a vote of 217 for and 178 against, the House removed certain words critical of Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., from the official record of floor debate. The vote was strictly along party lines. It upheld a parliamentary ruling that a barb against Gingrich violated a House ban on harsh personal criticism by one member of another, and therefore would be erased. At issue was criticism by Carrie Meek, D-Fla., of the speaker for his disputed book deal with New York publisher Rupert Murdoch.
A yes vote was to strike certain spoken words from the record of House debates.
Herbert H. Bateman, R-Va. Yes
Owen B. Pickett, D-Va. No
Robert C. Scott, D-Va. No
Norman Sisisky, D-Va. No
Eva Clayton, D-N.C. No
Walter Jones Jr., R-N.C. Yes
Congressional compliance: By a vote of 390-0, with 45 members absent, the House sent President Clinton a bill (S 2) to end Congress's full or partial exemption from 11 workplace and employment laws it has enacted since the New Deal for the rest of the country. Among them are laws concerning age discrimination, the rehiring of veterans, minimum wage guarantees, civil rights protection on the job, discrimination based on handicap or age, protection against undue use of polygraph tests and guarantees of family and medical leave.
All local representatives were present and voted yes.
SENATE
History standards: In a 99-1 vote, the Senate repudiated a teaching guide for U.S. and world history that was developed under the Goals 2000 Educate America Act for upgrading U.S. education. The proposed curriculum standards were produced, with federal funding, by UCLA's National Center for History in the Schools. With this non-binding vote during debate on S 1, the Senate judged them inappropriate for use in American education. Critics say the standards emphasize anti-Western themes while playing down founding fathers like George Washington, ignoring figures such as Robert E. Lee and Daniel Webster and giving short shrift to the Constitution and the Federalist papers.
A yes vote was to repudiate the proposed history standards.
John W. Warner, R-Va.Yes
Charles S. Robb, D-Va.Yes
Jesse A. Helms, R-N.C.Yes
Lauch Faircloth, R-N.C.Yes
Filibuster: By a vote of 54 for and 44 against, the Senate fell short of the three-fifths majority required to end a Democratic filibuster against ``unfunded mandates'' legislation (S 1). The bill would limit the power of Congress to impose costly requirements on state and local governments. As now written, the bill applies to future federal requirements that impose a cost of at least $50 million.
A yes vote was to end the filibuster.
Warner Yes
Robb No
Helms Yes
Faircloth Yes
Here's how area members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending Jan. 27.
HOUSE
Aviation security: By a vote of 169 for and 256 against, the House refused to exempt aviation and airport security programs from a pending ``unfunded mandates'' bill (HR 5). The bill limits costly, unfunded federal requirements on states and municipalities. As a result of this vote, the legislation could impede laws and regulations affecting air travel. However, the bill permits the House and Senate to vote separately to permit the operation of vital programs even without special funding.
A yes vote was to exempt aviation safety program from the reach of the unfunded mandates bill.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott Yes
Sisisky No
Clayton Yes
Jones No
Children's programs: By a vote of 161 for and 261 against, the House rejected an amendment to exempt programs for children from ``unfunded mandates'' legislation (HR 5, above).
A yes vote was to exempt children's programs from the unfunded mandates bill.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott Yes
Sisisky No
Clayton Yes
Jones No
SENATE
Nuclear regulation: By a vote of 57-40, the Senate tabled (killed) an amendment to exempt nuclear waste regulations from a pending ``unfunded mandates'' bill (S 1). The bill requires the Treasury to help states and localities pay for expensive mandates handed down from Washington, unless Congress approves a waiver. In effect, this amendment would have continued existing federal policy for overseeing the handling of nuclear wastes in the states, regardless of the cost of the regulations.
A yes vote was to kill the amendment.
Warner Yes
Robb No
Helms Yes
Faircloth Yes
Funding issue: By a vote of 55-44, the Senate tabled (killed) an amendment exempting programs that benefit children, pregnant women and the elderly from the unfunded mandates bill (above). The amendment did not identify the many individual programs it sought to shield from the bill.
A yes vote was to kill the exemption.
Warner Yes
Robb No
Helms Yes
Faircloth Yes
``Unfunded mandates'': By a vote of 86-10, the Senate passed an ``unfunded mandates'' bill (S 1) that limits the ability of Congress and federal agencies to put costly requirements on state and local governments. Majority votes in the House and Senate are required to approve mandates that cost at least $50 million but provide no U.S. funding to cover the cost. The measure applies only to future mandates and, with few exceptions, does not affect the private sector.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Warner Yes
Robb Yes
Helms Yes
Faircloth Yes
The House on Jan. 26 debated six competing proposals to balance the federal budget by constitutional amendment. Here is a report on all key votes held during the 14-hour session. The summary omits a seventh and final vote (300-132), which occurred after the issue had been settled and formally sent the measure (HJ Res 1) to the Senate.
Stenholm budget plan: The House voted 293-139 to amend the Constitution to produce a balanced budget by 2002. This was the pivotal vote during daylong debate on proposed constitutional remedies for the nation's $4.7 trillion debt.
Sponsored by Charles Stenholm, D-Tex., and Dan Schaefer, R-Colo., it bans annual deficits except in wartime or when three-fifths majorities vote to allow red ink. Simple majority votes can raise taxes, as is now the case.
A yes vote was to approve the Stenholm-Schaefer measure.
Bateman Yes
Pickett No
Scott No
Sisisky Yes
Clayton No
Jones Yes
The Barton plan: The House failed to approve a balanced budget constitutional amendment by Joe Barton, R-Texas. The 253-173 tally fell short of the two-thirds majority required for passage. The Barton plan resembled Stenholm-Schaefer (above) except that it required 60 percent super majorities in the House and Senate to raise taxes.
A yes vote was to allow tax hikes only by three-fifths majority votes.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott No
Sisisky No
Clayton No
Jones Yes
The Gephardt plan: By a vote of 135 for and 296 against, the House rejected a constitutional amendment proposed by Democratic leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri. It exempted Social Security from balanced budget calculations and required only simple majority votes to approve deficit spending.
A yes vote supported the Gephardt plan.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott Yes
Sisisky No
Clayton Yes
Jones No
The Conyers plan: The House voted 112 for and 317 against to reject a constitutional amendment by John Conyers, D-Mich. He sought ``truth-in-budgeting'' language requiring Congress to put into law details of how it would make the $1.3 trillion in cuts needed to balance the budget by 2002.
A yes vote was to require a blueprint of spending cuts along with the balanced budget amendment.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott Yes
Sisisky No
Clayton Yes
Jones No
The Owens plan: By a vote of 64 for and 363 against, the House rejected a balanced budget amendment by Major Owens, D-N.Y., that authorized deficit spending when unemployment tops four percent, to allow government pump priming.
A yes vote was to permit deficits when unemployment tops four percent.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott Yes
Sisisky No
Clayton Yes
Jones No
The Wise plan: By a vote of 138 for and 291 against, the House rejected a constitutional amendment by Bob Wise, D-W.Va. Its key feature was to exempt capital improvements from the balanced budget requirement, permitting long-term borrowing for infrastructure such as highway construction.
A yes vote was to allow borrowing for long-term capital improvements.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott Yes
Sisisky No
Clayton Yes
Jones No by CNB