THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 20, 1995 TAG: 9503200031
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 165 lines
Committee budget: By a vote of 421-6, the House approved a committee budget of $156.3 million for the two-year span of the 104th Congress, about 30 percent below comparable 103rd Congress levels. The lower spending results mainly from a cut of more than 600 committee staff positions that was voted on the first day of the new Congress. The measure (HR 107) switches committee funding from a one- to a two-year cycle and consolidates separate committee accounts into a single unified budget.
A yes vote approved the House committee budget.
Bateman Yes
Pickett Yes
Scott Yes
Sisisky Yes
Clayton Yes
Jones Yes
Federal mandates: By a vote of 394-28, the House sent President Clinton the conference report on a bill (S 1) discouraging Congress from imposing mandates on non-federal governments without also providing money to cover compliance costs. The bill applies to future mandates projected to cost at least $50 million. The bill is expected to have its greatest impact on ``unfunded mandates'' affecting the environment. It exempts many regulatory areas, including mandates that protect people with disabilities and that safeguard civil rights. Congress must figure a mandate's cost and provide money unless it decides by majority vote, on a case-by-case basis, to waive the funding requirement.
A yes vote was to send the ``Contract With America'' bill to the White House.
Bateman Yes
Pickett Yes
Scott Yes
Sisisky Yes
Clayton Yes
Jones Yes
Budget cuts: By a vote of 227-200, the House passed a bill to rescind, or roll back, about $17.2 billion that has been appropriated by Congress but not yet spent. The bill (HR 1158) also provides $5.4 billion in new spending for various programs, for a net 1995 savings of $11.8 billion that Republicans hailed as a step toward a balanced budget by 2002. By category, the largest cuts are $5.7 billion for housing, $2.3 billion for job training and summer jobs for youth, $1.3 billion for EPA drinking water programs and $1.3 billion for helping poor seniors pay heating bills.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Bateman Yes
Pickett No
Scott No
Sisisky No
Clayton No
Jones Yes
Spending for veterans: Voting 382-23, the House spared the Department of Veterans Affairs from cuts in HR 1158 (above). The amendment required AmeriCorps, the national service program, to absorb $206 million in cuts that had been aimed at outpatient clinic construction and medical equipment.
A yes vote was to shift veterans cuts to AmeriCorps.
Bateman Yes
Pickett Yes
Scott Yes
Sisisky Yes
Clayton Yes
Jones Yes
Public broadcasting: The House rejected, 350-72, an amendment to HR 1158 (above) inflicting still deeper cuts in public broadcasting. As later passed, the bill cuts Corporation for Public Broadcasting spending by 15 percent or $47 million in fiscal 1996 and 30 percent in 1997. This amendment sought deeper cuts to speed the House Republicans' plan to eliminate taxpayer subsidies of public broadcasting by fiscal 1998.
A yes vote was for deeper public broadcasting cuts.
Bateman No
Pickett No
Scott No
Sisisky No
Clayton No
Jones No
Cutting OSHA: The House voted 254-168 to enlarge Occupational Safety and Health Administration cuts in HR 1158 (above) from $16.2 million to $19.6 million. The intent: to kill planned ``ergonomics'' regulation of office working conditions, including scrutiny of repetitive keyboard motions linked to wrist disorders.
A yes vote was for deeper OSHA cuts.
Bateman Yes
Pickett Yes
Scott No
Sisisky Yes
Clayton No
Jones Yes
Senate
Funding issue: By a vote of 91-9, the Senate approved the conference report on a bill (S 1) making it more difficult for Washington to impose expensive requirements on state and local governments without providing money to cover the cost of compliance (see issue above).
A yes vote was to approve the conference report.
Warner Yes
Robb Yes
Helms Yes
Faircloth Yes
Striker replacement: Republicans failed to block President Clinton's newly announced ban on large government contracts with companies that permanently replace striking workers. On a vote of 58-39, they fell short of the three-fifths majority (60 votes) needed to silence a Democratic filibuster in support of the executive order. This killed a GOP attempt to block the directive with an amendment to a pending defense bill (HR 889). Last year, the Senate rejected an AFL-CIO backed bill making it illegal to fire people striking for economic reasons, and GOP senators saw Clinton's new order as an end run around that decision.
A yes vote opposed the presidential order.
Warner Yes
Robb No
Helms Yes
Faircloth Yes
Budget issue: By a vote of 97-3, the Senate passed a bill appropriating $1.9 billion for unanticipated Pentagon expenses including higher-than-expected costs of U.S. participation in international peacekeeping missions such as in Haiti. The bill (HR 889) pays for itself mainly by cutting other areas of the military budget. It was sent to conference with a $3.2 billion House version that is offset largely by cuts in domestic social programs.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Warner Yes
Robb Yes
Helms Yes
Faircloth Yes
Endangered species: Voting 60 for and 60 against, the Senate failed to table (kill) an amendment to HR 889 (above) to weaken the Endangered Species Act. As a result, the bill, as later passed, blocks for the rest of fiscal 1995 any new listings of endangered species or threatened habitat.
A yes vote was to preserve funding this year for endangered species listings.
Warner No
Robb Yes
Helms No
Faircloth No
Copyright 1995, Thomas Reports Inc. ILLUSTRATION: ROLL CALL: How area members of Congress voted for the week
wnding March 17.
[Photos, telephone numbers and addresses of senators and
representatives from Virginia and North Carolina.]
To reach any representative or senator on any issues that concern
you, call (202) 224-3121. The Seante ZIP code is 20510. The House
ZIP code is 20515.
by CNB