THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, June 12, 1995                  TAG: 9506120055
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 
                                             LENGTH: Long  :  108 lines

ROLL CALL: HOW THE AREA MEMBERS OF CONGRESS VOTED FOR WEEK ENDING JUNE 10

Bateman Yes Pickett No

Scott No Sisisky No

Clayton No Jones Yes

BOSNIA: The House voted 318 for and 99 against to arm Bosnian Muslims in their war with Bosnian Serbs and others. The amendment to HR 1561 (above) requires the United States to disregard the United Nations embargo on sending arms into the war in the former Yugoslavia.

Supporter Christopher Smith, R-N.J., criticized ``the utter failure of the international community to come to terms with the armed aggression and genocide that has been perpetrated by the Bosnian Serbs against the people of Bosnia,'' adding it is ``unconscionable that we will not allow Bosnia, a sovereign state, to defend itself.''

Opponent Gene Taylor, D-Miss., said ``you cannot just give people surface-to-air missiles. You cannot just give people heavy artillery. You have to send people over there . . . to train them to use it, and that means putting American service personnel on the ground in Bosnia, which is going to lead to the loss of American lives in a 700-year-old war.'' A yes vote was to require U.S. arms shipments to Bosnia.

Bateman No Pickett Yes

Scott Yes Sisisky No

Clayton Yes Jones Yes

WAR POWERS: The House refused, 201 for and 217 against, to repeal the 1973 War Powers Act, which requires a president - the constitutional commander in chief - to withdraw U.S. troops from combat within 60 days unless Congress endorses the military action. Congress has not yet used the post-Vietnam law. This amendment was offered to HR 1561 (above).

Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., said Congress can block troop deployments by withholding appropriations. He added ``we should clean up the law, get it back to the constitutional framework and allow the president . . . to lead in foreign policy with us deciding on key issues by our power of the purse.''

Opponent Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., said ``it is very difficult to cut off funding beforehand because you want to keep your options open. It is very difficult to cut off funding after the fact because the troops are already in the field. . . . Congress should not stand aside when American soldiers go into combat.''

A yes vote was to repeal the War Powers Act.

Bateman Yes Pickett Yes

Scott No Sisisky Yes

Clayton No Jones Yes

CUTTING AID: By a vote of 182 for and 236 against, the House refused to inflict still deeper cuts in the fiscal 1996 administrative budget for the Agency for International Development, the main distributor of U.S. funds around the globe. This amendment sought to cut AID's fiscal 1996 operating expenses, which are separate from foreign aid, from $466 million in HR 1561 (above) to $400 million. Expenses this year are $518 million.

Sponsor Dan Burton, R-Ind., said ``AID, like every other agency of government, needs to be fiscally responsible. . . . Here is an agency that has wasted money.''

Opponent Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said the amendment ``would in my opinion render AID much less effective. . . . If we are going to lead in the world, then we have to have a strong AID program.''

A yes vote supported an additional $66 million cut in AID expenses.

Bateman No Pickett Yes

Scott No Sisisky No

Clayton No Jones Yes Terrorism

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Robb Yes Warner Yes

Helms Yes Faircloth Yes

HABEAS CORPUS: By a vote of 67 for and 28 against, the Senate affirmed language in S 735 (above) limiting most federal and state death row inmates to a single habeas corpus appeal, to be filed within one year of their death sentence. Under present law, inmates can file multiple appeals over many years, a process seen by some advocates of capital punishment as dilatory but defended by civil libertarians as essential to prevent the mistaken execution of an innocent person. This vote killed an amendment limiting the change to federal appeals, with state habeas corpus changes to be legislated separately.

Orrin Hatch, R-Utah., said: ``It simply makes no sense to reform habeas proceedings for cases tried in federal court but leave the current disastrous system in place for cases tried in state court.''

Sponsor Joseph Biden, D-Del., said his amendment would keep a faster timetable for federal death row appeals. He added, ``Ninety-five percent of . with Oklahoma City.''

A yes vote was to limit habeas corpus appeals in state as well as federal cases.

Robb Yes Warner Yes

Helms Yes Faircloth Yes

KEYWORDS: CONGRESS SENATE VOTE by CNB