THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 9, 1996 TAG: 9609090047
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 128 lines
How area members of Congress voted for the week ending Sept. 6. House
U.N. command: Voting 299 for and 109 against, the House sent the Senate a bill (HR 3308) curbing a president's power to deploy American troops in multinational forces under United Nations command, such as has been done in recent years in Somalia, Bosnia and Haiti. In part, the bill requires a president to certify at least 15 days in advance that the mission is in the national interest, and to provide Congress with a detailed justification including cost projections and an exit strategy.
James Saxton, R-N.J., said: ``It is particularly frustrating if not downright dangerous to see the growing tendency of this administration to cede operational control of U.S. troops to the ill-equipped, ill-prepared bureaucratic United Nations. . . .When U.S. lives and interests are at stake, the American public expects and demands that Americans be at the helm.''
Pete Peterson, D-Fla., said: ``From a military standpoint, this bill is an absolute disaster. . . .It is really just a political statement, in my view. It will cause great harm to the effective command and control of our Armed Forces. . . .This bill does not improve the safety of our armed services men and women. It is a disgrace that we are taking (it) up today.''
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Bateman Yes Pickett Yes
Scott No Sisisky Yes
Clayton No Jones Yes
U.N. insignia: By a vote of 276 for and 130 against, the House prohibited U.S. troops from wearing United Nations garb without the approval of Congress. Under the amendment to HR 3308 (above), a U.S. serviceman or woman in an international peacekeeping force could decline to wear a U.N. insignia, helmet or other item.
Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., said U.S. service personnel ``must never be asked to choose allegiance between the United States and the United Nations. . . spectacularly in past U.N. operations in which they have worn the standard U.S. uniform.''
Ronald Dellums, D-Calif., said: ``This is not about pledging allegiance to anyone. That's a cop-out. . . This (amendment) endangers U.S. military safety. Wearing common insignia is a proven way for individual members of military units to enhance their own safety. . .''
A yes vote was to enable U.S. service personnel to reject U.N. garb.
Bateman No Pickett Yes
Scott No Sisisky Yes
Clayton Yes Jones Yes Senate
Mental health: The Senate voted, 82 for and 15 against, to require medical insurance providers who cover mental illness to apply payment levels equally to both physical and mental ailments. Currently, insurers generally cover mental sickness at lower annual and aggregate lifetime payment levels. For example, a policy that provides $1 million for cancer treatment might limit manic depression coverage to $25,000. This amendment was adopted during debate on a fiscal 1997 appropriations bill (HR 3666) for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies.
Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said the amendment addresses ``the rampant discrimination that besets coverage for the mentally ill. . .''
Hank Brown, R-Colo., objected to establishing the ``precedent that it is for the government to decide what kind of coverage you purchase, not the person who is paying for it.''
A yes vote was to require parity between mental and physical health insurance coverage limits.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Faircloth No Helms Yes
Veterans' health care: By a vote of 79 for and 18 against, the Senate ordered a Department of Veterans Affairs plan for increasing medical spending in faster-growing regions. This occurred during debate on HR 3666 (above). Arizona, for example, was cited in debate as a state where veterans' health services have not kept pace with the growth of the veteran population.
John McCain, R-Ariz., complained that ``the Department of Veterans Affairs is still using an archaic and unresponsive formula to allocate health-care resources. The system must be updated to account for population shifts.''
A yes vote was to require a new, population-based formula for allocating medical resources to veterans.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Faircloth Yes Helms Yes
State amounts: By a vote of 60 for and 37 against, the Senate tabled (killed) an amendment to prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs from cutting any state's funding for veterans' health-care. This occurred during debate on HR 3666 (above). The amendment was backed mainly by northern and midwestern senators, who were concerned that their states would lose funding under a formula rewrite that Sun Belt senators had added to the bill (see preceding issue).
Christopher Bond, R-Mo., who voted to table the amendment, said it was more equitable to base veterans' health-care spending mainly on population.
Amendment sponsor Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said it costs more to treat veterans in states like Iowa, New York and Pennsylvania because they generally are older and in poorer health than Sun Belt veterans.
A yes vote opposed the amendment to prevent cuts in a state's veterans' health-care allocation.
Robb Yes Warner Yes
Faircloth Yes Helms Yes
Monkeys in space: Voting 42 for and 54 against, the Senate refused to strip HR 3666 (above) of about $6.8 million in fiscal 1997 for NASA research in which Rhesus monkeys are to be put in orbit to study the impact of gravity on space travelers. The monkeys would be included in so-called ``Bion'' space missions conducted jointly by the United States, Russia and France. The eventual U.S. cost of participating in two Bion flights would be $15.5 million, according to floor debate.
Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who voted to block the funding, said opposition to launching the monkeys comes from ``not simply animal welfare groups'' but also from taxpayer organizations such as Citizens Against Government Waste and Common Cause.
Christopher Bond, R-Mo., said blocking the project ``forces NASA to withdraw from a signed contract with Russia, override scientific peer review and undermine the Animal Welfare Act, while at the same time handing animal rights extremists a victory.''
A yes vote was to strip the bill of funds for the research project involving monkeys in space.
Robb No Warner Yes
Faircloth Yes Helms Yes ILLUSTRATION: [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. by CNB