Copyright 2000 The Washington Post
The Washington
Post
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June 1, 2000, Thursday, Final Edition
SECTION: WEEKLY - VA; Pg. V11
LENGTH: 1439 words
HEADLINE:
For the Record
BODY:
Here's how some major
bills fared recently in Congress and how local congressional members voted, as
provided by Thomas's Roll Call Report Syndicate. NV means Not Voting.
HOUSE VOTES
TRADE WITH CHINA
For: 237 /
Against: 197
The House passed a bill (HR 4444) to establish permanent,
normal U.S. commerce with the People's Republic of China and setting up a
commission to monitor human rights abuses there. China is to lower or eliminate
barriers to U.S. commodities, goods and services. In return, it would gain the
same relatively open access to American markets that is now available to nearly
all other U.S. trading partners.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
MARYLAND
Bartlett (R): No
Cardin (D): Yes
Ehrlich (R): No
Gilchrest (R): Yes
Hoyer (D): Yes
Cummings (D): No
Morella (R): Yes
Wynn (D): No
VIRGINIA
Davis (R): Yes
Moran (D): Yes
Wolf (R): No
Bateman (R): Yes
Bliley (R): Yes
TAIWAN SECURITY
For: 176 / Against: 258
The
House refused to add language to HR 4444 (above) that sought to automatically
revoke normal trade with China if it attacked or blockaded Taiwan.
A yes
vote was to add pro-Taiwan language to the bill.
MARYLAND
Bartlett (R): Yes
Cardin (D): No
Ehrlich (R): No
Gilchrest (R): No
Hoyer (D): No
Cummings (D): Yes
Morella (R): No
Wynn (D): Yes
VIRGINIA
Davis (R): No
Moran (D): No
Wolf (R): Yes
Bateman (R): No
Bliley (R): No
BUDGET
CHANGES
For: 166 / Against: 250
The House defeated a bill (HR
853) making major changes in the federal budget process. It sought to give the
force of law to the annual congressional budget resolution, which now is only a
blueprint that Congress often ignores. Backers said that subjecting the Capitol
Hill budget to a possible presidential veto would prompt lawmakers and
presidents to take it more seriously early in the year and avert year-end budget
showdowns.
The bill also required Congress to hold record votes on
raising the national debt; limited new entitlement (automatic spending) programs
to a life span of 10 years, and banned the current practice of lawmakers
labeling routine outlays as "emergency spending" so as to avoid spending limits.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
MARYLAND
Bartlett (R): Yes
Cardin (D): Yes
Ehrlich (R): Yes
Gilchrest (R): Yes
Hoyer (D): No
Cummings (D): No
Morella (R): No
Wynn (D): No
VIRGINIA
Davis (R): Yes
Moran (D): No
Wolf (R): No
Bateman (R): No
Bliley (R): NV
TWO-YEAR BUDGET
For: 201 / Against: 217
The House rejected an amendment to HR
853 (above) to convert the annual federal budget to a two-year cycle that
coincides with the two-year life of each Congress. Presidents would submit a
biennial budget at the beginning of odd-numbered years, and lawmakers would
spend the remainder of the year enacting the 13 spending bills that run the
government. Congress would devote the second year to activities such as
conducting oversight hearings into federal programs.
A yes vote backed a
two-year federal budget.
MARYLAND
Bartlett (R): Yes
Cardin (D): No
Ehrlich (R): Yes
Gilchrest (R): Yes
Hoyer (D): No
Cummings (D): No
Morella (R): Yes
Wynn (D): No
VIRGINIA
Davis (R): Yes
Moran (D): No
Wolf (R): No
Bateman (R): Yes
Bliley (R): Yes
TELEPHONE TAX REPEAL
For: 420 / Against: 2
The House passed a bill (HR 3916) to
repeal the 3 percent federal tax on long- distance telephone service. The levy,
enacted in 1898 to help finance the Spanish-American War, would be phased out by
October 2002. This would cost the Treasury an estimated $ 19.8 billion in lost
revenue over the first five years.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
MARYLAND
Bartlett (R): Yes
Cardin (D): Yes
Ehrlich (R): Yes
Gilchrest (R): Yes
Hoyer (D): Yes
Cummings (D): Yes
Morella (R): Yes
Wynn (D): Yes
VIRGINIA
Davis (R): Yes
Moran (D): Yes
Wolf (R): Yes
Bateman (R): NV
Bliley (R): Yes
CAMPAIGN FINANCE DISPUTE
For: 208 / Against: 214
The House refused to close the "Section 527" loophole that enables
anonymous political committees to raise unlimited sums for influencing federal
elections without having to identify donors. The vote occurred during debate on
HR 3916 (above). It was the first House vote this year on a campaign finance
issue.
The political groups at issue typically use their secretly raised
funds to sponsor TV attack ads that stop short of urging the defeat or election
of a specific candidate. They exist under Section 527 of the U.S. tax code and
are not covered by the Federal Election Campaign Act. With this vote, the House
rejected a bid to subject them to the campaign finance statute.
A yes
vote was to apply the federal campaign finance law to "Section 527" political
committees.
MARYLAND
NV
Bartlett (R): No
Cardin (D): Yes
Ehrlich (R): No
Gilchrest (R): No
Hoyer (D): Yes
Cummings (D): Yes
Morella (R): Yes
Wynn (D): Yes
VIRGINIA
Davis (R): No
Moran (D): Yes
Wolf (R): No
Bateman (R): Yes
Bliley (R): N/A
SPY BUDGET
For: 175 / Against:
225
The House rejected an amendment that sought to make public the total
U.S. intelligence budget for fiscal 1999. This occurred as the House passed a
classified fiscal 2001 funding bill (HR 4392) for U.S. spy agencies such as the
CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and National Security Agency (NSA).
Although an official secret, U.S. intelligence spending is often reported at
about $ 30 billion annually.
A yes vote backed the amendment.
MARYLAND
Bartlett (R): No
Cardin (D): No
Ehrlich (R): No
Gilchrest (R): No
Hoyer (D): No
Cummings (D): Yes
Morella (R): Yes
Wynn (D): Yes
VIRGINIA
Davis (R): No
Moran (D): Yes
Wolf (R): No
Bateman (R): No
Bliley (R): No
SENATE VOTES
CAMPAIGN FINANCES
For: 64 /
Against: 35
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Bradley A. Smith, a
law professor at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, as one of the six members
of the Federal Election Commission.
Smith is controversial because he
advocates repealing campaign finance laws on free speech grounds. The FEC, which
was set up by the post-Watergate Federal Elections Campaign Act, is charged with
enforcing laws on money in politics. It has three commissioners selected by
Democrats and three picked by Republicans. Smith was recruited by Mitch
McConnell (R-Ky.) the leading Senate foe of bills in Congress to tighten
campaign finance laws.
A yes vote was to confirm Smith.
MARYLAND
Mikulski (D): No
Sarbanes (D): No
VIRGINIA
Robb (D): No
Warner (R): Yes
FARM BAILOUT
For: 91 / Against: 4
The Senate
sent President Clinton a $ 15.3 billion agricultural bailout package to help
farmers cope with adversity such as drought, declining commodity prices and
sagging exports. The bill (HR 2559) was approved earlier by the House on a
non-record vote.
About $ 8.2 billion is to be spent over five years to
extend crop insurance to livestock producers and growers of certain specialty
crops and to further subsidize the cost of insurance premiums for all eligible
farmers. About $ 7.1 billion is earmarked for direct payments to farmers this
year. The latter figure includes a host of payments requested by lawmakers for
specific beneficiaries, such as $ 500 million for oil seed producers, $ 340
million for tobacco farmers and $ 14 million for ethanol research at Southern
Illinois University.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
MARYLAND
Mikulski (D): Yes
Sarbanes (D): Yes
VIRGINIA
Robb (D): Yes
Warner (R): Yes
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
For: 96 / Against: 4
Senators passed a bill (HR 4425) appropriating $ 8.63 billion in fiscal
2001 for construction at military bases around the globe, as well as $ 4.1
billion for U.S. operations in Kosovo and $ 573 million for combating illegal
drugs in Colombia.
The bill drew criticism because it also contains $
900 million for nearly 150 projects not sought by the Pentagon but included at
the request of individual senators. For example, it provides $ 8 million for the
2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, $ 1.4 million for channel dredging in
Mississippi, $ 12 million for road construction in Hawaii and $ 300,000 for
Indian tribes' housing in North Dakota and South Dakota.
A yes vote was
to pass the bill.
MARYLAND
Mikulski (D): Yes
Sarbanes (D): Yes
VIRGINIA
Robb (D): Yes
Warner (R): Yes
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: June 01, 2000 
