Copyright 2001 The Atlanta Constitution The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution
April 8, 2001 Sunday, Home Edition
SECTION: News; Pg. 3B
LENGTH:
957 words
HEADLINE: ON WASHINGTON: The Georgia
Connection; A weekly report on the people and activities linking
Georgia and Washington.
BYLINE: Melanie
Eversley, Ernie Freda
SOURCE: AJC
BODY: McCain seeks Lewis' help to pass
campaign finance bill in House Now that the debate over reforming campaign
finance moves over to the House, the issue's head cheerleader, Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.), has gone to the Georgia delegation for help.
About noon Wednesday, McCain popped over to the office of Rep. John
Lewis (D-Ga.) to ask him to persuade members of the Congressional Black Caucus
to vote for the controversial measure. Black Caucus members Maxine Waters
(D-Calif.) and Albert Wynn (D-Md.) in particular have been opposed to
overhauling the rules on campaign finance and have argued that limitations on
"soft money" will hurt minority candidates.
Lewis did
as McCain asked, but he said he wasn't able to persuade Wynn or Waters to
change. Still, he added, his intention to vote for the bill remains strong.
"My position is very, very simple: We've got to put a
limit on the amount of money being spent," Lewis said. "Too many people come
into Congress and they spend all their time battling for dollars. This is a
start. I think the time is right for us to pass this bill."
Collins proposes cut in capital gains rates
Saying that investment would receive a boost if capital
gains tax rates were reduced, Rep. Mac Collins (R-Ga.) introduced a bill to
slice the rates in half.
Collins' bill, called the Tax
Rate Reduction Act, would reduce the top capital gains tax rate from 20 percent
to 10 percent and drop the lower rate from 10 percent to 5 percent for taxpayers
in the 15 percent income tax bracket. Additionally, the measure would repeal the
five-year holding rule.
"From past rate reductions, we
know that the economy responds to the lowering of rates," Collins said.
HERE AND THERE
Rep. Saxby
Chambliss (R-Ga.) has been named vice chairman of the House Armed Services
Committee's morale, welfare and recreation panel.
Chambliss attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the 116th Bomb Wing
facility and dedication of the new fitness center Friday at Robins Air Force
Base in Middle Georgia.
VERBATIM
"To steal or commit this degree of gross error is intolerable under any
circumstances, but the fact that these people took the money from America's
schoolchildren makes these offenses worthy of the full contempt of the entire
nation."
--- Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.), on
admissions by officials that the Department of Education lost an estimated $450
million in the past three years to theft, fraud and mismanagement.
COMING UP
Rep. Jack
Kingston (R-Ga.) will appear on the ABC "Politically Incorrect" program that
will air in Atlanta about 12:05 a.m. Tuesday. Y:Yes X:Did not vote N:No
KEY HOUSE VOTES ESTATE TAX Voted 274-154 to
gradually repeal estate and gift taxes by 2011. A yes vote was to approve.
Y:Jack Kingston (R-1st) Y:Sanford Bishop (D-2nd) Y:Mac Collins (R-3rd) N:Cynthia
McKinney (D-4th) N:John Lewis (D-5th) Y:Johnny Isakson (R-6th) Y:Bob Barr
(R-7th) Y:Saxby Chambliss (R-8th) Y:Nathan Deal (R-9th) Y:Charlie Norwood
(R-10th) Y:John Linder (R-11th)
CHINA RESOLUTION
Voted 406-6 to urge condemnation of China's human rights policies at a current
meeting of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. A yes vote was to
approve. X:Jack Kingston (R-1st) Y:Sanford Bishop (D-2nd) Y:Mac Collins (R-3rd)
Y:Cynthia McKinney (D-4th) Y:John Lewis (D-5th) Y:Johnny Isakson (R-6th) Y:Bob
Barr (R-7th) Y:Saxby Chambliss (R-8th) Y:Nathan Deal (R-9th) Y:Charlie Norwood
(R-10th) Y:John Linder (R-11th)
CUBA RESOLUTION
Voted 347-44 to denounce Cuba for repressing its citizens and urged the U.N.
Commission on Human Rights to formally condemn the island state. A yes vote was
to approve. X:Jack Kingston (R-1st) X:Sanford Bishop (D-2nd) Y:Mac Collins
(R-3rd) X:Cynthia McKinney (D-4th) N:John Lewis (D-5th) Y:Johnny Isakson (R-6th)
Y:Bob Barr (R-7th) Y:Saxby Chambliss (R-8th) Y:Nathan Deal (R-9th) Y:Charlie
Norwood (R-10th) Y:John Linder (R-11th)
KEY SENATE VOTES CAMPAIGN FINANCE Voted 59-41 to
pass the McCain-Feingold bill, which would bar from federal campaigns the
unlimited, unregulated "soft money" that unions, corporations, business groups,
individuals and others give to political parties. A yes vote was to approve.
Y:Max Cleland (D) Y:Zell Miller (D)
TAX CUT
Approved 65-35 a budget for fiscal 2002 that would limit President Bush's tax
cut to $1.2 trillion over 10 years, $400 billion less than he wanted. A yes vote
was to approve. Y:Max Cleland (D) Y:Zell Miller (D)
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS Approved 51-50, with Vice President Dick Cheney
casting the tie-breaking vote, a GOP amendment to the above legislation saying
that up to $300 billion could be provided for new prescription drug subsidies as
part of an overall revamping of Medicare. A yes vote was to approve. N:Max
Cleland (D) Y:Zell Miller (D)
MEDICARE SPENDING
Rejected 50-50 (ties lose, under Senate rules) a Democratic bid to shift $158
billion over 10 years from tax cuts to a Medicare prescription
drug benefit. A yes vote backed the shift. Y:Max Cleland (D) N:Zell Miller
(D)
DEFENSE SPENDING Approved 84-16 an amendment
increasing defense spending by $8.5 billion in fiscal 2002, to at least $327
billion, taking the money out of President Bush's tax cut. A yes vote was to
approve. Y:Max Cleland (D) Y:Zell Miller (D)
FARM
SPENDING Approved 51-49 a Republican budget amendment that would boost farm
spending by $64 billion over the next 10 years. A yes vote was to approve. N:Max
Cleland (D) Y:Zell Miller (D)
CONTACT YOUR
LEGISLATORS AT THE U.S. CAPITOL * ZIP codes: House 20515, Senate 20510 Capitol
operator: 202-224-3121 * Sources: Roll Call Report Syndicate, Associated
Press
GRAPHIC: Graphic: HOW
GEORGIANS VOTED IN CONGRESS: APRIL 2-6
Document 462 of 532. 