Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company The Boston
Globe
April 28, 2002, Sunday ,THIRD EDITION
SECTION: NATIONAL/FOREIGN; Pg. A13
LENGTH: 1650 words
HEADLINE: NEW
ENGLAND VOTES IN CONGRESS
BODY: WASHINGTON - Here is how New England members of Congress were recorded
on major roll call votes in the week ending April 26.
HOUSE
ACCOUNTING OVERSIGHT: Voting 334 for and
90 against, the House on April 24 sent the Senate a GOP-drafted bill (HR 3763)
expanding Securities and Exchange Commission oversight of the accounting
industry and increasing corporate disclosures to the public.
The bill limits but does not ban the practice of accounting firms doing
lucrative consulting work for companies whose books they audit; it allows the
SEC to define those limits. Also, the bill establishes a private-sector Private
Regulatory Organization under SEC control to oversee and discipline accounting
firms, replacing the present system of self-regulation. Responding to the Enron
debacle, it requires certain transactions now conducted off the books to be
reported on company balance sheets, and prevents top executives from trading
company stock during blackout periods when employees cannot sell their company
holdings in 401(k) plans.
A yes vote was to pass the
bill.
Connecticut: Voting yes: REPUBLICANS: Rob
Simmons, Christopher Shays, Nancy Johnson. DEMOCRAT: James Maloney.
Voting no: DEMOCRATS: John Larson, and Rosa DeLauro.
Not voting: None.
Maine: Voting
yes: DEMOCRATS:Tom Allen, and John Baldacci. Voting no: None.Not voting:
None.
Massachusetts: Voting yes: DEMOCRAT: Michael
Capuano. Voting no: DEMOCRATS: John Olver, Richard Neal, Jim McGovern, Barney
Frank, Martin Meehan, John Tierney, Edward Markey, Stephen Lynch, and William
Delahunt. Not voting: None.
New Hampshire: Voting yes:
REPUBLICANS: John Sununu, and Charles Bass. Voting no: None. Not voting:
None.
Rhode Island: Voting yes: DEMOCRATS: Patrick
Kennedy, and Jim Langevin. Voting no: None. Not voting: None.
Vermont: Voting yes: None. Voting no: Independent: Bernard Sanders. Not
voting: None.
DEMOCRATIC SUBSTITUTE: Voting 202 for and
219 against, the House on April 24 rejected a Democratic substitute to HR 3763
(above). It specified the makeup and duties of a new Professional Review
Organization to be established by the Securities and Exchange Commission to
monitor and discipline accountants.
The Democratic
substitute also gave the audit committee of boards of directors power to hire
and fire accountants. It required that company heads personally certify the
accuracy of financial statements; empowered the SEC to take bonuses and stock
profits away from executives who falsify statements, and bolstered the SEC's
ability to prevent errant officers and directors from service with publicly held
companies.
A yes vote backed the Democratic
substitute.
Connecticut: Voting yes: Larson, DeLauro,
James Maloney. Voting no: Simmons, Shays, Nancy Johnson. Not voting: None.
New Hampshire: Voting yes:
None. Voting no: Sununu, Bass. Not voting: None.
Rhode
Island: Voting yes: Patrick Kennedy, Langevin. Voting no: None. Not voting:
None.
Vermont: Voting yes: Sanders. Voting no:
None. Not voting: None.
IMMIGRATION SERVICE BREAKUP:
Voting 405 for and nine against, the House on April 25 passed a bill (HR 3231)
breaking the Immigration and Naturalization Service into two parts. The Bureau
of Immigration Enforcement would be charged with keeping illegal aliens out of
the country. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services would process
visas and administer services to legal immigrants. An associate attorney general
would be in charge of both operations.
A yes vote was
to pass the bill.
CT: Voting yes: Larson, Simmons,
DeLauro, Shays, Maloney, and Johnson. Voting no: None. Not voting: None.
ME: Voting yes: Tom Allen. Voting no: None. Not voting:
Baldacci.
MA: Voting yes: Olver, Neal, McGovern,
Frank, Meehan, Tierney, Markey, Capuano, Lynch, and Delahunt. Voting no: None.
Not voting: None.
NH: Voting yes: Sununu, and Bass.
Voting no: None. Not voting: None.
RI: Voting yes:
Kennedy, and Langevin. Voting no: None. Not voting: None.
VT: Voting yes: None. Voting no: Sanders.
Not
voting: None.
AGENCY EMPLOYEES: Voting 145 for and 272
against, the House on April 25 refused to classify employees of new immigration
agencies (HR 3231, above) as "excepted service" workers. That designation would
deny these federal workers the full range of job security safeguards owed civil
servants.
VT: Voting yes: None. Voting no: Sanders. Not
voting: None.
TRADE WITH CUBA: Voting 273 for and 143
against, the House on April 23 approved a non-binding measure to spur U.S. farm
exports to Cuba. The motion instructed House conferees on a new farm bill (HR
2646) to agree to Senate language allowing private financing of U.S. food sales
to Cuba. This would lift restrictions in current law.
A
yes vote backed food sales to Cuba.
Connecticut: Voting
yes: Larson, Simmons, DeLauro, Shays, James Maloney, Nancy Johnson. Voting no:
None. Not voting: None.
Maine: Voting yes: Allen,
Baldacci.Voting no: None. Not voting: None.
New Hampshire: Voting yes: Sununu, Bass. Voting no: None.
Not voting: None.
Rhode Island: Voting yes: Langevin.
Voting no: Patrick Kennedy. Not voting: None.
Vermont:
Voting yes: Sanders. Voting no: None. Not voting: None.
FOOD STAMPS, IMMIGRANTS: Voting 244 for and 171 against, the House on
April 23 recommended that Food Stamps be provided to immigrants living legally
in the United States. The non-binding motion instructed House conferees on a new
farm bill (HR 2646 ) to accept Senate language granting the eligibility.
A yes vote was to make Food Stamps available to legal
immigrants.
Connecticut: Voting yes: Larson, Simmons,
DeLauro, Shays, James Maloney, Nancy Johnson. Voting no: None. Not voting:
None.
ETHANOL MANDATES:
The Senate on April 23 voted, 69 for and 30 against, to retain ethanol
requirements in a pending energy policy bill (S 517). The bill requires that the
volume of corn-based ethanol blended into gasoline nationwide be gradually
increased from 1.7 billion gallons a year at present to 5 billion gallons in
2012. At the same time, it repeals existing regional formulas for adding ethanol
to gasoline to achieve less pollution.
Proponents said
this would lessen dependence on foreign oil and that price increases would be
minimal. Opponents said the requirement would cause fuel shortages and higher
gasoline prices in states such as California and New York, where ethanol is not
produced.
A yes vote was to keep ethanol requirements
in the bill.
CT: Voting yes: DEMOCRATS: Christopher
Dodd, Joseph Lieberman.
ME: Voting yes: REPUBLICANS:
Susan Collins, and Olympia Snowe.
MA: Voting yes:
DEMOCRAT: John Kerry. Voting no: DEMOCRAT: Edward Kennedy.
NH: Voting yes: REPUBLICANS: Robert Smith and Judd Greg.
RI: Voting yes: REPUBLICAN: Lincoln Chafee. Voting no:
DEMOCRAT: John Reed.
VT: Voting yes: INDEPENDENT: James
Jeffords. Voting no: DEMOCRAT: Patrick Leahy.
ENERGY
POLICY: Voting 88 for and 11 against, the Senate on April 25 passed a bill (S
517; HR 4) to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. It requires power companies
to generate ten per cent of their electricity from renewable sources such as the
wind and sun by 2020. It triples the use of ethanol, a clean-burning gasoline
additive made from corn, to five billion gallons by 2012, and bans the
discredited gasoline additive M.T.B.E. The bill goes to conference with the
House.
The bill provides $14 billion over ten years in
tax credits and incentives to promote oil and gas exploration; clean coal
technology, nuclear energy, and energy conservation and efficiency. But
senators refused to mandate higher corporate average fuel economy (CAFE)
standards for SUVs and light trucks, and voted to prohibit drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
A yes vote
was to pass the bill.
CT: Voting yes: Dodd,
Lieberman.
ME: Voting yes: Collins, and Snowe.
MA: Voting yes: Kerry. Voting no: Kennedy.
NH: Voting yes: Smith, Gregg.
RI: Voting yes:
Chafee. Voting no: Reed.
VT: Voting yes: Leahy, and
Jeffords.
AIR CONDITIONING: The Senate voted, 52 for
and 47 against, to lower a proposed efficiency standard for air conditioners in
a pending energy bill (S 517; HR4). The vote recommended a Seasonal Energy
Efficiency Ratio (SEER) level of 12 SEER, up from the present 10 SEER. It killed
plans in the underlying bill for a 30 percent efficiency increase.
A yes vote backed the lower of two proposed air
conditioner standards.
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