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"VOTES THAT MATTER" FROM THE 105th CONGRESSConsumers Union, Publisher of |
Washington, D.C. Office
November 4, 1998
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Want to know how your elected officials voted? Go to www.thomas.loc.gov/, click on Thomas, then click on House Roll Call Votes: 105th - 2nd (1998) or 105th - 1st (1997) or Senate Roll Call Votes [Help]: 105th - 2nd (1998) - 105th - 1st (1997). Select the vote you are interested in by clicking on the roll call number, and you will get a display of how all representatives or senators voted. |
[RC# 257] HR 2015. Fiscal 1998 Budget Reconciliation - Spending/Motion to Instruct Motion by Rep. Spratt (D-S.C.) to instruct House conferees to oppose the Senate provision raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 and cover all workers under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program with the same protections as other workers, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA and anti-discrimination laws. Adopted 414-14. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 10, 1997.
[RC# 151] HR 10. Financial Services Overhaul/Consumer Provisions. Manager's amendment by Rep. Bliley (R-Va.) and Rep. Dingell (D-Mich.) to add consumer protection provisions that require federal banking and securities regulators to review existing consumer fee disclosure requirements and require the General Accounting Office to report on concentration of ownership in the financial services industry and its impact on consumers. Adopted 407-11. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. May 13, 1998.
[RC# 225] HR 3150 Bankruptcy Reform Act/Passage. Amends Federal bankruptcy law by implementing an unfair means test and deleting existing priorities among creditors and protections of alimony and child support; while failing to strengthen the procedure under current law for dismissal of a case for abuse of chapter 7 and to make the small business subtitle consistent with recommendations of the National Bankruptcy Conference and the Small Business Administration; and providing no insurance for debtors against harassment by the government including the IRS. Passed 306-118. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. June 10, 1998.
[RC# 92] HR 1151. Credit Union Membership Rules/Passage. Motion by Rep. Leach (R-Iowa) to suspend the rules and pass the bill to allow credit unions to expand beyond their original membership base. Adopted 411-8. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 27, 1998.
[RC# 318] HR 1689. Securities Litigation Federal Filing Requirement/Passage. Motion by Rep. Bliley (R-Va.) to suspend the rules and pass the bill to require class action lawsuits alleging securities fraud to be filed in federal rather than state courts, which eliminates some state consumer protections. Adopted 340-83. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 22, 1998.
[RC# 336] HR 4250. Revamp Medical Insurance Regulations/Dingell-Ganske Substitute. Rep. Dingell's (D-Mich.) substitute amendment to the Republican version of the Patient's Bill of Rights Act to permit individuals to sue their health plans for personal injury or wrongful death. Rejected 212-217. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 24, 1998.
[RC# 351] HR 4194. VA-HUD Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1999/Motion to Recommit. Motion by Rep. Obey (D-Wis.) to recommit the bill to the Appropriations Committee with instructions to report it back with directions to delete a provision that prohibits the establishment of rules dealing with chemical treatment of upholstery fabrics under the Flammable Fabrics Act. Rejected 164-261. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 29, 1998.
[RC# 520] S 852. National Standard for Salvaged Car Regisration/Passage. Motion by Rep. Bliley (R-Va.) to suspend the rules and pass the bill to establish national standards for the registration of salvaged and rebuilt cars, which eliminates all state lemon laws, many of which are stronger. Adopted 271-133. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. October 10, 1998.
[RC# 253] S 830. Food and Drug Administration Overhaul/Medical Device Tracking. Amendment by Sen. Durbin (D-Ill.) to eliminate the bill's provisions that would limit the ability of the HHS secretary to require tracking of medical devices. Rejected 39-61. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. September 23, 1998.
[RC# 45] S 1768. Fiscal 1998 Supplemental Appropriations/Health Care Portability Motion by Sen. Nickles (R-Okla.) to table the Kennedy (D-Mass.) amendment which would provide $8 million for the Health Care Financing Administration to hire more employees to enforce the 1996 health care portability law. Adopted 51-49. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. March 26, 1998.
[RC# 53] S Con Res 86. Fiscal 1999 Budget Resolution/Medicare Physicians. Amendment by Sen. Kyl (R-Ariz.) to express the sense of Congress that there should be no restraints on physicians that want to privately contract with Medicare patients, giving them a free hand to charge more than Medicare covers. Adopted 51-47. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. April 1, 1998.
[RC# 112] S. 947. Fiscal 1998 Budget Reconciliation - Spending/Medicare Eligibility. Motion by Sen. Roth (R-Del.) to waive the Budget Act and reject a provision that would gradually raise the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 between 2003 and 2027. Adopted 62-38. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. June 24, 1997.
[RC# 135] S 1260. Securities Lawsuits/Passage. Passage of the bill to require that all class action securities lawsuits involving more than 50 parties be adjudicated in federal court where standards established in a 1995 securities law would apply, which eliminates state consumer protections. Passed 79-21. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. May 13, 1998.
[RC# 188] S 648. Product Liability Overhaul/Cloture. Motion to invoke cloture on the Lott (R-Miss.) substitute amendment to cap punitive awards against small businesses at $250,000. Rejected 51-47. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 9, 1998.
[RC# 207] S 2159. Fiscal 1999 Agricultural Appropriations/Food Safety. Amendment by Sen. Harkin (D-Iowa) to provide an additional $66 million for Clinton's food safety initiative, which would increase inspections, expand research and increase consumer education programs. The cost would by offset by a reduction in tobacco subsidies, Agriculture Department computer funding and Agricultural Research Service building construction funds. Adopted 65-34. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 16, 1998.
[RC# 227] S 2260. Fiscal 1999 Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations/Cable Television Rates. Motion by Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) to table the Feingold (D-Wis.) amendment that would require the FCC to issue a report examining whether the 1992 telecommunications law has been successful in increasing the level of cable competition and lowering cable rates. Adopted 63-36. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 22, 1998.
[RC# 239] HR 1151. Credit Union Membership Rules/Passage. Passage of the bill to allow credit union members to keep their accounts and to permit credit unions to join unrelated groups as long as the groups would provide no more than 3,000 members. Passed 92-6. A "yea" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 28, 1998.
[RC# 273] S 1301. Consumer Bankruptcy Revisions/Credit Card Finance Charges. Motion by Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa) to table the Reed (D-R.I.) amendment that would prohibit credit card companies from canceling or refusing to renew credit to consumers who avoid finance charges by paying off their balances. Rejected 47-52. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. September 17, 1998.
[RC# 275] S 1301. Consumer Bankruptcy Revisions/ATM Surcharges. Motion by Grassley (R-Iowa) to table the D'Amato (R-N.Y.) amendment that would prohibit the imposition of ATM surcharges. Adopted 72-26. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. July 17, 1998.
[RC# 311] HR 4250. Revamp Medical Insurance Regulations/Motion to Proceed. Motion by Sen. Lott (R-Miss.) to table the Daschle (D-S.D.) motion to proceed to a bill that would provide a range of patient protections and create a two-step appeals process for challenging a health plan administrator's decisions. Adopted 50-47. A "nay" was a vote in support of CU's position. October 9, 1998.
