Votes cast this week by Maine delegation

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WASHINGTON — Here are the votes of Maine senators and representatives on major legislation in Congress this week. A “Y” means the member voted for the measure; an “N” means the member voted against the measure; an “A” means the member did not vote.

Senate votes:

1) Senate votes to keep sugar subsidies high

The Senate rejected, 54-44, an amendment to slash sugar subsidies by 2 cents a pound from their current level of 18 cents a pound as they continued debate on a five-year farm bill. (S 2314)

Sen. William S. Cohen (Republican)-N

Sen. George J. Mitchell (Democrat)-N

2) Senate denounces Sen. David Durenburger

For the first time in more than 10 years, the Senate voted to discipline a senator, voting 96-0, for a motion to denounce Sen. David Durrenburger, R-Minn., for “unethical” financial dealings and require him to pay back more than $124,000 he improperly pocketed. (S Res 311)

Cohen-Y

Mitchell-Y

3) Senate votes to end honey subsidies

The Senate approved, 52-46, an amendment to the five-year farm bill to phase out all subsidies to honey producers over the next four years. (S 2337)

Cohen-Y

Mitchell-Y

House votes:

1) House sustains Bush veto of family leave bill

The House failed to override President George Bush’s June 29 veto of the family and medical leave bill by a vote of 232-195, falling 53 short of the two-thirds vote required. The bill would have required all businesses employing more than 50 employees to offer up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to their employees to care for newborn infants or take care of ill family members. (HR 770)

Rep. Joseph E. Brennan (Democrat)-Y

Rep. Olympia J. Snowe (Republican)-Y

2) House votes to keep sugar subsidies high

The House rejected, 150-271, an amendment to the five-year farm bill which would have set sugar subsidies at 16 cents per pound, 2 cents below their current level. (RC 258)

Brennan-Y

Snowe-Y

3) House keeps subsidies to wealthy farmers

The House rejected, 174-251, an amendment to the five-year farm bill to prohibit all federal deficiency payments for any farmer whose total income from the sale of program crops is more than $1 million a year. (RC 265) CONNECTICUT:

Brennan-N

Snowe-N

4) House fails to censure Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.

After rejecting a motion to expel Rep. Barney Frank by a 10-1 margin, a move to raise the ethics committee sanction against Frank from a reprimand to a censure failed by a vote of 141-287. Frank was later rebuked by a reprimand, by a vote of 408 to 18, for fixing 33 parking tickets for his live-in companion Stephen Gobie and writing a misleading memo on Gobie’s behalf which landed in the hands of law enforcement officials. A censure would have stripped Frank of his seniority until after the November elections.

Brennan-N

Snowe-N