Delegation votes on major issues

WASHINGTON — Here are the votes of the Maine congressional delegation on major legislation in Congress last week.

Senate votes:

(1) Senate votes to establish a federal fish inspection program

The Senate, 39-59, rejected a substitute to a bill to establish a federal fish inspection program. It is estimated 64,230 illnesses and 22 deaths are caused by the consumption of seafood each year, yet there is no mandatory federal inspection program for fish. The measure would have placed this responsibility with the Food and Drug Administration instead of the Department of Agriculture and provided protections to whistleblowers. Those who opposed the bill argued a trade war could develop because different inspection standards were set for foreign and domestic fish. S.2924 later passed by a voice vote.

Sen. William S. Cohen (Republican) and Sen. George J. Mitchell (Democrat) both voted no.

(2) Senate votes to allow D.C. to prohibit homosexuals from youth programs

The Senate, 45-54, rejected a move to kill a measure that would allow organizations such as the Boy Scouts to exclude adult homosexuals and bisexuals from certain programs and activities for children under 18 years old. The Senate then moved to adopt the measure by flipping their vote, as part of the D.C. Appropriations bill for fiscal year 1991. (Armstrong Amendment No. 2638 to H.R. 5311)

Cohen and Mitchell both voted yes.

(3) Senate votes on defining the unborn as children

The Senate, 63-36, moved to kill a measure to define children as, “all human beings under 18, including unborn offspring at every stage of biological development.” The measure was offered to a bill regarding the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. (Helms Amendment No. 2628 to H.R. 5241)

Cohen and Mitchell both voted yes.

House votes:

(1) House votes to require Japan to pay for its own defense

The House approved, 370-53, an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill which would require Japan to pay the $4.5 billion cost of stationing 50,000 U.S. troops there. If Japan refuses to pay, the bill requires the U.S. to pull out 5,000 troops from the previous year’s level. Those who voted against the measure argued the U.S. had vital interests in Japan including checking aggression in the Persian Gulf and the Korean Peninsula and the move would be counterproductive. Further, they said such a precedent would turn U.S. soldiers into mercenaries. (H.R. 4739)

Rep. Joseph E. Brennan (Democrat) and Rep. Olympia J. Snowe (Republican) both voted yes.

(2) House votes to put a ceiling of 30,000 on U.S. troops in Korea

The House, 157-265, rejected an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill to pull an additional 6,000 army troops out of Korea than requested by Defense Secretary Richard Cheney over the next five years. There are currently 43,000 U.S. troops stationed in Korea and the bill would have placed a permanent ceiling of 30,000 on America’s troop strength in that nation. Cheney has recommended the U.S. military reduce its presence in Korea by 7,000 over the next five years.(H.R. 4739)

Brennan voted yes, Snowe no.

(3) House votes to halt closings of U.S. bases until a new process is approved

The House, 287-134, approved an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill to require the Defense Department to submit a legislative proposal for a new base closure process that is fair and impartial and prohibits the closure of further domestic bases until Congress has approved a new base closure process or until January 1992, whichever is first. (H.R. 4739)

Brennan and Snowe both voted yes.