House votes

Democratic Reps. Michael Michaud (2nd District) and Tom Allen (1st District)

Vote 1: Continuing Moratorium on Internet Taxation (HR 3678): The House on Oct. 16 passed a bill sponsored by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., that extends the ban of state and local taxes on Internet access for four years. The bill clarifies that increases in certain general corporate taxes are not included in the moratorium. Proponents said the bill encourages growth in the telecommunications industry and treats states fairly. There was little opposition to the bill, although some members indicated that the ban on Internet taxation should be permanent. The vote was 405 yeas to 2 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 2: Disclosing Information on Corruption in Iraq (HR 734): The House on Oct. 16 passed a nonbinding resolution sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., that expresses the sense of Congress that the State Department should disclose information it has collected that is associated with corruption in the Iraqi government. Proponents said retroactively declaring documents classified is an abuse of power and hides Iraqi actions. While there was little opposition to the resolution, it was noted that it seemed to call for another proxy anti-war vote and that common-sense dealing with the State Department could have resolved the issues without a public spectacle. The vote was 395 yeas to 21 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 3: Shielding Reporters from Prosecution for Withholding Sources (HR 2102): The House on Oct. 16 passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., that places limits on circumstances in which reporters can be compelled to disclose confidential sources such as national security issues, including preventing an imminent terrorist attack and to prevent an imminent death. Proponents said a free press was vital to the democracy as envisioned by the Founding Fathers. They said the bill balances the need of the government to combat terrorist attacks while protecting the press from politically driven intimidation. Opponents said the bill was unnecessary since most states have shield laws and that few reporters have been subpoenaed over the last 15 years. They said it will interfere with law enforcement. The vote was 398 yeas to 21 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 4: Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act (HR 2095): The House on Oct. 17 passed a bill sponsored by Rep. James Obestar, D-Minn., that reauthorizes the Federal Railroad Administration and renames it the Federal Railroad Safety Administration; provides funding for track and bridge maintenance and repair; and limits shift-length for railroad workers. Proponents said the bill will help decrease railroad accidents by decreasing fatigue-related accidents and improving safety. The vote was 377 yeas to 38 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 5: Overriding Presidential Veto on Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (HR 976): The House on Oct. 18 failed to override President Bush’s veto of a bill to provide medical coverage for certain children. Proponents said the bill would provide medical coverage to about 10 million children. They said the additional expenditures in the bill would be offset by an increased tax on tobacco. Opponents said the bill was a step on the path to government-provided health care, too many middle-class families could be covered, and there were not sufficient safeguards to ensure illegal aliens were excluded. The vote was 273 yeas to 156 nays. (Two-thirds of those present were required to override the veto.)

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Senate votes

Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins

Vote 1: Prosecution of Violent Crime in Indian Country (Motion to table): The Senate on Oct. 16 tabled, thereby killing, an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to an appropriations bill (HR 3093) for the Justice Department that would have added $20 million to prosecute crimes in Indian Country. The money would have been shifted from the funding for the Legal Services Corp. Proponents of the amendment said gang activities have increased on reservations, but insufficient resources are available for police or prosecutors. Opponents said that while they did not disagree that more resources should be available to stop crimes on reservations, they opposed taking funds from legal services for the poor. The vote was 62 yeas to 31 nays to table the amendment.

YEAS: Collins, Snowe

Vote 2: Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act for Fiscal 2008 (HR 3093): The Senate on Oct. 16 passed a bill providing $54.6 billion in funding for the Commerce and Justice departments and science programs for fiscal 2008. The Justice Department received $24.3 billion, with $6.4 billion earmarked for the FBI; $5.6 billion for the Bureau of Prisons; $2.7 billion for the Office of Justice Programs; $2 billion for the Drug Enforcement Administration; $1.7 billion for U.S. Attorneys; $1.4 billion to state and local law enforcement; and $1 billion for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Commerce Department received $7.4 billion, including $4.2 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; $1.9 billion for the Patent and Trademark Office; and $1.2 billion for the Bureau of the Census. Of the science programs, NASA was funded at $17.4 billion and National Science Foundation received $6.6 billion. The vote was 75 yeas to 19 nays.

YEAS: Collins, Snowe

Vote 3: Funding to Combat Drug-Resistant Staph Infections: The Senate on Oct. 18 accepted an amendment sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to the appropriations bill (HR 3043) for the Department of Health and Human Services that slates $5 million in funding to contain and combat methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections (often termed drug-resistant staph infections). Proponents said the Centers for Disease Control estimated the bacterial infection causes about 19,000 deaths a year nationwide. The vote was 90 yeas to 3 nays.

YEAS: Collins, Snowe

Compiled by Targeted News Service for the Bangor Daily News