House votes

Democratic Reps. Michael Michaud and Tom Allen

Vote 1: Revamping the Page Board (HR 475): The House on Jan. 19 unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Mich., that changes the way the board overseeing the congressional page program is governed. The bill adds a minority party member to the board, equalizing the members from the two parties. It also adds a parent and a recent former page to the board and mandates regular meetings. Proponents of the bill said the page program, whose alumni include several members of Congress and leaders of industry, is an important program and should not be scrapped. They added that regular meetings of the board will allow for better oversight. The vote was 416 yeas to 0 nays.

YEAS: Michaud, Allen

Vote 2: Expanding House Voting for the District of Columbia and Delegates (House Resolution 78): The House on Jan. 23 passed a resolution sponsored by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., that allows the resident commissioner from Puerto Rico and delegates from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands to vote on amendments on the House floor. In the case that those votes decide the issue, a new vote will be taken including full House members only. Democrats said the measure gives limited voting rights to those representing troops fighting for the U.S. They added that residents of Washington, D.C., pay taxes but have no voice in the government. A similar measure was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 1990s. Republicans asserted the measure was unconstitutional. The vote was 226 yeas to 191 nays.

YEAS: Michaud, Allen

Senate votes

Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins

Vote 1: Plain Language Guidelines for Small Businesses: The Senate on Jan. 23 passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, to the bill (HR 2) to increase the federal minimum wage that would require federal agencies to promptly issue plain language guidelines for federal regulations that affect small businesses. Senators said the cost of compliance for businesses with fewer than 50 employees is financially burdensome. They added that federal agencies have circumvented requirements to issue plain language compliance documents. The vote was 99 yeas to 0 nays.

YEAS: Snowe, Collins

Vote 2: Giving President Line-Item Veto Authority: The Senate on Jan. 24 failed to agree to cloture, a parliamentary move that prevents a filibuster, on an amendment sponsored by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., to the bill (HR 2) to increase the federal minimum wage that would have broadened presidential authority by allowing individual components of a spending bill to be sent back to Congress. Proponents said the amendment addresses wasteful spending by allowing the president to send spending for questionable items back to Congress for review. Opponents said Congress would be giving the president too much power and would allow the president to pluck spending such as Medicare or Social Security out of a bill. They added the amendment will do nothing to control the deficit and that the president has the right to veto any bill under current law. The vote was 49 yeas to 48 nays (three-fifths required for passage).

YEAS: Snowe, Collins

Vote 3: Invoking Cloture Minimum Wage Increase: The Senate on Jan. 24 failed to agree to cloture, a parliamentary move that prevents a filibuster, on a bill (HR 2) that would increase the federal minimum wage. Proponents said it was long past time to raise the minimum wage. Opponents said the bill did not have sufficient safeguards to protect small business. The vote was 54 yeas to 43 nays (three-fifths required for passage).

YEAS: Snowe, Collins

Vote 4: Waiving Budget Constraints for State-Based Minimum Wage: The Senate on Jan. 25 failed to waive budget constraints on an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., to the bill (HR 2) to increase the federal minimum wage that would have required each state to increase its minimum wage by a fixed amount. Proponents said the amendment levels the cost-of-living differences between states by adding a set sum to the current wage. Opponents said the amendment was an attempt to scuttle the bill. The vote was 18 yeas to 76 nays.

NAYS: Snowe, Collins

Vote 5: Waiving Budget Constraint for Health Care Savings Plans: The Senate on Jan. 25 failed to waive budget constraints on an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to the bill (HR 2) to increase the federal minimum wage that would have allowed funds in a health care savings account to be used to pay medical insurance premiums. Proponents said the amendment would allow those who purchase high-deductible health plans to pay the premiums with pre-tax dollars. Opponents said the amendment provided another tax break for the wealthy, who are the most likely to have such accounts. The vote was 47 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS: Snowe, Collins

Vote 6: Waiving Budget Constraints on Repeal of Income Tax Increase on Social Security Benefits: The Senate on Jan. 25 failed to waive budget constraints on an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., to the bill (HR 2) to increase the federal minimum wage that would have lowered the ceiling on taxation of Social Security benefits to 50 percent. Proponents said that the income ceilings had not been raised and that each year more seniors see a greater amount of their benefits subject to taxation. Opponents said it would add billions to the national debt without an offset. The vote was 42 yeas to 51 nays.

YEA: Collins

NAY: Snowe

Vote 7: Waiving Budget Constraints on Education Deductions and Savings Accounts: The Senate on Jan. 25 failed to waive budget constraints on an amendment sponsored by Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., to the bill (HR 2) to increase the federal minimum wage that would have extended tax deductions for college tuition, made some employer-paid education expenses tax-free to the employee and extended certain non-taxed education savings accounts. Proponents said the amendment helped make education more affordable. Opponents said it had no place in a minimum wage bill and that the education savings accounts were used primarily by the wealthy to send children to private primary and secondary schools. The vote was 43 yeas to 50 nays.

YEA: Collins

NAY: Snowe

Compiled by Targeted News Service for the Bangor Daily News