House votes

Democratic Reps. Michael Michaud and Tom Allen

Vote 1: Energy Bill (HR 6): The House on Dec. 18 accepted the Senate’s amendment to a bill that promotes energy efficiency and conservation. The Senate amendment stripped provisions that would have levied higher taxes on oil and gas producers and aided renewable energy research. The bill increases average fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon in 2020, calls for increased efficiency in buildings and increases renewable fuels for cars, predominately ethanol. Proponents said energy is key to the nation. By decreasing dependence on imported oil, decreasing pollutants harming the environment and harnessing creativity for technological advances, a sound energy policy advances the national interest. Opponents said the bill’s provisions are unrealistic and substitute market-based decisions with government mandates. They asserted technology does not exist for popular car and truck models to meet the mileage standard. They added that the bill does not produce any oil and does not open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for exploration. The vote was 314 yeas to 100 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 2: Terrorist Insurance Revision Extension Act (HR 2761): The House on Dec. 18 accepted the Senate’s amendment to a bill that reauthorizes, for seven years, a federal program that provides backstop for insurers in the event of a terrorist attack. The Senate amendment scuttled a reset provision in the case of multiple attacks, but retained the provision that eliminates the distinction between foreign and domestic terrorism. Proponents said the bill was essential for development projects. The vote was 360 yeas to 53 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 3: Alternative Minimum Tax Relief (HR 3996): The House on Dec. 19 accepted the Senate’s amendment to a bill that raises the threshold for taxpayers to become subject to the alternative minimum tax. The Senate amendment eliminated a provision that would have taxed certain offshore income to cover the $50 billion in revenue that is expected to be lost from the exemption. The AMT was passed in 1969 to prevent the wealthy from avoiding taxes, but since the income level was not indexed, the tax has begun to affect middle-class taxpayers. An additional 20 million people would have been subject to the tax without the bill. The majority said they favored complying with the pay-go rule and did not understand the minority’s determination to protect a handful of hedge fund managers’ ability to avoid income tax by moving money offshore. The Republican minority said the majority had been irresponsible in allowing the patch for the AMT to go so late in the year and that it should be repealed not patched. They noted that the majority’s commitment to pay-go was a matter of convenience. The vote was 352 yeas to 64 nays.

YEAS: Allen

NAYS: Michaud

Vote 4: Children’s Health Care Extension (S 2499): The House on Dec. 19 passed a bill that extends a program that provides medical insurance coverage for poor children through March 2009. The bill also provides a small increase for doctors who provide services to Medicare services and eliminates a proposed 10 percent cut. The majority speakers said the minority had obstructed an attempt to improve health care for poor single-parent households and the elderly and had protected the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. The minority speakers said the bill extended coverage for poor children without paving the way to socialized medicine. They added that the majority had not worked in a bipartisan manner for a more permanent solution. The vote was 411 yeas to three nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 5: Omnibus Appropriations, Fiscal 2008 (HR 2764): The House on Dec. 19 accepted the Senate amendment to a bill that provides more than $550 billion in funding for several federal departments and programs. Only one appropriations bill that funded the Defense Department was passed by both houses and signed by the president. The Senate amendment includes $70 billion in funding for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House bill had included $30 billion for Afghanistan but prohibited using any funds for the conflict in Iraq. Proponents said the bill supported the troops and their mission in Iraq. Minority members chastised the majority for failure to complete individual spending bills. They added there were more than 9,000 earmarks in the bill. Opponents said the bill give the president a blank check to keep the troops in Iraq. They noted that earmarks were downs substantially compared to the last bills passed under the Republican majority. They also noted that transparency measures passed early in this Congress made members accountable for earmarks. The vote was 272 yeas to 142 nays.

NAYS: Allen, Michaud

Senate votes

Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins

Vote 1: Adding Iraq Conflict Funding to the Omnibus Appropriations Bill: The Senate on Dec. 19 agreed to an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that changed $30 billion in the House version of the omnibus spending bill for the conflict in Afghanistan to $70 billion in funding for both the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The White House had threatened to veto the bill if the amendment was not accepted. Proponents focused on supporting all U.S. troops, not merely those in Afghanistan. Opponents said it was past time to place limits on the operation in Iraq and to bring the bulk of the U.S. forces home. The vote was 70 yeas to 25 nays.

YEAS: Snowe, Collins

Vote 2: Omnibus Appropriations, Fiscal 2008 (HR 2764): The Senate on Dec. 18 agreed to an amended bill to provide more than $550 billion in spending for fiscal 2008 for all federal entities except the Defense Department, the only appropriations bill to be passed and signed this Congress. Proponents argued that the bill’s focus supported the troops and was in line with the president’s spending limit. Opponents said no additional funding should go to the Iraq conflict. Others noted the bill had too many pork barrel projects that increased the national debt. The vote was 76 yeas to 17 nays.

YEAS: Snowe, Collins

Vote 3: Judicial Confirmation: The Senate on Dec. 18 unanimously confirmed John Tinder of Indiana to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. A graduate of the Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington, Tinder was appointed as a District Court judge for the Southern District of Indiana by President Reagan. The vote was 93 yeas to 0 nays.

YEAS: Snowe, Collins

Compiled by Targeted News Service for the Bangor Daily News.