WASHINGTON — Here’s how Maine’s members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending March 21.

House Bankruptcy overhaul

Voting 315 for and 113 against, the House on March 19 passed a bill (HR 975) making it difficult for individuals with means to use bankruptcy to walk away from unsecured debt. Backers said the bill would curb widespread abuses of the bankruptcy code, while foes called it a sop to the credit card industry.

Under the bill, most debtors making more than the median income for their region are required to file under Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code, which entails substantial repayment of unsecured debt over five years, rather than Chapter 7, which requires little or no repayment. The bill also changes a variety of bankruptcy rules for farms and businesses.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Rep. Tom Allen, D, voted no. Rep. Michael Michaud, D, voted yes.

Child support

Voting 150-276, the House on March 18 rejected a bid to give families owed child support a stronger claim on the assets of a delinquent former spouse in bankruptcy proceedings than they would otherwise receive under HR 975 (above).

James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said the underlying bill already “increases the priority for unpaid child support from seventh priority to first priority.”

A yes vote backed the motion.

Allen and Michaud voted yes.

Forum shopping

Voting 155 for and 269 against, the House on March 19 refused to require corporations to file for bankruptcy only where they are headquartered or where a majority of their assets are located, not where they are incorporated. The amendment sought to change existing rules that allow corporations to seek out distant venues that they regard as more favorable to their interests than to their creditors. The vote occurred during debate on HR 975 (above).

William Delahunt, D-Mass., said the amendment “would end the practice of forum shopping; but even more meaningful, it would provide in very real terms an opportunity for small creditors, for retirees, for shareholders and others to participate in the process itself.”

Michael Castle, R-Del., said: “Virtually all of our laws allow cases to be filed either where the company is headquartered, where their assets are, or where it is incorporated. Why would we want to single out bankruptcy cases for discriminatory treatment?”

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Allen and Michaud voted yes.

Military tax breaks

The House on March 20 passed, 422 for and none against, a bill (HR 1307) extending tax breaks to military personnel and dependents.

In part, the bill grants tax-free status to the full $6,000 government payment to survivors of those killed in action, up from a $3,000 exemption at present; allows reservists to deduct as much as $1,500 of certain non-reimbursable travel expenses; makes it easier for transferred personnel to receive capital gains exclusions on the sale of their home, and broadens the pool of those permitted to miss tax-filing deadlines without penalty. The bill, projected to increase the deficit by $835 million over ten years, awaits Senate action.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Allen and Michaud voted yes.

Pledge of Allegiance

The House on March 20 voted, 400 for and seven against, to reaffirm the Pledge of Allegiance wording “One nation under God.” The measure (H Res 132) rebuked the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for ruling last month that the recital of the pledge by school children is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion by the state.

A yes vote was to adopt the resolution.

Allen and Michaud voted yes.

Senate

Arctic drilling

The Senate on March 19 voted, 52 for and 48 against, to kill administration plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling. The vote stripped the fiscal 2004 congressional budget resolution (S Con Res 23) of authority for energy extraction directly affecting about 2,000 coastal acres in the pristine region of northeastern Alaska.

Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said: “Drilling in the ANWR is the heavy hand of government in a part of our world we should be protecting. It is saying to oil companies, “Make a profit so we don’t have to ask American families and automobile manufacturers to do the right thing for our future.”‘

James Inhofe, R-Okla., said: “The tired refrain that ANWR “will destroy the environment’ is so out of date and out of touch with reality when we have the technology and the know-how to affirmatively protect the environment while meeting an important long-term national security challenge.”

A yes vote opposed ANWR drilling.

Sen. Susan Collins, R, voted yes. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R, voted yes.

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