Here’s how area members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending Sept. 26.

HOUSE Billion dollar house

Voting 371 for and 56 against, members on Sept. 24 adopted a conference report (HR 2657) containing the first annual budget for the House of Representatives ever to exceed $1 billion. The $1.01 billion approved for House operations in fiscal 2004 is up $62 million or 6.5 percent from the comparable figure for 2003.

The bill funds a 2004 Senate budget of $715 million, up $53 million or eight percent over 2003. It sets an overall legislative branch budget of $3.54 billion — up $210 million or 6.3 percent over 2003 — for the House, Senate, Library of Congress, Capitol Police, Architect of the Capitol, General Accounting Office and other agencies.

A yes vote backed the legislative branch budget.

Voting Yes: Tom Allen, D-1, Michael Michaud, D-2

Homeland security

Voting 417 for and eight against, the House on Sept. 24 approved the conference report on a bill (HR 2555) appropriating $29.4 billion for the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal 2004.

In part, the bill provides $9 billion to protect land and sea borders; $5.2 billion for transportation security; $4.2 billion for state and local first responders; $890 million for developing antidotes and responses to bioterrorism; $839 million for protecting public works and computer systems against terrorist assaults; $455 million for developing safeguards against radiological, nuclear, chemical and biological attacks and $60 million for devising technology to help commercial airliners evade shoulder-fired missiles.

A yes vote was to adopt the conference report.

Voting Yes: Allen, Michaud

Cargo-screening deadline

Voting 198 for and 226 against, the House on Sept. 24 rejected a bid by Democrats to require the Department of Homeland Security to implement within one year 100 percent screening of the cargo entering airline holds. This occurred during debate on HR 2555 (above), which addresses cargo security but lacks a mandate for total screening.

A yes vote backed a one-year deadline for total cargo screening.

Voting Yes: Allen, Michaud

SENATE
Civil Service jobs

Voting 44 for and 51 against, the Senate on Sept. 23 refused to halt studies aimed at transferring some civil service jobs at land agencies such as the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management to the private sector. The vote occurred as the Senate sent to conference with the House a bill (HR 2691) to appropriate $19.6 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of the Interior and related agencies. It retained $26.4 million to study an administration plan to eventually privatize at least half of federal jobs — such as cleaning, maintenance and repair — that are not inherently governmental and thus easily commercialized.

Under the “Circular A-76” program, federal agencies and private firms are to submit competing bids to obtain the work.

A yes vote opposed funds for privatization studies.

Voting Yes: Olympia Snowe, R

Voting No: Susan Collins, R

Ad ban on mall

The Senate on Sept. 23 voted, 92 for and four against, to outlaw most commercial messages on the National Mall, which links the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. This was in response to the National Park Service’s recent turnover of Mall space to a National Football League party in which companies such as Pepsi, Verizon and Coors broadcast large-screen commercial messages, raised noise levels, disrupted public access and muddied the green swath. The ban was attached to HR 2691 (above).

A yes vote was to ban Mall commercialization.

Voting Yes: Snowe, Collins

Tongass National Forest

The Senate on Sept. 23 voted, 52 for and 44 against, to require speedy court review of challenges to timbering in the old-growth Tongass National Forest in Alaska. This preserved language in HR 2691 (above) requiring federal judges to rule within 180 days on challenges to sales planned by the U.S. Forest Service. The language also limited to 30 days the window for filing such suits. The limits begin tolling when administrative appeals expire.

A yes vote backed expedited court review.

Voting No: Snowe, Collins

Not Voting: None

NEW HAMPSHIRE Voting Yes: Sununu, Gregg

Voting No: None

Not Voting: None

NEW JERSEY Voting Yes: None

Voting No: Corzine, Lautenberg

Not Voting: None

NEW YORK Voting Yes: None

Voting No: Clinton, Schumer

Not Voting: None

OHIO Voting Yes: DeWine, Voinovich

Voting No: None

Not Voting: None

PENNSYLVANIA Voting Yes: Santorum

Voting No: Specter

Not Voting: None

RHODE ISLAND Voting Yes: None

Voting No: Reed, Chafee

Not Voting: None

VIRGINIA Voting Yes: Warner, Allen

Voting No: None

Not Voting: None

VERMONT Voting Yes: None

Voting No: Leahy, Jeffords

Not Voting: None

WEST VIRGINIA Voting Yes: None

Voting No: Byrd, Rockefeller

Not Voting: None

-30- Copyright 2003, Thomas Voting Reports, Inc. $$

AP-NY-09-26-03 1425EDT

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