WASHINGTON – Here’s how Maine’s members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending Feb. 13.

HOUSE Social Security

Voting 402 for and 19 against, the House on Feb. 11 passed a wide-ranging Social Security bill (HR 743) that was disputed over its cut in benefits for certain surviving spouses who belong to public-employee pension systems.

Present law reduces survivor’s benefits for some teachers and other public employees who pay into plans other than Social Security. This bill prohibits full benefits for those survivors until they have worked five years in jobs covered by Social Security. It closes what critics say is a loophole that some are using to gain immediate survivor’s benefits.

In other sections, the bill seeks to curb abuses by the “representative payees” who process Social Security checks for beneficiaries who cannot manage their own affairs. It also makes it more difficult for anyone to fraudulently qualify for benefits and denies Social Security to fugitive felons and violators of parole and probation.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Rep. Tom Allen, D-1, voted yes. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-2, voted yes.

Stopgap roads bill

The House on Feb. 11 passed, 421 for and none against, a bill (HR 3783) extending highway and transit spending through June 30 at current levels. The House and Senate will use the time pass a new six-year bill. House leaders are drafting a $370 billion bill and the Senate has approved $318 billion (below). The administration and fiscal conservatives are urging a cap of about $256 billion over six years to keep the bill from adding to the national debt.

No member spoke against the extension.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Allen and Michaud voted yes.

SENATE

Highways, mass transit

Voting 76 for and 21 against, the Senate on Feb. 12 passed a bill (S 1072) authorizing $318 billion over six years for highway and bridge construction, highway safety and urban and intercity transit systems. Mass transit would receive $57 billion and Amtrak $12 billion. Backers called the bill essential to repair crumbling infrastructure, ease traffic congestion and produce jobs. Critics said the bill’s uncertain funding beyond the federal gasoline tax would worsen deficits. The bill awaits House action.

James Jeffords, I-Vt., said: “If we can spend billions rebuilding Iraq’s physical infrastructure, surely we can find the money to maintain America’s transportation infrastructure. Without well-maintained roads, bridges, and transit systems, our economy will inevitably suffer.”

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Spending cut

The Senate on Feb. 12 rejected, 20 for and 78 against, a proposal to cut the six-year cost of S 1072 (above) by 20 percent, to $256 billion, a figure in line with administration requests yet tens of billions of dollars above current levels.

John McCain, R-Ariz., noted that the new Medicare drug bill already is $153 billion over projections. “When does it stop? When does the Republican Party find its soul? And this (highway) bill is an outrageous manifestation of how badly we have left our moorings.”

Jim Talent, R-Mo., said: “I think the people who are paying the income taxes of the country into the general revenue of the (U.S.A.) would appreciate it if we used a little bit of that to fix their roads.”

A yes vote supported the budget cut.

Collins and Snowe voted no.

Mandatory seat belts

Senators on Feb. 11 tabled, 57 for and 41 against, an amendment to S 1072 (above) to require the 30 states that do not now have them to enact primary seat-belt laws. States failing to comply would suffer cuts in highway funding. Primary laws allow police to stop cars merely upon seeing an unbelted driver. Secondary laws permit citations only when the driver has been stopped for another reason. An estimated 79 percent of drivers use seat belts nationwide. This amendment required all states to reach 90 percent use.

James Inhofe, R-Okla., said that “while most agree that seat belts represent the single greatest factor in saving lives on our nation’s highways, the decision to pass a primary seat belt law is best made at the state level.”

John Warner, R-Va., said use of seat belts by 79 percent of drivers “has been translated into the saving of tens of thousands of lives and injuries in automobile accidents. (But) we can do better.”

A yes vote opposed the requirement.

Collins and Snowe voted yes.

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