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Christopher's
Votes - September, 2002
Agriculture
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(404) HCONRES472: Tribute to 4-H - Adoption
September 24, 2002 - Isakson, R-Ga., motion to suspend the
rules and adopt the concurrent resolution that would pay tribute
to the 4-H Youth Development Program on its 100th anniversary.
Motion agreed to 407-0.
VOTE: Yea
Arts, Immigration, Social Services and
other Domestic Issues
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(374) HRES94: Williams Tribute - Adoption
September 05, 2002 - Morella, R-Md., motion to suspend the
rules and adopt the resolution that would pay tribute to champion
tennis players and sisters Venus Williams and Serena Williams.
Motion agreed to 398-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(377) HRES516: Little League Champions Tribute - Adoption
September 09, 2002 - Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., motion to suspend
the rules and adopt the resolution that would honor the Valley
Sports American Little League from Louisville, Ky., as the
champions of the 2002 Little League World Series. Motion agreed
to 344-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(400) HRES525: House Support for Welfare Overhaul - Adoption
September 19, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution that would
express the sense of the House that Congress should clear
for the president's signature before Sept. 30, 2002, legislation
(HR 4737) that would reauthorize through fiscal 2007 the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families block grant program and make
other changes to the nation's welfare program. Adopted 280-123.
VOTE: Yea
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(402) HCONRES337: Negro Baseball Leagues Tribute -
Adoption
September 19, 2002 - LaTourette, R-Ohio, motion to suspend
the rules and adopt the concurrent resolution that would pay
tribute to the Negro baseball leagues, six black baseball
leagues that operated between 1920 and 1960. Motion agreed
to 394-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(405) HCONRES301: Gold and Blue Star Mothers Tribute
- Adoption
September 24, 2002 - Watts, R-Okla., motion to suspend the
rules and adopt the concurrent resolution that would express
the sense of Congress in support of the patriotism of American
Gold Star Mothers Inc. and Blue Star Mothers of America Inc.
It would encourage family members of U.S. military personnel
to renew the World War II tradition of displaying a service
flag or special lapel button during the war against terrorism.
Motion agreed to 411-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(409) HCONRES297: Korean-American Tribute - Adoption
September 25, 2002 - Davis, R-Va., motion to suspend the rules
and adopt the concurrent resolution that would honor the 100th
anniversary of Koreans' arrival in the United States. It also
would honor Korean-Americans for their contributions and achievements.
Motion agreed to 417-0.
VOTE: Yea
Budget, Taxes, and the Economy
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(398) HRES525, HRES524: Welfare Overhaul and Estate Tax
Repeal - Rule
September 19, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution (H Res 527)
to provide for House floor consideration of resolutions that
would express the sense of the House that Congress should
clear a bill permanently extending the estate tax repeal (HR
2143) and welfare overhaul legislation (HR 4737).
Adopted 213-200.
VOTE: Yea
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(401) HRES524: House Support for Estate Tax Repeal - Adoption
September 19, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution that would
express the sense of the House that Congress should, before
it adjourns, clear for the president's signature legislation
(HR 2143) that would permanently extend the repeal of the
estate and gift tax contained in last year's $1.35 trillion
tax cut law.
Adopted 242-158: R 200-3; D 42-155 (ND 23-121, SD 19-34);
I 0-0
VOTE: Yea
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(423) HJRES111: Fiscal 2003 Continuing Appropriations - Passage
September 26, 2002 - Passage of the joint resolution to provide
continuing appropriations through Oct. 4 for all federal departments
and programs. The continuing resolution would set spending
at fiscal 2002 levels. Passed 370-1.
VOTE: Yea
Business, Trade, and Consumer Affairs
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(391) HR1701: Rent-to-Own Contracts - Rule
September 18, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution (H Res 528)
to provide for House floor consideration of the bill that
would impose federal standards on rent-to-own contracts, including
requiring merchants to provide certain types of information
about such transactions and classifying contracts as renewable
leases and not as "credit sales." Adopted 238-178.
VOTE: Yea
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(392) HR1701: Rent-to-Own Contracts - Total Cost Limit
September 18, 2002 - LaFalce, D-N.Y., amendment that would
set up standards limiting the total cost of a product bought
through a rent-to-own contract to twice its cash price. At
least half of every periodic payment made by a customer would
go toward ownership of the product. The formula for determining
a product's cash price would be derived by the Federal Reserve
and would be based on the approximate average retail price
adjusted by special costs related to rent-to-own transactions.
Rejected 184-232.
VOTE: Nay
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(393) HR1701: Rent-to-Own Contracts - Loss and Damage Liability
September 18, 2002 - Waters, D-Calif., amendment that would
prohibit merchants from making consumers liable for loss,
damage or destruction of property in rent-to-own contracts
except in cases of intentional or negligent conduct. Rejected
157-255.
VOTE: Nay
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(394) HR1701: Rent-to-Own Contracts - Recommit
September 18, 2002 - Waters, D-Calif., motion to recommit
the bill to the House Financial Services Committee with instructions
that it be reported back after striking provisions that would
pre-empt more stringent state laws on rent-to-own contracts,
including those that would treat such agreements as credit
transactions subject to Truth in Lending Act requirements.
Motion rejected 190-227.
VOTE: Nay
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(395) HR1701: Rent-to-Own Contracts - Passage
September 18, 2002 - Passage of the bill that would impose federal
standards on rent-to-own contracts, including requiring merchants
to provide certain types of information about such transactions
and classifying contracts as renewable leases and not as "credit
sales." The bill would require merchants to provide certain
disclosures in rent-to-own contracts, including details about
a rental property's description; the amount of the initial payment;
the amount and timing of subsequent payments; and the total
number of payments needed to purchase the goods. The bill also
would place other restrictions on merchants such as prohibiting
them from requiring customers to sign legal waivers as part
of rent-to-own contracts or requiring a balloon payment or special
fee on consumers who seek to buy an item at the end of an agreement.
The bill would pre-empt certain state laws that treat rent-to-own
contracts as credit transactions under the Truth in Lending
Act and bar states from requiring the disclosure of annual percentage
rates in such agreements. Passed 215-201.
VOTE: Yea
Congress and Federal Elections
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(403) HR3295: Election Overhaul - Motion to Instruct
September 19, 2002 - Waters, D-Calif., motion to instruct
House conferees to take appropriate actions to ensure that
a conference report on the bill is filed before Oct. 1, 2002.
Motion agreed to 365-26.
VOTE: Yea
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(418) HR3295: Election Overhaul - Motion to Instruct
September 26, 2002 - Johnson, D-Texas, motion to instruct
House conferees to take appropriate actions to ensure that
a conference report on the bill that would overhaul the nation's
election procedures is filed before Oct. 1, 2002. Motion agreed
to 385-16.
VOTE: Yea
Crime, Drugs, and Judicial Affairs
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(422) HR2215: Justice Department Reauthorization - Conference
Report
September 26, 2002 - Adoption of the conference report on
the bill that would authorize $17.6 billion in fiscal 2002
and $20.5 billion in fiscal 2003 for Justice Department operations.
It would provide $4.3 billion for the FBI and include provisions
to upgrade computers and security. The measure would create
eight new permanent U.S. District Court judgeships and extend
for five years a temporary judgeship in the Northern District
of Ohio. It includes provisions related to juvenile justice
and anti-drug programs. It also would reauthorize the Patent
and Trademark Office and amend copyright law to permit teachers
to send digitized books, music and movies over the Internet
without prior permission. It also would adjust trademark law
to allow companies to take advantage of the Madrid Protocol.
Adopted (thus sent to the Senate) 400-4.
VOTE: Yea
Defense and National Security
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(378) HR5010: Fiscal 2003 Defense Appropriations - Motion
to Close Conference
September 10, 2002 - Lewis, R-Calif., motion to close portions
of the conference on the bill that would appropriate funding
for the Defense Department for fiscal 2003. Motion agreed
to 365-0.
VOTE: Yea
Education
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(399) HRES523: Black Colleges Tribute - Adoption
September 19, 2002 - House Vote 399 - Boehner, R-Ohio, motion
to suspend the rules and adopt the resolution that would pay
tribute to the nation's black colleges and universities. It
also would urge the president to encourage citizens to show
support for black higher education institutions during National
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week, the third
week in September.
Motion agreed to 413-0.
Shays missed the vote, but supports the measure.
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(371) HR5203: Education Tax Break - Passage
September 04, 2002 - Hulshof, R-Mo., motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill that would permanently extend a provision
in last year's $1.35 trillion tax cut package increasing to
$2,000 the contribution limits for education savings accounts
and allowing the tax-free withdrawal of money from those accounts
to pay qualified expenses for elementary and secondary public,
private or religious schools. The bill also would indefinitely
extend an exclusion from gross income for employer-provided
educational aid for higher education; an increase in the phase-out
income range for deducting student loan interest; and a repeal
of the 60-month limit on the amount of time a taxpayer can
claim the interest deduction. Motion rejected 213-188.. A
"yea" was a vote in support of the president's position.
VOTE: Yea
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(387) HR5193: Education Tax Deduction - Rule
September 12, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution (H Res 521)
to provide for House floor consideration of the bill that
would broaden the tax deduction for higher education costs
to allow middle- and low-income families to deduct up to $3,000
in expenses associated with having their children in grades
K-12. Adopted 208-201.
Note: Subsequently, House leaders pulled the bill from the
floor.
VOTE: Yea
Environment, Energy, Science, and Technology
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(373) HR4727: Dam Safety - Passage
September 05, 2002 - Passage of the bill that would reauthorize
the national dam safety program through fiscal 2006. The program,
which provides state grants, training and other assistance
aimed at preventing dam failure, would be authorized to receive
$8.6 million annually. It would establish a National Dam Safety
Review Board, which would have broad authority to monitor
dam safety and would require the Federal Emergency Management
Agency to draw up an overall safety plan.
Passed 401-2.
VOTE: Yea
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(382) HR3880: New York Clean Air - Passage
September 10, 2002 - Upton, R-Mich., motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill that would give several counties and
cities in the New York City metropolitan area until Sept.
30, 2005, to file reports detailing how federally funded transportation
projects will help meet the Clean Air Act's National Ambient
Air Quality Standards. Motion agreed to 377-0.
VOTE: Yea
Executive Branch, Federal Buildings,
and District of Columbia
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(372) HR3287: Brentwood Post Office - Passage
September 04, 2002 - Morella, R-Md., motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill that would name a U.S. Post Office
building in Washington, D.C., after Joseph Curseen Jr. and
Thomas Morris Jr., two postal employees who died after anthrax
inhalation. Motion agreed to 401-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(389) HR4102: Rollan Melton Tribute - Passage
September 17, 2002 - Cannon, R-Utah, motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill that would name a post office in Falon,
Nev., after the late journalist Rollan Doyle Melton.
Motion agreed to 398-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(390) HR5333: Joseph Early Tribute - Passage
September 17, 2002 - Cannon, R-Utah, motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill that would name a post office in Worcester,
Mass., after former Rep. Joseph Daniel Early, D-Mass. (1975-1993).
Motion agreed to 397-0.
VOTE: Yea
Foreign Affairs
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(381) HRES513: Irish Economic Development - Adoption
September 10, 2002 - Smith, R-N.J., motion to suspend the
rules and adopt the resolution that would recognize the importance
of the United States-Ireland Business Summit and the benefit
of economic development to building peace in Northern Ireland.
Motion agreed to 372-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(385) HR1646: State Department Authorization - Agree to Conference
September 12, 2002 - Hyde, R-Ill., motion that the House disagree
to the Senate amendment and agree to a conference on the bill
that would authorize appropriations for fiscal 2002 and fiscal
2003 for the Department of State and foreign broadcasting
operations. The bill would authorize payment of the third
$244 million installment in a $926 million plan to pay U.S.
dues to the United Nations. It also would lift congressional
restrictions imposed in 1994 that capped U.S. contributions
to 25 percent of the U.N. peacekeeping budget. Motion agreed
to 382-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(406) HRES533: Taiwan First Lady Tribute - Adoption
September 24, 2002 - House Vote 406- Rohrabacher, R-Calif.,
motion to suspend the rules and adopt the resolution that
would welcome Chen Wu-Sue-jen, the wife of Taiwan President
Chen Shui-bian, to Washington, and pay tribute to her humanitarian
and democratic efforts. Motion agreed to 410-0.
VOTE: Yea
Health Care
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(383) HCONRES320: Scleroderma Awareness - Adoption
September 10, 2002 - Fossella, R-N.Y., motion to suspend the
rules and adopt the resolution that would express the sense
of Congress in support of efforts to combat the debilitating
autoimmune disease scleroderma. Motion agreed to 369-2.
VOTE: Yea
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(388) HCONRES435: Rebirthing - Adoption
September 17, 2002 - Bilirakis, R-Fla., motion to suspend
the rules and adopt the concurrent resolution that would express
the sense of Congress that rebirthing, the therapeutic process
that re-enacts the birthing process, is dangerous. It also
would encourage states to pass laws banning the technique.
Motion agreed to 397-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(410) HR4691: Abortion Service Refusals - Rule
September 25, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution (H Res 546)
to provide for House floor consideration of the bill that
would prohibit the federal government and state and local
governments that receive federal funding from discriminating
against health care providers, health maintenance organizations,
health insurers, and "any other kind of health care facility,
organization or plan," that refuse to perform, pay for,
or provide referrals for abortion services. Adopted 229-194.
VOTE: Nay
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(411)- HR4691: Abortion Service Refusals - Recommit
September 25, 2002 - Brown, D-Ohio, motion to recommit the
bill to the House Energy and Commerce Committee with instructions
that it be reported back with language that would clarify
that none of the bill's provisions would authorize a medical
institution to withhold from patients medically appropriate
information or services; allow an institution to bar its health
care providers from discussing or providing all medically
appropriate information or services; or pre-empt state enforcement
of state laws and regulations. Motion rejected 191-230.
VOTE: Yea
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(412) HR4691: Abortion Service Refusals - Passage
September 25, 2002 - Passage of the bill that would prohibit
the federal government and state and local governments that
receive federal funding from discriminating against health
care providers, health maintenance organizations, health insurers,
and "any other kind of health care facility, organization
or plan," that refuse to perform, pay for or provide
referrals for abortion services. The bill would expand a current
law "conscience clause" that provides protection
for physician training programs that refuse to provide abortion
training. Passed 229-189.
VOTE: Nay
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(419) HR4600: Medical Malpractice Awards - Rule
September 26, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution (H Res 553)
to provide for House floor consideration of the bill that
would cap the amount plaintiffs and their attorneys could
receive in successful medical malpractice cases. Adopted 221-197.
VOTE: Yea
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(420) HR4600: Medical Malpractice Awards - Recommit
September 26, 2002 - Conyers, D-Mich., motion to recommit
the bill to the House Judiciary Committee and House Energy
and Commerce Committee with instructions that it be reported
back with language stating that no provisions would pre-empt
state laws related to the liability of health maintenance
organizations. Motion rejected 193-225.
VOTE: Nay
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(421) HR4600: Medical Malpractice Awards - Passage
September 26, 2002 - Passage of the bill that would cap the
amount plaintiffs and their attorneys could receive in successful
medical malpractice cases. The bill would limit punitive damages
to the greater of $250,000 or double economic damages. The
measure also would cap attorneys' contingency fees to 40 percent
of the first $50,000 in damages, 33.33 percent of the next
$50,000, 25 percent of the next $500,000, and 15 percent of
any amount in excess of $600,000. The bill would supersede
state laws on punitive damages but allow states to set higher
limits for non-economic awards. It would require malpractice
suits to be filed within three years of an injury or one year
of its discovery, whichever is earlier. No punitive damages
could be assessed against drug and medical device manufacturers
if their products were approved by the Food and Drug Administration
or are generally considered safe. Passed 217-203.
VOTE: Yea
Labor and Retirement
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(414) HRES540: House Support for Employee Pensions - Adoption
September 25, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution that would
express the sense of the House that Congress should, before
it adjourns, clear for the president's signature legislation
(HR 3762) that would increase employees' control over their
pension funds and give them more access to investment information.
Adopted 258-152.
VOTE: Yea
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(415) HRES544: House Support for Pension Benefits - Adoption
September 25, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution that would
express the sense of the House that Congress should, before
it adjourns, clear for the president's signature legislation
(HR 4931) that would permanently extend the additional incentives
for pension and retirement contributions contained in last
year's $1.35 trillion tax cut law. Adopted 291-118.
VOTE: Yea
Transportation
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(375) HR5157: Transit Grants - Passage
September 09, 2002 - Petri, R-Wis., motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill that would allow transit systems in
52 communities that, according to a 2000 Census survey, surpassed
200,000 people to continue to use federal transit formula
grants for fiscal 2003 operating expenses.
Motion agreed to 350-0.
VOTE: Yea
War on Terrorism
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(376) HCONRES401: Flight Attendant Tribute - Adoption
September 09, 2002 - Petri, R-Wis., motion to suspend the
rules and adopt the resolution that would thank flight attendants
for their contributions to air safety and pay tribute to attendants
who acted heroically during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Motion agreed to 351-0
VOTE: Yea
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(379) HR3210: Terrorism Insurance - Motion to Instruct
September 10, 2002 - Fossella, R-N.Y., motion to instruct
House conferees to agree to Section 11 of the Senate-passed
bill that would require that seized assets of terrorists and
their sponsors go toward compensating U.S. victims who win
monetary damages in federal court stemming from terrorist
activity. Motion agreed to 373-0.
VOTE: Yea
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(384) HCONRES464: September 11 Remembrance - Adoption
September 11, 2002 - Adoption of the resolution that would
express the sense of Congress that Sept. 11, 2001, should
be a day of remembrance for those killed in terrorist attacks
at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard a hijacked
plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. The resolution expresses
sympathy for the terrorist victims, honors passengers who
downed the plane in Pennsylvania, and gives tribute to emergency
workers who responded to the attacks. It also commends the
work of the president and the military in removing the Taliban
from power.
Adopted 370-0.
Shays did not vote because he was in Connecticut attending
memorials for constituents who died on September 11, 2001.
He supported the resolution.
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(408) HR2982: Terrorism Victims Memorial - Passage
September 25, 2002 - Hansen, R-Utah, motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill that would authorize a memorial in
Washington, D.C., to honor U.S. citizens killed in terrorist
attacks. A 13-member panel would be charged with raising funds
for the memorial's construction and maintenance as well as
determining its design and location. The panel would work
with the National Capital Memorial Commission and the secretary
of the Interior on the memorial. Construction would be required
to begin one year after the bill's enactment. Motion agreed
to 418-0.
VOTE: Yea
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