United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) roll call votes used in ``A Panel Probit Analysis of Campaign Contributions and Roll Call Votes,'' forthcoming AJPS. The descriptions are from the codebooks for ICPSR study #0004, United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1994, parts 203, 205, and 207.

USCC roll call votes for 102d Congress, 1st Session

1. Roll call #34. HR1281. Fiscal 1991 Supplemental Appropriations/Construction Help. Stenholm, D-Texas, amendment to strike provisions from the bill that prohibit the Labor Department from expending funds to implement regulations that permit the expanded use of helpers on federally funded construction projects. Rejected 173-244: R 135-25; D 38-218 (ND 2-172, SD 36-46); I 0-1, March 7, 1991. USCC position: Favor.

2. Roll call #69. HCONRES121. Fiscal 1992 Budget Resolution/Medicare Cuts. Kasich, R-Ohio, substitute amendment to hold domestic discretionary spending at the fiscal 1990 baseline or the president's request, whichever is lower, resulting in domestic discretionary outlays that are about $7.5 billion lower than the cap set in the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 (PL 101-508); cut entitlement programs by $6.4 billion in fiscal 1992 and $48.6 billion over five years, including cuts in Medicare, totaling $27.2 billion over five years; and increase revenues by $3.1 billion. Rejected 114-303: R 105-56; D 9-246 (ND 4-168, SD 5-78); I 0-1, April 17, 1991. USCC position: Favor.

3. Roll call #115. HRES101. Disapproval of Fast-Track Procedures/Adoption. Adoption of the resolution to disapprove the president's request to extend for two more years fast-track procedures that would require legislation implementing trade agreements to be considered within 60 days of introduction under limited debate and with no amendments permitted. Rejected 192-231: R 21-140; D 170-91 (ND 128-50, SD 42-41); I 1-0, May 23, 1991. A "nay" was a vote supporting the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

4. Roll call #131. HR1. Civil Rights Act of 1991/Passage. Passage of the bill to reverse or modify a series of Supreme Court rulings that narrowed the reach and remedies of job discrimination laws and to authorize compensatory and punitive damages for victims of discrimination based on sex, religion or disability. Passed 273-158: R 22-143; D 250-15 (ND 177-4, SD 73-11); I 1-0; June 5, 1991. A "nay" was a vote supporting the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

5. Roll call #213. HR5. Striker Replacement/Passage. Passage of the bill to prohibit employers from hiring permanent replacements for workers striking over economic issues, if the strike was by union-represented employees. Passed 247-182: R 16-149; D 230-33 (ND 178-0, SD 52-33); I 1-0, July 17, 1991. A "nay" was a vote supporting the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

6. Roll call #264. HR3040. Unemployment Benefits Extension. Rostenkowski, D-Ill., amendment to replace the bill's provisions that automatically declare the extended benefits as emergency spending with provisions that would raise the wage base subject to the federal unemployment tax for certain employers to pay for the extended benefits, if the the president does not declare the benefits an emergency. Rejected 65-341: R 5-151; D 59-190 (ND 49-122, SD 10-168); I 1-0, Sept. 17, 1991. USCC position: Opposed.

7. Roll call #304. HR1470. Vertical Price Fixing/Market Power. Campbell, R-Calif., amendment to allow as a defense against price-fixing actions that the manufacturer is so small in the relevant market as to lack market power. Adopted 218-195: R 156-6; D 62-188 (ND 27-148, SD 35-40); I 0-1, Oct. 10, 1991. USCC position: Favor.

8. Roll call #393. HR2. Family and Medical Leave Act/Passage. Passage of the bill to require employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave a year for a serious illness, the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for a seriously ill child, spouse or parent. Passed 253-177: R 35-129; D 217-48 (ND 169-12, SD 48-36); I 1-0, Nov. 13, 1991. A "nay" was a vote supporting the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

USCC roll call votes for 102d Congress, 2d Session

1. Roll call #31. HR4210. 1992 Tax Bill/Passage. Passage of the bill to give workers a temporary tax credit worth up to $400 for couples and $200 for individuals a year to be paid for with a 10 percent surtax on millionaires and a new top income tax rate of 35 percent on individuals with taxable income higher than $85,000 and couples above $145,000. The package includes indexing of capital gains, passive loss deductions for real estate developers, permanent extension of certain tax breaks, penalty-free withdrawals from Individual Retirement Accounts for first homes and medical and educational expenses, and other provisions designed to spur economic growth. Passed 221-209: R 1-163; D 219-46 (ND 156-27, SD 63-19); I 1-0, Feb. 27, 1992. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

2. Roll call #66. HR3732. Eliminate Budget Walls/Passage. Passage of the bill to modify the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act (PL 101-508) to knock down the walls that prohibit the shifting of funds between defense, international and domestic appropriations. Rejected 187-238: R 0-162; D 186-76 (ND 151-28, SD 35-48); I 1-0, March 31, 1992. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

3. Roll call #79. HR3732. Eliminate Budget Walls/Passage. Passage of the bill to modify the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act (PL 101-508) to knock down the walls that prohibit the shifting of funds between defense, international and domestic appropriations. Rejected 187-238: R 0-162; D 186-76 (ND 151-28, SD 35-48); I 1-0, March 31, 1992. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

4. Roll call #140. HR776. National Energy Policy/Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Rostenkowski, D-Ill., amendment to strike the provisions of the bill to require oil importers and refiners to set aside 1 percent of their crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) or make cash payments to fill the SPR, if enough oil is not acquired to fill the reserve through other means at a rate of 150,000 barrels per day. Adopted 263-135: R 141-9; D 122-125 (ND 60-106, SD 62-19); I 0-1, May 27, 1992. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

5. Roll call #256. HR5488. Fiscal 1993 Treasury, Postal Service Appropriations/Restore Council on Competitiveness. McDade, R-Pa., amendment to eliminate the prohibition in the bill and allow the use of funds for the White House Council on Competitiveness, chaired by Vice President Dan Quayle. Rejected 183-236: R 154-10; D 29-225 (ND 7-166, SD 22-59); I 0-1, July 1, 1992. USCC position: Favor.

6. Roll call #426. HR3596. Consumer Credit Reporting Reform/Preemption of State Laws. Gonzalez, D-Texas, amendment to strike the provisions of the bill that pre-empt all state laws that give consumers additional protections from credit reporting agencies. Rejected 203-207: R 26-133; D 176-74 (ND 138-36, SD 38-38); I 1-0, Sept. 24, 1992. USCC position: Opposed.

7. Roll call #462. S2532. Russian Aid/Conference Report. Adoption of the conference report to provide $1.4 billion in aid to the former republics of the Soviet Union. The bill also would increase the U.S. contribution to the International Monetary Fund by $12.3 billion. Adopted (thus clearing the bill for the president) 232-164: R 78-77; D 154-86 (ND 107-60, SD 47-26); I 0-1, Oct. 3, 1992. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

USCC roll call votes for 103d Congress, 1st Session

1. Roll call #88. HR1335. Fiscal 1993 Supplemental Appropriations/Passage. Passage of the bill to provide $16.3 billion in new budget authority and approve $3.4 billion in trust fund spending to implement the administration's stimulus package to help the economy recover. Specifically, the bill provides approximately $4.2 billion for transportation, $4.9 billion for construction and maintenance work, $4 billion for unemployment benefits, $3.4 billion for education, $900 million for business and technology programs, $700 million for summer youth jobs, $1.5 billion for other social programs, and other funding. The funds would be designated as emergency spending and thus be exempt from the spending caps of the 1990 budget agreement. Passed 235-190: R 3-168; D 231-22 (ND 164-6, SD 67-16); I 1-0, March 19, 1993. (In the session that began and the Congressional Record dated March 18). A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

2. Roll call #146. HR1578. Expedited Rescission Authority/Disapproval Procedures. Castle, R-Del., substitute amendment to require that a proposed presidential rescission take effect unless both chambers passed a motion of disapproval (which could be vetoed, ultimately forcing a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers in order to overturn a rescission). Rejected in the Committee of the Whole 198-219: R 165-4; D 33-214 (ND 21-143, SD 12-71); I 0-1, April 29, 1993. USCC position: Opposed.

3. Roll call #199. HR2264. Fiscal 1993 Budget Reconciliation/Passage. Passage of the five-year, $337 billion bill that closely follows President Clinton's economic proposals. The bill would raise $250 billion in new revenues, mandate $87 billion in cuts in mandatory spending, and cut an additional $159 billion from the deficit, largely through discretionary spending cuts and interest savings, for a total of $496 billion in deficit reduction over five years. Proposals in the bill include: a new top income bracket of 36 percent with a 10 percent surtax on income of more than $250,000; a tax increase on the Social Security benefits of better-off recipients; an increase in the Medicare payroll tax; an energy (Btu) tax; an increase in the corporate income tax rate to 35 percent; an auction of the public radio spectrum; and an expansion of the earned income tax credit. Also in the bill are provisions to freeze discretionary spending at or below fiscal 1993 levels through fiscal 1998 and create an entitlement review process and a deficit-reduction trust fund. Passed 219-213: R 0-175; D 218-38 (ND 150-21, SD 68-17); I 1-0, May 27, 1993. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

4. Roll call #224. HR5. Striker Replacement/Passage. Passage of the bill to prohibit employers from hiring permanent replacements for striking union workers during economic strikes. Passed 239-190: R 17-157; D 221-33 (ND 169-1, SD 52-32); I 1-0, June 15, 1993. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

5. Roll call #406. HR2264. 1993 Budget Reconciliation/Adoption. Adoption of the conference report to reduce the deficit by an estimated $496 billion over five years through almost $241 billion in additional taxes and $255 billion in spending cuts by closely tracking President Clinton's economic proposals. Of the cuts in the bill, $102 billion would come through a freeze of discretionary spending at fiscal 1993 levels through fiscal 1998. Proposals in the bill include: a new top income tax bracket of 36 percent with a 10 percent surtax above $250,000 retroactive to Jan. 1, 1993; a tax increase on the Social Security benefits of wealthier recipients; an increase of 4.3 cents in the federal gas tax; a tax increase from 34 percent to 35 percent on corporate income above $10 million retroactive to Jan. 1, 1993; an auction of the public radio spectrum; a direct student loan program; $55.8 billion in Medicare cuts mostly through reductions in payments to providers; a delay in cost of living adjustments for military personnel; changes in federal retirement programs; a $20.8 billion expansion of the earned-income tax credit; creation of empowerment zones; an increase in spending of $500 million for childhood immunization and $2.5 billion for food stamps; a two-year extension of the research and development tax credit; a 50 percent capital gains exclusion for long-term investments in certain small businesses; and allowing the depreciation of intangible assets. Adopted 218-216: R 0-175; D 217-41 (ND 155-18, SD 62-23); I 1-0, Aug. 5, 1993. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

6. Roll call #521. HR2519. Fiscal 1994 Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations/National Endowment for Democracy. Smith, D-Iowa, motion to recede from the House position on funding for the National Endowment for Democracy. Motion agreed to 259-172: R 102-73; D 157-98 (ND 104-67, SD 53-31); I 0-1, Oct. 20, 1993. USCC position: Favor.

7. Roll call #575. HR3450. NAFTA Implementation/Passage. Passage of the bill to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement and make the necessary changes to U.S. statutory law to implement it. Passed 234-200: R 132-43; D 102-156 (ND 49-124, SD 53-32); I 0-1, Nov. 17, 1993. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

USCC roll call votes for 103d Congress, 2d Session

1. Roll call #65. HJRES103. Balanced-Budget Constitutional Amendment/Passage. Passage of the joint resolution to propose a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget by 2001 or the second fiscal year after ratification by three-fourths of the states, whichever is later. Congress could waive the balanced-budget requirement if three-fifths of the House and Senate approve deficit spending. It also could waive the requirement when a declaration of war was in effect or when there was a declared military threat to national security. Rejected 271-153: R 172-1; D 99-151 (ND 47-122, SD 52-29); I 0-1, March 17, 1994. (A two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting (283 in this case) is required to pass a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution.) A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

2. Roll call #128. HR2884. School-to-Work Opportunities/Conference Report. Adoption of the conference report to authorize $300 million for grants programs to help students make the transition from school to the workplace. Adopted 339-79: R 93-78; D 245-1 (ND 167-0, SD 78-1); I 1-0, April 20, 1994. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

3. Roll call #200. HR4385. National Highway System Designation/Passage. Passage of the bill to designate roughly 160,000 miles of roadway as the National Highway System with priority for federal aid; authorize $2 billion for 352 road and transit projects; make technical corrections to the 1991 surface transportation law; and for other purposes. Passed 412-12: R 161-11; D 250-1 (ND 169-1, SD 81-0); I 1-0, May 25, 1994. USCC position: Favor.

4. Roll call #331. HR820. National Competitiveness Bill/Motion To Instruct. Walker, R-Pa., motion to instruct the House conferees on the national competitiveness bill (HR820) to allow judicial review of agency compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (PL 96-354), which requires regulatory agencies to consider the impact of proposed regulations and rules on small businesses and local governments. Motion agreed to 380-36: R 172-0; D 207-36 (ND 132-32, SD 75-4); I 1-0, July 19, 1994. USCC position: Favor.

5. Roll call #383. HR4590. China MFN/State-Owned Enterprises. Pelosi, D-Calif., substitute amendment to deny President Clinton's waiver of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to the 1974 trade act with respect to products manufactured or exported by the Chinese army, Chinese defense industrial trading companies or state-owned enterprises in order to grant most-favored-nation (MFN) status, which allows those products to enter the United States at the lowest available tariff rate. Jackson-Vanik bars MFN status to communist countries that do not allow free emigration. The substitute also would require the Treasury Department to publish a list of enterprises owned by the Chinese military and Chinese defense industrial trading companies, and would urge U.S. businesses in China to protect worker and human rights. Rejected in the Committee of the Whole 158-270: R 46-125; D 111-145 (ND 91-84, SD 20-61); I 1-0, Aug. 9, 1994. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

6. Roll call #449. S349. Lobbying Disclosure/Rule. Adoption of the rule (HRes550) to provide for House floor consideration of the conference report to expand the disclosure of lobbying activities and impose new restrictions on gifts to members of Congress and their staffs. Adopted 216-205: R 5-170; D 210-35 (ND 156-13, SD 54-22); I 1-0, Sept. 29, 1994. USCC position: Opposed.

7. Roll call #507. HR5110. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/Passage. Passage of the bill to make statutory changes to implement the new world trade agreement negotiated under the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The agreement would reduce tariffs and trade barriers, ensure stricter enforcement of world trade rules through the newly established World Trade Organization (WTO), and expand GATT rules to cover such economic sectors as agriculture, services and intellectual property. The bill also would accelerate tax payment schedules, change eligibility standards for certain federal programs, and make other changes to offset lost revenues from tariff reductions in order to comply with pay-as-you-go budget rules. Passed 288-146: R 121-56; D 167-89 (ND 107-66, SD 60-23); I 0-1, Nov. 29, 1994. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

USCC roll call votes for 104th Congress, 1st Session

1. Roll call #51. HJRES1. Balanced-Budget Amendment/Passage. Passage of the joint resolution to propose a constitutional amendment to balance the budget by the year 2002 or two years after ratification by three-fourths of the states, whichever is later. Under the proposal three-fifths of the entire House and Senate would be required to approve deficit spending or an increase in the public debt limit. A simple majority could waive the requirement in times of war or in the face of a serious military threat. Passed 300-132: R 228-2; D 72-129 (ND 34-105, SD 38-24); I 0-1, Jan. 26, 1995. (A two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting (288 in this case) is required to pass a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution.) A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

2. Roll call #83. HR5. Unfunded Mandates/Passage. Passage of the bill to require any bill imposing costs of more than $50 million on state and local governments to provide a Congressional Budget Office cost analysis of the bill and specify how the proposals would be financed, or face a point of order that could be waived by a majority vote. Passed 360-74: R 230-0; D 130-73 (ND 79-60, SD 51-13); I 0-1, Feb. 1, 1995. USCC position: Favor.

3. Roll call #199. HR9. Omnibus Regulatory Overhaul/Passage. Passage of the bill incorporating into one omnibus bill the text of four bills concerning the federal regulatory process: HR830 (paperwork reduction), HR925 (private property rights), HR926 (regulatory overhaul) and HR1022 (risk assessment). Passed 277-141: R 219-8; D 58-132 (ND 23-110, SD 35-22); I 0-1, March 3, 1995. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

4. Roll call #295. HR1215. Tax and Spending Cuts/Passage. Passage of the bill to cut taxes by $189 billion over five years through a variety of proposals, including a $500-per-child tax credit for families earning up to $200,000 a year; the elimination of the corporate alternative minimum tax; a lowering of the capital gains tax rate from 28 percent to 19.8 percent; the easing of the "marriage penalty" in the tax code; the establishment of "back loaded" individual retirement accounts; and the repeal of the 1993 tax increase on Social Security benefits. The cost of the bill would be offset through various proposals, including cutting discretionary spending by $100 billion over five years; increasing federal employees' pension contribution; and freezing reimbursement rates in certain Medicare programs. Passed 246-188: R 219-11; D 27-176 (ND 9-130, SD 18-46); I 0-1, April 5, 1995. (A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position.) USCC position: Favor.

5. Roll call #337. HR961. Clean Water Act Revisions/Passage. Passage of the bill to authorize $2.3 billion a year for five years for state revolving loan funds that provide money for clean water projects under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972; ease or waive numerous federal water pollution control regulations and subject them to cost-benefit analysis; allow states to continue to rely on voluntary measures to deal with unmet water pollution problems; restrict the ability of federal agencies to declare wetlands off-limits to development; require the federal government to reimburse landowners if wetlands regulations cause a 20 percent decrease in land value; and for other purposes. Passed 240-185: R 195-34; D 45-150 (ND 19-114, SD 26-36); I 0-1, May 16, 1995. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

6. Roll call #458. HCONRES67. Fiscal 1996 Concurrent Budget Resolution/Adoption. Adoption of the conference report on the fiscal 1996 budget resolution to put in place a seven-year plan to balance the budget by 2002 by cutting projected spending by $894 billion, including cuts of $270 billion from Medicare, $182 billion from Medicaid, $190 billion from non-defense spending, and $175 billion from various entitlement programs such as welfare. The resolution would allow for an increase in defense outlays of $58 billion above the administration-proposed level and tax cuts of $245 billion. The resolution sets binding budget levels for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1996: budget authority, $1.5917 trillion; outlays, $1.5875 trillion; revenues, $1.4172 trillion; deficit, $170.3 billion. Adopted (thus cleared for the Senate) 239-194: R 231-1; D 8-192 (ND 1-137, SD 7-55); I 0-1, June 29, 1995. USCC position: Favor.

7. Roll call #537. HJRES96. China MFN Disapproval/Motion To Table. Wolf, R-Va., motion to table (kill) the joint resolution to disapprove President Clinton's waiver of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to the 1974 trade act in order to grant most-favored-nation (MFN) status to China for the period July 1995 through July 1996, allowing Chinese products to enter the United States at the lowest available tariff rate. Jackson-Vanik bars MFN trade status to communist countries that do not allow free emigration. Motion agreed to 321-107: R 178-52; D 143-54 (ND 96-40, SD 47-14); I 0-1, July 20, 1995. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

8. Roll call #625. HR2127. Fiscal 1996 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations/Recommit. Obey, D-Wis., motion to recommit the bill to provide approximately $256 billion in new budget authority for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and certain independent agencies for fiscal 1996 to the Appropriations Committee with instructions to strike the bill's provisions prohibiting funds in the bill from being used to implement executive orders barring federal contractors from permanently replacing striking workers, prohibiting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from developing ergonomic standards and limiting the National Labor Relations Board's ability to seek injunctions. Rejected 188-238: R 8-222; D 179-16 (ND 133-1, SD 46-15); I 1-0, Aug. 4, 1995 (in the session that began and the Congressional Record dated Aug. 3) USCC position: Opposed.

9. Roll call #691. HR743. Teamwork For Employers and Managers/Passage. Passage of the bill to modify the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 to make clear that U.S. businesses can establish, without the presence of a labor union, workplace groups consisting of both labor and management to address such issues as productivity, quality control and safety. Passed 221-202: R 206-22; D 15-179 (ND 2-132, SD 13-47); I 0-1, Sept. 27, 1995. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

10. Roll call #731. HR2425. Medicare Revisions/Passage. Passage of the bill to cut $270 billion over seven years from Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly. The bill would make all health care fraud federal crimes, limit increases in payments to hospitals and other providers to keep solvent the Medicare Part A trust fund until fiscal 2010, and freeze the Part B Medicare premium at 31.5 percent of program costs. Passed 231-201: R 227-6; D 4-194 (ND 0-137, SD 4-57); I 0-1, Oct. 19, 1995. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

USCC roll call votes for 104th Congress, 2d Session

1. Roll call #21. HR2036. Land Disposal Exemption/Passage. Bliley, R-Va., motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill to exempt waste that is determined to be non-hazardous under the clean water act or under the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act from regulation under the 1965 Solid Waste Disposal Act. The bill also exempts municipal solid waste landfills that dispose of less than 20 tons of waste daily from ground water monitoring requirements. Motion agreed to 402-19: R 231-1; D 171-17 (ND 118-15, SD 53-2); I 0-1, Jan. 31, 1996. A two-thirds majority of those present and voting (281 in this case) is required for passage under suspension of the rules. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

2. Roll call #42. HR2854. Farm Bill/Passage. Passage of the bill to reauthorize through 2002 all major federal farm programs, replacing current price-support programs with a system of fixed annual payments to farmers that would decline over the next seven years. The bill gives farmers more flexibility in deciding what to plant, extends the sugar and peanut support programs with some modifications and phases out price supports for butter and dry milk. Passed 270-155: R 216-19; D 54-135 (ND 21-112, SD 33-23); I 0-1, Feb. 29, 1996. USCC position: Favor.

3. Roll call #98. HR3103. Health Insurance Revisions/Passage. Passage of the bill to guarantee portability so that individuals who change or lose their jobs could keep health coverage; prohibit insurers from canceling or refusing coverage based on an employee's health; increase the deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed from 30 percent to 50 percent by 2003; establish medical savings accounts; limit damage awards in medical malpractice lawsuits for pain and suffering damages to $250,000 and punitive damages to $250,000 or three times the amount of economic damages, whichever is greater; and stiffen penalties for defrauding the government through federal health care programs. Passed 267-151: R 229-1; D 38-149 (ND 17-113, SD 21-36); I 0-1, March 28, 1996. USCC position: Favor.

4. Roll call #117. HJRES159. Tax Limitation Constitutional Amendment/Passage. Passage of the joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate in order to raise taxes. Congress would be able to waive this supermajority requirement to pass a tax increase during a period of declared war between the United States and another country or when Congress and the president enact a joint resolution stating that the United States is engaged in a military conflict that threatens national security. Rejected 243-177: R 219-16; D 24-160 (ND 10-121, SD 14-39); I 0-1, April 15, 1996. A two-thirds majority of those present and voting (280 in this case) is required to amend the Constitution. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

5. Roll call #190. HR3448. Small Business Tax Package/Passage. Passage of the bill to provide about $7 billion over eight years in tax relief to small businesses by extending and creating a variety of tax credits. The bill would increase from $17,500 to $25,000 over eight years the amount that businesses can deduct for equipment purchases, make a number of changes in current pension law, loosen requirements for forming subchapter S corporations, expand the tip credit to employees who deliver food off the premises of eating establishments and extend two expired tax provisions - the work opportunity tax credit which gives employers a tax credit for hiring disadvantaged workers and the employer provided tuition assistance which allows workers to exempt from their taxable income employer provided tuition. Passed 414-10: R 227-0; D 186-10 (ND 129-9, SD 57-1); I 1-0, May 22, 1996. USCC position: Favor.

6. Roll call #284. HJRES182. China's MFN Status/Passage. Passage of the joint resolution to disapprove President Clinton's decision to renew most-favored-nation trade status to China from July 3, 1996, to July 3, 1997. Rejected 141-286: R 65-167; D 75-119 (ND 62-75, SD 13-44); I 1-0, June 27, 1996. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Opposed.

7. Roll call #331. HR3734. Budget Reconciliation-Welfare Overhaul/Passage. Passage of the bill to save about $61.1 billion through fiscal 2002, mostly by cutting aid to legal immigrants and scaling back food stamp benefits. The bill would end the federal guarantee of welfare benefits, give states broad discretion over their own programs through block grants, require welfare recipients to work within two years of receiving benefits and generally limit recipients to five years of welfare benefits. The bill also would make it harder for disabled children to qualify for Supplemental Security Income, restrict food stamp benefits and deny most legal aliens Supplemental Security Income, food stamps and Medicaid benefits. Passed 256-170: R 226-4; D 30-165 (ND 16-122, SD 14-43); I 0-1, July 18, 1996. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. USCC position: Favor.

8. Roll call #392. HR3103. Health Insurance Revisions/Recommit. Stark, D-Calif., motion to recommit to the conference committee the conference report on the bill, with instructions to the House managers to do everything possible within the scope of the conference to improve mental health care insurance coverage while minimizing impact on the cost or availability of insurance. Motion rejected 198-228: R 14-216; D 183-12 (ND 135-4, SD 48-8); I 1-0, Aug. 1, 1996. USCC position: Opposed.