Senate Key Votes 6-10
By the CQ Staff
6. S1028. Health Insurance Revisions/Medical Savings Accounts. Kassebaum, R-Kan., amendment to strike the provisions in the Dole, R-Kan., amendment that establish medical savings accounts, which allow individuals to make tax deductible contributions to special accounts set up to pay medical expenses. Adopted 52-46: R 5-46; D 47-0 (ND 37-0, SD 10-0), April 18, 1996. A "yea" was a vote in support of the president's position. (Senate vote 72)
7. SCONRES57. Fiscal 1997 Budget Resolution/Centrist Coalition Alternative. Chafee, R-R.I., substitute amendment to save $679 billion over seven years and provide for a balanced budget by 2003. The substitute would reduce projected spending over seven years for Medicare by $154 billion, Medicaid by $62 billion, welfare by $58 billion and discretionary spending by $268 billion. The substitute includes a net $105 billion in tax cuts, would save $126 billion by adjusting the Consumer Price Index and would save $25 billion by eliminating certain tax preferences. Rejected 46-53: R 22-30; D 24-23 (ND 18-19, SD 6-4), May 23, 1996. (Senate vote 150)
8. 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. 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. The courts would be prohibited from raising taxes or cutting spending unless specifically authorized by Congress. Rejected 64-35: R 52-1; D 12-34 (ND 7-29, SD 5-5), June 6, 1996. (A two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting (66 in this case) is required to pass a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution.) On June 4, the Senate had by voice vote agreed to reconsider a vote on March 2, 1995, by which the Senate had rejected passage of H J Res 1 by 65-35. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. (Senate vote 158)
9. S1219. Campaign Finance Overhaul/Cloture. Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the bill to institute voluntary campaign spending limits with reduced broadcast and postal rates, to outlaw political action committees and to ban unlimited contributions to political parties (so-called soft money). Motion rejected 54-46: R 8-45; D 46-1 (ND 37-0, SD 9-1), June 25, 1996. Three-fifths of the total Senate (60) is required to invoke cloture. (Senate vote 168)
10. HR3448. Small Business Tax Package-Minimum Wage Increase/Wage Delay and Exemptions. Bond, R-Mo., amendment to delay by six months a 90-cent increase in the minimum wage; to exempt employees of businesses with annual gross sales under $500,000 from the minimum wage increase; and to deny any new employees the minimum wage increase for the first six months of employment. Rejected 46-52: R 46-5; D 0-47 (ND 0-37, SD 0-10), July 9, 1996. A "nay" was a vote in support of the president's position. (Senate vote 183)
Note: Bob Dole, R-Kan., resigned June 11. He was eligible to vote on key votes 1-8. Sheila Frahm, R-Kan., was sworn in June 11, replacing Dole. She was eligible to vote on key votes 9-14. On key vote 6, Dole voted nay; on vote 7, he did not vote; on vote 8, he voted yea.
SENATE KEY VOTES 6 7 8 9 10
Alabama
Heflin (D) Y N Y N N
Shelby (R) N N Y N Y
Alaska
Stevens (R) N N Y N Y
Murkowski (R) N N Y N Y
Arizona
McCain (R) N N Y Y Y
Kyl (R) N N Y N Y
Arkansas
Bumpers (D) Y N N Y N
Pryor (D) Y Y N Y N
California
Feinstein (D) Y Y N Y N
Boxer (D) Y Y N Y N
Colorado
Brown (R) N Y Y N Y
Campbell (R) ? Y Y N N
Connecticut
Dodd (D) Y N N Y N
Lieberman (D) Y Y N Y N
Delaware
Roth (R) N N Y N Y
Biden (D) Y N Y Y N
Florida
Graham (D) Y Y Y Y N
Mack (R) ? N Y N Y
Georgia
Nunn (D) Y Y Y Y N
Coverdell (R) N N Y N Y
Hawaii
Inouye (D) Y Y N Y N
Akaka (D) Y Y N Y N
Idaho
Craig (R) N N Y N Y
Kempthorne (R) N N Y N Y
Illinois
Simon (D) Y Y Y Y N
Moseley-Braun (D) Y N Y Y N
Indiana
Lugar (R) N Y Y N Y
Coats (R) N Y Y N Y
Iowa
Grassley (R) N N Y N Y
Harkin (D) Y N Y Y N
Kansas
Dole (R) N ? Y I I
Kassebaum Baker (R) Y Y Y Y Y
Frahm (R) I I I N Y
Kentucky
Ford (D) Y N N Y N
McConnell (R) N N Y N Y
Louisiana
Johnston (D) Y Y N Y N
Breaux (D) Y Y Y Y N
Maine
Cohen (R) N Y Y Y +
Snowe (R) N Y Y Y Y
Maryland
Sarbanes (D) Y N N Y N
Mikulski (D) Y N N Y N
Massachusetts
Kennedy (D) Y N N Y N
Kerry (D) Y N N Y N
Michigan
Levin (D) Y Y N Y N
Abraham (R) N N Y N Y
Minnesota
Wellstone (D) Y N N Y N
Grams (R) N N Y N Y
Mississippi
Cochran (R) N Y Y N ?
Lott (R) N N Y N Y
Missouri
Bond (R) Y N Y N Y
Ashcroft (R) N N Y N Y
Montana
Baucus (D) Y N Y Y N
Burns (R) N N Y N Y
Nebraska
Exon (D) Y N N Y N
Kerrey (D) Y Y N Y N
Nevada
Reid (D) Y Y N Y N
Bryan (D) Y Y Y Y N
New Hampshire
Smith (R) N N Y N Y
Gregg (R) N Y Y N Y
New Jersey
Bradley (D) Y Y N Y N
Lautenberg (D) Y N N Y N
New Mexico
Domenici (R) N N Y N Y
Bingaman (D) Y Y N Y N
New York
Moynihan (D) Y Y N Y N
D'Amato (R) N Y Y N N
North Carolina
Helms (R) N N Y N Y
Faircloth (R) N Y Y N Y
North Dakota
Conrad (D) Y Y N Y N
Dorgan (D) Y N N Y N
Ohio
Glenn (D) Y N N Y N
DeWine (R) N Y Y N Y
Oklahoma
Nickles (R) N N Y N Y
Inhofe (R) N N Y N Y
Oregon
Hatfield (R) Y Y N N N
Wyden (D) Y N N Y N
Pennsylvania
Specter (R) N Y Y Y N
Santorum (R) N Y Y N Y
Rhode Island
Pell (D) Y Y - Y N
Chafee (R) Y Y Y N Y
South Carolina
Thurmond (R) N N Y N Y
Hollings (D) Y N N Y N
South Dakota
Pressler (R) N N Y N Y
Daschle (D) Y N N Y N
Tennessee
Thompson (R) N N Y Y Y
Frist (R) N Y Y N Y
Texas
Gramm (R) N N Y N Y
Hutchison (R) N N Y N Y
Utah
Hatch (R) N Y Y N Y
Bennett (R) N Y Y N Y
Vermont
Leahy (D) Y Y N Y N
Jeffords (R) N Y Y Y N
Virginia
Warner (R) N N Y N Y
Robb (D) Y Y Y Y N
Washington
Gorton (R) Y Y Y N Y
Murray (D) Y Y N Y N
West Virginia
Byrd (D) Y N N Y N
Rockefeller (D) Y N N Y N
Wisconsin
Kohl (D) Y Y Y Y N
Feingold (D) Y N N Y N
Wyoming
Simpson (R) N Y Y Y Y
Thomas (R) N N Y N Y
KEY --
Y YEA
N NAY
# PAIRED FOR
X PAIRED AGAINST
+ ANNOUNCED FOR
- ANNOUNCED AGAINST
P VOTED PRESENT
C VOTES PRESENT TO AVOID
POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST
? DID NOT VOTE OR MAKE POSITION KNOWN
I NOT ELEGIBLE MEMBER