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1999 AFL-CIO
Congressional Voting Record (COPE)
Your congressional representatives
have had dozens of chances to cast their votes for or against working
families.
The following AFL-CIO Voting Record will let you know where your
lawmakers stand on working family issues such as strengthening
Social Security
and Medicare, freedom to join a union, the Patients' Bill of Rights,
Fast Track, fair wages, education and workplace safety.
1999 U.S. HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS
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1
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TRADE / STEEL
(Passed)
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H.R.
975 — In 1998, as result of a slumping global steel market,
foreign steel producers began illegally dumping steel in the
United States. Imports jumped 33 percent and some 10,000 steelworkers
lost their jobs. H.R. 975 called for a reduction in volume
of steel imports, set tougher import monitoring rules and
set an import limit at 1997 levels. The bill passed 289-141,
March 17, 1999. Y=R N=W (DEM: 197-13; REP: 91-128) |
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2
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SOCIAL SECURITY / MEDICARE
(Passed)
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H.C.R.
68 — Given the chance to strengthen Social Security and
Medicare or to finance an $800 billion tax cut aimed predominately
at the wealthy, the House voted, mostly along party lines,
for an FY 2000 budget resolution that set tax cut legislation
in motion but did not extend the life of Social Security or
Medicare by a single day. The bill passed 221-208 on March
25, 1999. Budget resolutions are budget “blueprints”
and are not signed into law. Y=W N=R (DEM: 4-205; REP:
217-2) |
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3
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TRADE / AFRICA
(Passed)
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H.R.
434 — Working families have long supported fair trade
polices that include worker and environmental protections
and provide economic benefits to workers in the trading nations.
But H.R. 434, which authorized a new trade and investment
policy for sub-Sahara Africa, did not include enforceable
worker protections and would allow transshipments of foreign
textiles and apparels through African countries, giving other
nations the trade benefits intended for African nations. It
also did nothing to address one of the major problems the
sub-Saharan countries face, a crushing debt burden to developed
nations. The bill passed 234-163, July 16, 1999. The bill
was sent to conference with a similar Senate bill and no further
action was taken in 1999. Y=W N=R (DEM: 98-99; REP: 136-63) |
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4
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EDUCATION / BLOCK GRANTS
(Passed)
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H.R.
1995 — Overcrowded and rundown schools make it difficult
for teachers to teach and students to learn. President Clinton
proposed a class size reduction program centering on the hiring
of 100,000 new teachers over the next six years to reduce
class size in the early grades to a national average of 18
students. However, H.R.1995 actually undermines student
achievement by block-granting the class size reduction
program, along with other programs, and not requiring those
block grants to target the neediest schools where the funds
would have the most impact. The bill passed 239-185, July
20, 1999. Y=W N=R (DEM: 24-180; REP: 215-4) |
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5
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TAX CUTS
(Passed)
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H.R.
2488 — The nation's growing budget surplus provided a
great opportunity for Congress to pass legislation to strengthen
Social Security and Medicare, add prescription drug coverage
to Medicare and still provide working families with targeted
tax relief. Instead, H.R. 2488 called for a $792 billion,
10-year tax-cut package with most of its benefits intended
for the wealthy—such as a capital gains tax cut and
estate tax repeal. Estimates showed the cost of the bill could
balloon to $3 trillion for the 10 years following 2010, just
as baby boomers' retirement is straining Medicare and Social
Security. The bill passed 223-208, July 22, 1999. It was
later vetoed by President Clinton. Y=W N=R (DEM: 6-203;
REP: 217-4) |
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6
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CHINA / NTR
(Failed)
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H.J.RES.
57 — The Chinese government has a long history of abuse
of workers and human rights and the production of export goods
made by forced labor. H.J. Res. 57 would have denied the extension
of normal trade relations with China, which many opposed because
of the Chinese government's horrendous record of human and
workers' rights' violations, the ballooning trade imbalance
and China's continued use of slave labor. However, the resolution
failed 170-260, July 27, 1999. Y=R N=W (DEM: 98-110; REP:
71-150) |
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7
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WORKER HEALTH / ERGONOMICS
(Passed)
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H.R.
987 — Every year, more than 600,000 workers suffer injuries
and illnesses caused by ergonomic hazards in the workplace.
The National Academy of Sciences, the National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health, most occupational safety and
health organizations and professionals say scientific evidence
backs the need for workplace ergonomic standards. H.R.
987 would prohibit OSHA from issuing an ergonomics standard
until yet another scientific review is completed, about two
years. The legislation had strong backing from the Chamber
of Commerce and other business groups. The bill passed 217-209,
Aug. 3, 1999. Y=W N=R (DEM: 15-191; REP: 202-17) |
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8
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HEALTH CARE / PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS
(Passed)
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H.R.
2723 — Starting in 1998, working families called for
a strong Patients' Bill of Rights to ensure their rights to
have treatment decisions made by doctors and not insurance
company bureaucrats, to see specialists when needed, to get
emergency room care when and where needed, to appeal health
care decisions and to hold managed care companies accountable
when they wrongly deny patients care. H.R. 2723 provided those
rights and also required health plans to provide customers
with options such as ob-gyn care for women and pediatricians
as primary care providers for children. The bill passed 275-151,
Oct.7, 1999. Y=R N=W (DEM: 206-2; REP: 68-149) |
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9
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EDUCATION / SCHOOL VOUCHERS
(Rejected)
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H.R.
2 — Private school vouchers take away public funds from
public schools, which are open to all students, and shift
them to private schools, which can exclude students for several
reasons. During debate on H.R. 2, the Student Results Act,
Rep. Richard Armey (R-Texas) offered an amendment that would
have allowed states to use $100 million in Title I funds for
private school vouchers. The amendment was rejected 166-257,
Oct. 21, 1999. Y=W N=R (DEM: 3-204; REP: 163-52; I: 0-1) |
OREGON REPRESENTATIVES
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AFL-CIO Vote #:
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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1999 Total Votes
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Lifetime Total
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1999 Right
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Lifetime Right
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Favorable Position:
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Y
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N
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N
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N
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N
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Y
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N
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Y
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N
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R
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W
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R
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W
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%
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%
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Earl Blumenauer
(D-3)
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R
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R
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W
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R
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R
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W
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R
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R
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R
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7
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2
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27
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3
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78%
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91%
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Peter DeFazio
(D-4)
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R
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R
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R
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R
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R
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R
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R
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R
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R
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9
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0
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134
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12
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100%
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92%
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Darlene Hooley
(D-5)
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R
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R
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W
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R
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R
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W
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R
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R
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R
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7
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2
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22
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5
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78%
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81%
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Greg Walden
(R-2)
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W
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W
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R
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W
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W
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W
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W
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W
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R
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2
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7
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2
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7
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22%
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22%
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David Wu
(D-1)
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R
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R
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W
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R
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R
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R
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R
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R
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R
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8
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1
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8
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1
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89%
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89%
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KEY
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R = VOTED RIGHT |
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W = VOTED WRONG |
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A = ABSENT, DID NOT VOTE OR
MAKE POSITION KNOWN |
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S = SPEAKER |
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I = NOT IN OFFICE |
Contact Information
www.oraflcio.org
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