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1
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MINIMUM WAGE—(H.R.
3846)—As introduced by Rep. John Shimkus, the bill provided
for a $1 increase in the current $5.15-an-hour minimum wage over
three years. But the House adopted a Democratic amendment to the
bill providing the $1 increase in the minimum wage over two years.
The amendment passed by a vote of 246-179 on March 9, 2000. Y=R;
N=W. (DEM: 203-5; REP: 42-173; IND: 1-1) |
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2
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MINIMUM WAGE/FAIR
LABOR STANDARDS ACT—(H.R. 3846)—The House rejected a Democratic
motion that would have eliminated the provisions in the minimum
wage bill to deny large segments of the computer industry, certain
sales employees and funeral directors overtime protections currently
provided by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The measure also would
have extended the minimum wage to the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands. The motion was rejected 181-243 on March 9, 2000.
Y=R; N=W. (DEM: 180-28; REP: 0-214; IND: 1-1) |
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3
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TRADE/CHINA TRADE—(H.R.
4444)—The House passed a bill to give the People's Republic
of China permanent normal trade relations status. The bill solidifies
China's entry into the World Trade Organization and effectively
eliminates the U.S. government's ability to impose trade sanctions
on China for human rights or workers' rights violations. The bill
passed by a vote of 237-197 on May 24, 2000. Y=W; N=R. (DEM: 73-138;
REP: 164-57; IND: 0-2) |
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4
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ERGONOMICS/WORKER PROTECTIONS/EDUCATION—(H.R.
4577)—The fiscal year 2001 Labor, Health and Human Services
and Education appropriations bill would have cut funding below the
previous year's effort level for the principal worker protection
programs. This bill also included an extreme legislative rider to
prohibit OSHA from moving forward with its ergonomics standard to
protect the safety and health of our nation's workers.* Such a workplace
ergonomics standard will reduce or prevent the musculoskeletal disorders—such
as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and back injuries—that
hit some 1.8 million workers a year. Finally, the bill provided
no funds for proposals to help reduce class size and repair public
school buildings and reduced funding for employment training programs.
The bill passed 217-214 on June 14, 2000. Y=W; N=R. (DEM: 3-206;
REP: 213-7; IND: 1-1)
*NOTE: Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio) offered an amendment to remove
the anti-ergonomics standard provision from the bill. However, since
the move was intended only to give political cover to representatives
who would ultimately vote for the overall bill, the AFL-CIO is not
scoring that vote and is using the final passage vote instead. |
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5
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HEALTH CARE/PRESCRIPTION
DRUGS—(H.R. 4680)—Prescription drug prices are rising
at twice the rate of inflation. Most at risk in the drug price free-for-all
are seniors, because Medicare does not pay for outpatient prescription
medicines. But siding with insurers and the pharmaceutical industry,
the House passed a sham prescription drug plan that would not give
seniors a guaranteed drug benefit in Medicare, but instead would
give private insurers big subsidies to offer drug-only policies.
Working families support legislation for a universal, voluntary
and affordable prescription drug benefit in the Medicare program
for seniors and people with disabilities. The House bill passed
217-214 on June 28, 2000. Y=W; N=R. (DEM: 5-203; REP: 211-10; IND:
1-1) |
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6
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COLLECTIVE BARGAININ/RIGHT
TO WORK—(H.R. 1304)—More and more physicians and other
health care professionals are finding a voice at work by joining
unions to improve both patient care and working conditions. H.R.
1304 would have granted physicians and other health care professionals
the same rights as other employees to collectively bargain without
being subject to suits under U.S. antitrust law. In an effort to
weaken the bill, a right to work amendment was rejected 201-214
on June 30, 2000. Y=W; N=R. (DEM: 15-186; REP: 185-27; IND: 1-1)
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7
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DEBT RELIEF—(H.R. 4811)—Many
developing countries are unable to implement necessary economic,
social and political reforms because they are being forced to shift
more and more of their limited resources from health care, education
and other vital services to debt repayments. The House passed an
amendment to the fiscal year 2001 Foreign Operations appropriations
bill that funded the administration's request of $225 million for
foreign debt relief. The amendment passed 216-211 on July 13, 2000.
Y=R; N=W. (DEM: 189-16; REP: 26-194; IND: 1-1) |
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8
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PROCURMENT REFORM—(H.R.
4871)—Environmental, consumer, civil rights, union and women's
organizations, as well as a number of contractors, supported new
responsible federal contractor rules proposed by the Clinton-Gore
administration. The rules would make clear that a relevant factor
in determining whether a federal contractor meets the responsibility
test is the contractor's record of complying with the law, including
environmental, labor, consumer, employment and other federal laws.
An amendment to the fiscal year 2001 Treasury-Postal appropriations
bill would have blocked changes to the federal regulations that
made clear a business potentially can be denied a federal contract
if they have a history of violating those basic federal laws. The
amendment passed 228-190 on July 20, 2000. Y=W; N=R. (DEM: 24-179;
REP: 203-10; IND: 1-1) |
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9
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ESTATE TAX REPEAL/VETO OVERRIDE—(H.R.
8)—The House tried to override President Clinton's veto of
the irresponsible tax bill that would have used $105 billion of
the non-Social Security surpluses over the next 10 years to repeal
the estate tax, which only affects the wealthiest 2 percent of the
taxpayers, rather than use these surpluses to strengthen Social
Security and Medicare and add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare.
The AFL-CIO supports tax relief that is targeted to those who deserve
it the most—the nation's working families. The override failed
274-157 (a two-thirds majority of those present and voting is required
to override a veto) on Sept. 7, 2000. Y=W; N=R. (DEM: 53-155; REP:
220-1; IND: 1-1) |
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10
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TAX CUT/CONFERENCE REPORT—(H.R.
2614)—Despite strong bipartisan support, Republican congressional
leaders blocked efforts to include the bipartisan Johnson-Rangel
school construction bill in this tax bill. Instead, they added three
school construction tax mechanisms, all without local prevailing
wage protections. The bill's backers claimed it would provide health
care coverage to the uninsured through a tax deduction for those
who pay at least 50 percent of the cost of their health insurance,
but that would be of no value to those without tax liability and
little help to those in the 15 percent bracket. In addition, the
Republican tax bill threw billions of dollars at managed health
care companies at the expense of Medicare beneficiaries, hospitals,
nursing homes and home health care providers who suffered from cuts
made to Medicare in 1997. Republican leaders who had long opposed
a $1-an-hour increase in the minimum wage over two years did include
the raise in their tax bill, but the dozens of other partisan tax
provisions in the bill in effect held the wage hike hostage. The
bill passed 237-174 on Oct. 26, 2000. Y=W; N=R. (DEM: 33-167; REP
203-6; IND: 1-1) |
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Voting
records compiled and provided by the AFL-CIO.
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