Roll Call- area members of Congress

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By Thomas Voting Reports | Saturday, July 22, 2006 12:00 AM CDT | () comments

WASHINGTON — Here’s how area members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending Friday.

House

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN: Voting 236 for and 187 against, the House on July 18 failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to advance a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriages (HJ Res 88). The Senate already had defeated the same measure.

The amendment states: “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any state, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”

A yes vote was to pass the resolution.

IOWA

Voting yes: Jim Nussle, R-1

Voting no: Jim Leach, R-2

ILLINOIS

Voting yes: Jerry Weller, R-11, Dennis Hastert, R-14, Donald Manzullo, R-16, Ray LaHood, R-18

Not voting: Lane Evans, D-17

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Voting 260 for and 167 against, the House on July 19 sent the Senate a bill (HR 2389) stripping federal courts of jurisdiction over the Pledge of Allegiance. The measure would give state courts sole authority to judge whether the words “under God” in organized pledge recitals at schools violate the constitutional separation of church and state. A federal appeals court ruled in 2002 that such recitals violate the Establishment Clause, but the Supreme Court voided that ruling on technical grounds, leaving the issue in play.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

IOWA

Voting yes: Nussle, Leach,

ILLINOIS

Voting yes: Weller, Manzullo, LaHood

Not voting: Evans

OMAN TRADE AGREEMENT: Voting 221 for and 205 against, the House on July 20 sent President Bush a bill (HR 5684) to implement a free-trade accord with the Arab Gulf state of Oman. Backers said the pact will benefit the U.S. economy and reward a Middle Eastern ally. Critics said it lacks tough environmental and labor standards and gives terrorists an opening to work at U.S. ports.

The agreement would immediately remove all duties on industrial and consumer products traded between the two countries and eliminate textile and apparel tariffs on a product-by-product basis over five years. All Omani farm exports to the United States would immediately become tariff-free, and tariffs on 87 percent of U.S. farm exports to Oman would be lifted immediately; remaining barriers on U.S. farm exports would be phased out over ten years.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

IOWA

Voting yes: Leach

Not voting: Nussle

ILLINOIS

Voting yes: Weller, Hastert, Manzullo, LaHood

Not voting: Evans

U.S. PORT SECURITY: Voting 227 for and 196 against, the House on July 20 blocked a Democratic bid to strip the U.S.-Oman trade agreement of language allowing Oman interests to perform work such as cargo handling and dock maintenance at U.S. ports. The vote occurred during debate on HR 5684 (above). Critics called the language an opening for terrorists, while defenders said that under international trade rules, a trading partner can unilaterally block deals it regards as security risks.

A yes vote was to advance the trade pact.

IOWA

Voting no: Leach

Not voting: Nussle

ILLINOIS

Voting yes: Weller, Manzullo, LaHood

Not voting: Evans

SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL: The House on July 20 adopted, 410 for and eight against, a measure (H Res 921) supporting Israel in its ongoing military campaign against the militant Islamic organizations Hezbollah and Hamas. The resolution affirms Israel’s right to self-defense and states that Iran and Syria should be held accountable for their sponsorship of Hezbollah and Hamas.

A yes vote backed the resolution.

IOWA

Voting yes: Leach

Not voting: Nussle

ILLINOIS

Voting yes: Weller, Manzullo, LaHood

Not voting: Evans

Senate

VOTING RIGHTS ACT: Voting 98 for and none against, the Senate on July 20 sent President Bush a bill (HR 9) to extend the Voting Rights Act for 25 years beyond its scheduled expiration next year. The law was enacted in 1965 to outlaw discriminatory policies such as poll taxes and literacy tests, and expanded later to require voting materials in certain jurisdictions to be provided in languages in addition to English. The bill would continue a requirement that certain states and localities with a history of systematic voting discrimination clear changes in their voting laws in advance with the Department of Justice.

Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said: “People of all races have been guaranteed the right to vote since passage of the 15th amendment in 1870. For far too long, though, this was a right only in theory....Since this act was passed, we have seen the voting proportions of these (minority) populations increase dramatically.”

Barack Obama, D-Ill., said: “We have to prevent the problems we have seen in recent elections from happening again. We have seen political operatives purge voters from registration rolls for no legitimate reason, prevent eligible ex-felons from casting ballots, distribute polling equipment unevenly and deceive voters about the time, location and rules of elections.”

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

IOWA

Voting yes: Charles Grassley, R, Tom Harkin, D

ILLINOIS

Voting yes: Richard Durbin , D, Barack Obama, D