How members of Congress voted on key bills and amendments last week.

How members of Congress voted on key bills and amendments last week.
HOUSE
Intelligence Act
The House unanimously approved an amendment that tells the director of Central Intelligence to establish a pilot project to improve recruitment of ethnic and cultural minorities and women with diverse skills and language abilities. The vote was 418 yes to 0 no.
YES
Ohio: Tim Ryan, D-17th; Ted Strickland, D-6th, and Steven LaTourette, R-14th.
Pa.: Phil English, R-3rd, and Melissa A. Hart, R-4th.
Intelligence vote
The House rejected an amendment by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, that sought to direct the inspector general of the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct an audit of communications between the CIA and the vice president's office that relate to weapons of mass destruction obtained or developed by Iraq. The vote was 76 yes to 347 no.
YES
Ohio: Ryan and Strickland.
NO
Ohio: LaTourette.
Pa.: English and Hart.
No amendment
The House, by a vote of 185-239, rejected an amendment that sought to require a General Accounting Office study on intelligence-sharing by the Department of Defense and intelligence community with United Nations inspectors searching for weapons of mass destruction.
YES
Ohio: Strickland and Ryan.
NO
Ohio: LaTourette.
Pa.: Hart and English.
Military construction
The House passed legislation making appropriations for military construction, family housing and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense. The vote was 428-0.
YES
All local representatives.
Health savings act
The House approved legislation to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction to individuals for amounts contributed to health savings security accounts and health savings accounts, to provide for the disposition of unused health benefits in cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements.
Proponents said the accounts will be tax-free and the money could be used for any health-care-related expenses. The opposition said the bill had nothing to do with health care but to do with storing away wealth in a "tax shelter" for those people who have high incomes and good health. The bill will create new tax-exempt savings accounts, the opposition argued. The vote was 237-191.
YES
Ohio: LaTourette.
Pa.: English and Hart.
NO
Ohio: Ryan and Strickland.
Medicare drugs
The House passed a bill to provide a voluntary program for prescription drug coverage under Medicare, to modernize Medicare, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction to individuals for amounts contributed to health savings security accounts and health savings accounts, and to provide for the disposition of unused health benefits in cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements.
Proponents said Democrats wanted to save Medicare at the expense of higher taxes and an unbalanced budget instead of passing the Republican plan where "there is competitiveness in the process, costs are held down and quality is increased." Opponents sought a more complete Medicare bill.
The amendment was passed by a vote of 216-215 with one representative voting present.
YES
Ohio: LaTourette.
Pa.: Hart and English.
NO
Ohio: Strickland and Ryan.
CIA vote
The House approved legislation to authorize appropriations for fiscal 2004 for intelligence-related activities and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System.
Proponents said the bill helps keep the best technology working and allocates investments into analysis, human intelligence tools and homeland security. The vote was 410-9.
YES
All local representatives.
SENATE
Prescription drugs
The Senate approved an amendment to update the asset or resource test used for determining eligibility of low-income beneficiaries for premium and cost-sharing subsidies, starting in 2009.
Proponents argue this amendment would simplify the asset and resource test. Opponents argue the current measure targets the most assistance to those most in need, and that the asset tests that already exist maximize the most assistance to those most in need of this benefit. The vote was 69-29.
YES
Ohio: Mike DeWine, R.
Pa.: Arlen Specter, R.
NO
Ohio: George V. Voinovich, R.
Pa.: Rick Santorum, R.
Drug amendment
The Senate approved an amendment, by a vote of 71-26, that would get seniors a prescription drug benefit. Opponents said half of the funding proposed would go to subsidize the insurance companies to see if they can provide the prescription drug benefit at equivalent or less cost than Medicare, while the other half will go to wellness and chronic care.
YES
Ohio: DeWine.
Pa.: Santorum and Specter.
NOT VOTING
Ohio: Voinovich.
Immigrant benefits
The Senate rejected an amendment that called on the Senate Finance Committee to hold hearings to discuss the issue of states' providing health benefits to illegal immigrants.
Proponents argued without this amendment, this bill would take away hundreds of millions of dollars away from Medicare recipients and give it to immigrants.
Opponents said the committee already has held a series of hearings on health coverage for the uninsured, including legal immigrants. The vote was 33 yes and 65 no.
YES
Pa.: Santorum.
NO
Ohio: Voinovich and DeWine.
Pa.: Specter.
Social Security
The Senate approved legislation to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make improvements in the Medicare program.
Proponents said the bill would provide prescription drug coverage that hasn't been available, gives seniors more choices and better benefits.
Opponents said the act would benefit drug companies, insurance companies and people who make TV ads for politicians, but not seniors. The bill was approved on a vote of 76-21.
YES
Ohio: DeWine and Voinovich.
Pa.: Specter.
NO
Pa.: Santorum.
Source: States News Service