ROLL CALL \ Votes

The following chart shows how members of Congress voted on key bills and amendments in the last week.
HOUSE VOTES
Conference
The House, on Oct. 1, agreed to the motion of Rep. Norman D. Dicks, D-Wash., to instruct conferees on the bill to provide an additional $400 million of funding for the fiscal 2004. The proponent argued that the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management is unable to fulfill its mandated duties without the additional funds. The vote was 259 yeas to 165 nays.
YES: Rep. Timothy J. Ryan D-OH (17th), Rep. Ted Strickland D-OH (6th)
NO: Rep. Phil English R-PA (3rd), Rep. Melissa A. Hart R-PA (4th)
Tax Relief
The House, on Oct. 1, rejected the motion of Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., to instruct the conferees on the bill to retain credit of $1,000 per child in low-income families through the year 2010. The proponents argued that $3.5 billion in appropriations are necessary and fair as a stimulus to families earning between $10,000 and $26,000 a year. The vote was 207 yeas to 219 nays.
YES: Ryan, Strickland
NO: English, Hart
SENATE VOTES
Appropriations
The Senate, on Oct. 1, rejected an amendment by Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., to cut $15.2 billion of the $20.3 billion in Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Funds, leaving $5.1 billion to train and equip the Iraqi Defense Corps and Iraqi national security force and for other public safety and justice purposes. The proponents argued that full funding should be delayed until a solid plan for the reconstruction is in place and so that Congress may have chance to discuss their appropriation. The opponents, led by Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., argued that the full $21 billion is necessary, both for the necessity of restoring power to Iraq, and to show an example and encouragement to the rest of the world that the U.S. is committed. The vote was 38 yeas to 59 nays.
NO: Sen. Mike DeWine R-OH, Sen. Rick Santorum R-PA, Sen. Arlen Specter R-PA, Sen. George V. Voinovich R-OH.
Iraq and Afghanistan
The Senate, on Oct. 2, rejected an amendment by Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., to provide funds for the security of Iraq by suspending a portion of the reductions in the highest income tax rate for individual taxpayers. The proponents argued the $87 billion for reconstruction in Iraq is necessary and that taxpayers in the top income bracket would not be bothered if funds for that reconstruction came from a reduction in their tax breaks. The opponents, led by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, argued that under the Constitution, revenue measures must originate in the House, and that the amendment must be rejected on procedural grounds. The vote to table, or set aside, the amendment was 57 yeas to 42 nays.
YES: DeWine, Santorum, Specter, Voinovich
More Appropriations
The Senate, on Oct. 2, rejected an amendment by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to place the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq under the direct authority and foreign policy guidance of the Secretary of State. The proponents argued the Pentagon is better suited for military planning, while the State Department is trained to work at nation building. The opponents, led by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., argued that the Pentagon's administration of Iraq under Paul Bremer already reports to the State Department and that an official change in leadership would be regressive at this point. The vote to table, or set aside, the amendment was 56 yeas to 42 nays.
YES: DeWine, Santorum, Specter, Voinovich
Afghanistan
The Senate, on Oct. 2, rejected an amendment by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., to provide an additional $322 million for safety equipment for U.S. forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by the same amount. The proponents argued that there is not enough money to fund the $420 million Iraqi battlefield clearance and to cover the costs of infantry safety equipment, which the Army has reported under funded. The opponents, led by Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, argued that the Army has all the money it needs and that the amendment asks needlessly to take money from the second part of the bill in order to put it into the first. The vote to table, or set aside, the amendment was 49 yeas to 37 nays.
YES: DeWine, Santorum, Specter, Voinovich
NOT VOTING: Santorum
States News Service