Here is how members of Maryland's delegation on Capitol Hill were recorded on important roll-call votes last week:
Y: YES N: NO X: NOT VOTING
HOUSE: CRIME BILL
By a vote of 285 for and 141 against, the House passed a bill (HR 4092) authorizing $27.9 billion over five years for an array of programs to punish and prevent crime. The bill was sent to conference with a Senate bill that would cost about $5 billion less.
0$ A yes vote was to pass the bill.
N X Member
Y * * Bentley, Helen Delich, R-2nd
* N * Bartlett, Roscoe G., R-6th
Y * * Cardin, Benjamin L., D-3rd
Y * * Gilchrest, Wayne T., R-1st
Y * * Hoyer, Steny H. D-5th
Y * * Wynn, Albert R., D-4th
Y * * Mfume, Kweisi, D-7th
Y * * Morella, Constance A., R-8th
HOUSE: MORE PRISONS
By a vote of 377 for and 50 against, the House approved more than quadrupling funding in HR 4092 (above) for building state prisons to hold repeat, violent criminals. The vote increased the authorization from $3 billion to $13.5 billion over five years. To get the federal grants, states would have to keep violent felons behind bars for nearly all of their sentences.
A yes vote was to spend $13.5 billion for new prisons in states that agree to longer terms for violent criminals.
N X Member
Y * * Bentley, Helen Delich, R-2nd
Y * * Bartlett, Roscoe G., R-6th
* N * Cardin, Benjamin L., D-3rd
Y * * Gilchrest, Wayne T., R-1st
Y * * Hoyer, Steny H. D-5th
Y * * Wynn, Albert R., D-4th
* N * Mfume, Kweisi, D-7th
Y * * Morella, Constance A., R-8th
HOUSE: RACE AND SENTENCING
By a vote of 212 for and 217 against, the House rejected a Republican-sponsored amendment concerning racial factors in sentencing. The amendment would have made it illegal to consider race in determining the toughness or softness of a sentence.
A yes vote opposed a new sentencing factor allowing criminals to avoid the death penalty if it is being applied in a discriminatory pattern in their jurisdiction.
Y N X Member
Y * * Bentley, Helen Delich, R-2nd
Y * * Bartlett, Roscoe G., R-6th
* N * Cardin, Benjamin L., D-3rd
Y * * Gilchrest, Wayne T., R-1st
* N * Hoyer, Steny H. D-5th
* N * Wynn, Albert R., D-4th
* N * Mfume, Kweisi, D-7th
* N * Morella, Constance A., R-8th
SENATE: FREE PARKING
By a vote of 44 for and 53 against, senators refused to renounce their free parking spaces at National and Dulles airports in Northern Virginia.
A yes vote was to repudiate free parking for members of Congress at National and Dulles airports.
Y N X Member
* N * Mikulski, Barbara A., D
Y * * Sarbanes, Paul S., D
SENATE: BANKRUPTCY FILINGS
By a vote of 60 for and 34 against, the Senate tabled (killed) an amendment limiting Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings by individuals once every three years. This occurred as the Senate debated and passed without dissent a bill (S540) to streamline the U.S. bankruptcy code.
5) A yes vote was to kill the amendment.
N X Member
* N * Mikulski, Barbara A., D
Y * * Sarbanes, Paul S., D
SENATE: ADMIRAL KELSO
By a vote of 54 for and 43 against, the Senate approved four-star retirement for Adm. Frank B. Kelso II, the director of naval operations, over arguments led by female senators that his conduct in the Navy's Tailhook episode made him unworthy of that status.
I= A yes vote supported four-star retirement for Adm. Kelso.
Y N X Member
* N * Mikulski, Barbara A., D
* N * Sarbanes, Paul S., D