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1	Civil Justice: Caps on Damages
	H.R. 956, 3/10/95, Roll Call Vote #229
Passage of bill preempting pro-consumer state tort laws with harsh federal limits and rules. Caps punitive damages in all state and federal civil cases at $250,000 or three times the amount awarded for lost wages and medical costs—whichever is greater; places a lifetime cap of $250,000 on pain and suffering awards in all medical malpractice cases; immunizes pharmaceutical and medical device companies from punitive damages if their products are previously approved by the FDA; and makes it harder for injured victims to recover their losses by eliminating the rule of joint and several liability.
Adopted 265-161 Public Citizen vote = NO

The

House

20	Bailout of Investors in Mexico
	H.R. 2020, 7/19/95, Roll Call Vote #531
Amendment (Sanders, I-VT) to require explicit congressional approval for any use of U.S. taxpayer funds in excess of $1 billion from the U.S. Exchange Stabilization Fund to support a foreign currency. Would prevent President from unilaterally funding bailouts such as that granted to wealthy U.S. and foreign investors after the Mexican peso was devalued in December 1994.
Adopted 245-183 Public Citizen Vote = YES

2	Product Liability: Veto Override
	H.R. 956, 5/9/96, Roll Call Vote #162
Passage, over President Clinton’s May 2 veto, of bill preempting pro-consumer state product liability laws with federal limits and rules. Caps punitive damages in all product liability cases at $250,000 or twice the amount awarded for economic and non-economic losses—whichever is greater; and makes it harder for injured people to recover all of the damages awarded them by juries by eliminating the rule of joint and several liability for noneconomic damages. Would bar all claims for injuries caused by products more than 15 years old.
Rejected 258-163 (281 votes needed) Public Citizen Vote = NO

11	Market Promotion Program
	H.R. 1976, 7/21/95, Roll Call Vote #550
Amendment (Zimmer, R-NJ) to eliminate funding for the Department of Agriculture’s Market Promotion Program which provides "corporate welfare" subsidies for large corporations such as McDonald’s, Sun-Maid, and Pillsbury to help finance overseas advertising and trade shows.
Rejected 154-261 Public Citizen Vote = YES

21	Disapproval of China’s Trade Status
	H. J. Res. 182, 6/27/96, Roll Call Vote #284
Resolution to stop extension of special trade privileges to China. The basis for rejection of "Most Favored Nation" trade status included China’s abysmal record on human rights, child and prison labor, nuclear proliferation and the environment, as well as a massive U.S. job-killing trade imbalance ($34 billion in 1995). The U.S. trade deficit with China is expected soon to pass Japan as the largest trade deficit.
Rejected 141-286 Public Citizen Vote = YES

3	Securities Litigation: Immunity for Fraud
	H.R. 1058, 3/8/95, Roll Call Vote #216
Passage of bill to shield corporations from liability for fraudulent forecasts of future financial performance. The bill fails to expand the time that defrauded investors have to bring suit; makes it harder for defrauded investors to recover their losses; and provides immunity from all suits for those who recklessly assist in securities fraud such as bankers, accountants and lawyers.
Passed 325-99 Public Citizen Vote = NO

12	Cut Tobacco Subsidies
	H.R. 3603, 6/12/96, Roll Call Vote #233
Amendment (Durbin, D-IL) to prohibit $25 million in funds being used to pay the salaries of personnel who provide tobacco-related extension services or for tobacco crop insurance. Under the amendment, savings from this prohibition would be used to increase funding for rural development and rural health programs.
Rejected 210-212 Public Citizen Vote = YES

22	Dolphin Death Bill: Passage
	H.R. 2823, 7/31/96, Roll Call Vote # 385
Passage of a bill which lifts the ban on the sale of tuna caught by a method which is deadly to dolphins, in order to comply with World Trade Organization rules. The bill would reopen the U.S. market to the sale of tuna caught by encirclement of "purse seine" nets which are set around dolphins that travel with the tuna. The U.S. domestic standard forbidding dolphin-deadly tuna sales had been found to be in violation of GATT rules following challenges by Mexico, Venezuela and other nations in a 1991 case known as GATTzilla vs. Flipper.
Passed 316-108 Public Citizen Vote = NO

4	Regulatory Moratorium Exemptions
	H.R. 450, 2/23/95, Roll Call Vote #161
Amendment (Slaughter, D-NY) to exempt from a proposed moratorium on federal regulations, rules protecting the nation’s food supply from bacterial contamination, the drinking water supply from microbial contamination, and consumers from being exposed to lead poisoning from imported canned food.
Rejected 177-249 Public Citizen Vote = YES

13	OPIC Reauthorization
	H.R. 3759, 9/11/96, Roll Call Vote #412
Motion to suspend the rules and pass a bill that would increase the ability of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to provide "corporate welfare" subsidies to businesses making politically risky foreign investments by doubling its risk insurance and loan guaranty authorities.
Rejected 157-260 (290 votes need to suspend the rules.) Public Citizen Vote = NO

23	Abolish Federal Speed Limits
	H.R. 2274, 9/20/95, Roll Call Vote # 677
Amendment (Rahall, D-WV) to the National Highway Designation Act, to cap the maximum speed limits at 65 mph on those Interstates and state highways that are currently limited to 55 mph. Amendment would amend a provision in the Act repealing all federal speed limits, which is expected to result in an additional 6400 motor vehicle crash fatalities and $19 billion in economic costs each year.
Rejected 133-291 Public Citizen Vote = YES

5	Regulatory Rollback
	H.R. 9, 3/3/95, Roll Call Vote #199
Passage of bill—part of the Contract with America—to fundamentally alter the process by which federal agencies set standards to protect public health, safety and the environment. Requires costly and delaying risk assessment and cost/benefit analyses for most significant standards; allows the Office of Management and Budget to block health and safety protections; and permits corporations to tie agencies up in court while continuing to pollute. Overrides 25 years of federal protection of the environment, food supply, highway safety, and workplace safety.
Passed 277-141 Public Citizen Vote = NO

14	Nuclear Reactor Subsidy I: Helium Reactor
	H.R. 1905, 7/11/95, Roll Call Vote #485
Amendment (Klug, R-WI) to eliminate funding for the Gas Turbine Modular Helium Reactor (GTHMR), an outdated and fiscally irresponsible program that primarily benefitted one large corporation at the expense of taxpayers, the environment and sound energy policy.
Adopted 306-121 Public Citizen Vote = YES

24	Reasonable Pricing for New Drugs
	H.R. 3755, 7/11/96, Roll Call Vote #306
Amendment (Sanders, I-VT) to prohibit the use of funds by the National Institutes of Health to enter into agreements giving firms the exclusive right to market drugs developed with taxpayer funds, unless the agreement includes a "reasonable price" clause. Would stop consumers from paying twice for new drugs—once for research and again to pay unreasonable mark-ups to monopoly suppliers.
Rejected 180-242 Public Citizen Vote = YES

6	Ergonomic Standards Rider
	H.R. 3755, 7/11/96, Roll Call Vote #301
Amendment (Pelosi, D-CA) to strike language in the Labor/Health and Human Services Appropriations bill prohibiting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from using bill funds to promulgate or issue standards to protect workers from ergonomic injuries, or even to collect reports on ergonomic-related injuries or illnesses. More than 700,000 workers suffered crippling strain or sprain injuries caused by ergonomic hazards in 1994.
Adopted 216-205 Public Citizen Vote = YES

15	Nuclear Reactor Subsidy II: Light Water Reactor
	H.R. 3816, 7/25/96, Roll Call Vote #357
Amendment (Obey, D-WI) to save $17 million by terminating the Department of Energy’s Advanced Light Water Reactor program, which subsidizes the preparation of new nuclear power plants by huge multinational corporations like Westinghouse and General Electric.
Rejected 198-211 Public Citizen Vote = YES

25	Medicare: Cuts and Privatization
	H.R. 2425, 10/19/95, Roll Call Vote #731
Bill to cut $270 billion in Medicare spending over seven years and to restructure the program to pressure seniors to give up traditional Medicare with free choice of doctor and transfer into inefficient private managed care plans.
Adopted 231-201 Public Citizen Vote = NO

7	Congressional Gift Ban
	H. Res. 250, 11/16/95, Roll Call Vote #807
Substitute Amendment (Burton, R-IN) to permit Members to continue to accept "charity" vacation junkets and to accept an unlimited number of gifts and meals worth up to $50 each. A "no" vote allowed subsequent passage of a strict ban on gifts and junkets.
Rejected 154-276 Public Citizen Vote = NO

16	Energy Efficiency Standards
	H.R. 1977, 7/18/95, Roll Call Vote #519
Amendment (Parker, D-MS) to eliminate $12.8 million in funding for the Department of Energy’s Codes and Standards program and prohibit that office from setting new appliance efficiency standards that would save consumers $100 billion over 30 years.
Adopted 261-165 Public Citizen Vote = NO

26	Budget Reconciliation
	H.R. 2491, 11/20/95, Roll Call Vote #820
Final conference agreement on bill providing for balanced federal budget by 2002. Cuts $270 billion from Medicare, $163 billion from Medicaid, and threatens quality of care by shifting beneficiaries to private managed care plans. Increases taxes on the working poor by cutting the Earned Income Tax Credit by $32 billion while reducing tax on capital gains. The spending priorities threaten health care consumers, the poor and the elderly, while preserving Cold War military spending levels and more than $100 billion worth of annual subsidies and tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals.
Adopted 235-192 Public Citizen Vote = NO

8	Lobbying Disclosure
	H.R. 2564, 11/28/95, Roll Call Vote #826
Amendment (English R-PA) to ban lobbying for foreign interests by Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of International Trade Commission. Supporters of increased disclosure of lobbying activities opposed all amendments, however meritorious, because any successful amendment to the Lobbying Disclosure Act would have triggered a House/Senate conference committee and enabled opponents to kill the bill through delay.
Rejected 204-221 Public Citizen Vote = NO

17	Renewable Energy Programs I
	H.R.1905, 7/12/95, Roll Call Vote #488
Amendment (Klug, R-WI) to restore $45 million to renewable energy programs authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Would continue public support for developing safe and clean energy sources.
Adopted 214-208 Public Citizen Vote = YES

PAC $	Campaign Contributions from Political Action Committees
The amount, in thousands of dollars, of campaign contributions raised by the Representative from Political Action Committees from January 1, 1995 through June 30, 1996.

9	Phony Campaign Finance Bill: Passage
	H.R. 3820, 7/25/96, Roll Call Vote #365
So-called campaign finance "reform" bill sponsored by Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA) would codify the soft money system under which political parties may raise unlimited amounts of special interest money and open new loopholes for spending that money, double the total annual amount that wealthy individuals can give to candidates, parties, and PACs combined, and provide for a 50% increase in 1999 in the amount that individuals can give to a single candidate.
Rejected 152-259 Public Citizen Vote = NO

18	Renewable Energy Programs II
	H.R. 3816, 7/25/96, Roll Call Vote #358
Amendment (Schaefer, R-CO) to add $42.1 million for the Department of Energy’s renewable energy programs in fiscal year 1997. Even with the restoration of these funds that had been cut by the Appropriations Committee, funding for renewable technologies like solar and wind power remained below 1996 levels.
Adopted 279-135 Public Citizen Vote = YES

Ind. $

Campaign Contributions from Large Individual Ccontributors

The amount, in thousands of dollars, raised by the Representative from individuals who gave at least $200 to the campaign from January 1, 1995 through March 31, 1996. Like PAC money, large individual contributions are a key source of interested money from business executives, professionals and other wealthy interests. Summary contribution data for large individual donors was not available through June 30, 1996.

10	Gag Nonprofit Groups
	H.R. 2127, 8/3/95, Roll Call Vote #622
Amendment (Skaggs, D-CO) to remove a provision prohibiting nonprofit groups that receive federal grants from spending more than 5 percent of their own funds on litigation against the government, lobbying or "political advocacy." Provision violates free speech rights of dozens of public interest organizations.
Rejected 187-232 Public Citizen Vote = YES

19	Gasoline Tax Repeal
	H.R. 3415, 5/21/96, Roll Call Vote #182
Passage of the bill to repeal temporarily the 4.3-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax increase enacted as part of the 1993 budget-reconciliation law to lower the deficit. Under the bill, the tax would be reinstated Jan. 1, 1997.
Passed 301-108 Public Citizen Vote = NO

Total $	Total Campaign Contributions
Total amount, in thousands of dollars, of private contributions to the Representative’s campaigns from January 1, 1995 through June 30, 1996. Amounts include contributions to campaigns of Representatives running for the Senate.