THE HOUSE : Highway Projects

By a vote of 61 to 365, the House refused to delete $243 million for 63 special highway projects from a fiscal 1992 transportation appropriations bill (HR 2942) later sent to the Senate. Supporters called the targeted items demonstration projects, while critics denounced them as pork. The money is part of $16.6 billion in the bill for federal highway projects, including money released from the Highway Trust Fund.

Supporter Dan Burton (R-Ind.) said: “The appetite for special projects in our districts around this country is out of control and along with it, the deficit.”

Opponent William Lehman (D-Fla.) said: “It is easy for a member to criticize a project in someone else’s district as being unjustified.”

A yes vote was to remove money for 63 special highway projects from the bill.

How They Voted

Rep. Gallegly (R): Yea

Rep. Lagomarsino (R): No vote

Sex Survey

By a vote of 283 to 137, the House cleared the way for any future National Institutes of Health survey of sexual behavior in America. The vote, which killed an amendment outlawing such a survey, occurred during debate on an NIH funding bill (HR 2507) later sent to the Senate. The bill overturned the Administration’s ban on using aborted fetuses in medical research, but there was no vote on that issue.

Supporter Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) said sex research “is desperately needed to fight the epidemics of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS.”

William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) objected to “having some government researcher come into our family unit and begin asking our children questions about sexual activity or sexual behavior.”

A yes vote gave a green light to NIH sex surveys.

How They Voted

Rep. Gallegly (R): Nay

Rep. Lagomarsino (R): Nay

Source: Roll Call Report Syndicate