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- <text id=94TT0954>
- <title>
- Jul. 18, 1994: Time On Capitol Hill
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1994
- Jul. 18, 1994 Attention Deficit Disorder
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- TIME ON CAPITOL HILL, Page 17
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p>Dear Reader,
- </p>
- <p> In recent weeks, Congress has acted on several controversial
- issues. Here's how your Representative and Senators cast their
- votes:
- </p>
- <p> THE ISSUES
- </p>
- <p> VOTE 1
- </p>
- <p> BOSNIAN ARMS EMBARGO: Lingering doubts about the fairness of
- the U.N.-sponsored--and U.S.-supported--arms embargo in
- the Balkan war prompted the fourth Senate proposal since May
- to lift the ban on shipments of weapons to the beleaguered Bosnians.
- Fifty Senators voted for the measure, but the other 50 opposed
- it, which, in the case of an amendment to a bill, counts as
- a defeat of the measure. A similar bill passed in the House,
- 244 to 178, on June 9.
- </p>
- <p> VOTE 2
- </p>
- <p> PRODUCT LIABILITY: A backlash against stringent laws that hold
- manufacturers liable for the potential harm caused by their
- products bred a Senate effort to create national product-liability
- standards that would override a number of state laws. Manufacturers,
- insurance companies and other business interests supported legislation
- limiting the number of suits going to trial and restricting
- damage awards. Opponents, led by trial lawyers and consumer
- groups that argued the new law would leave consumers vulnerable,
- mounted a filibuster to prevent full Senate consideration of
- the bill. A vote to end the filibuster was defeated 51 to 47,
- thus blocking the attempt to relax standards.
- </p>
- <p> VOTE 3
- </p>
- <p> FUNDING THE B-2 BOMBER: Even Defense Secretary William Perry
- recommended that Congress cut from the Defense Department Authorization
- Act $150 million earmarked to keep some production lines running
- for the B-2 bomber, since Congress has already paid for the
- full contingent of these $1 billion-a-copy Stealth planes. Still,
- the Senate, by a vote of 55 to 45, rejected the Pentagon's advice,
- opting to spend the money anyway. A yes vote favored a reduction
- in funding.
- </p>
- <p> VOTE 4
- </p>
- <p> FUTURE OF THE SPACE STATION: The turbulent journey of NASA's
- proposed space station, whose ultimate cost is now estimated
- at $28 billion, passed another milestone June 29 when an amendment
- to cut off funding at the current $11 billion was defeated in
- the House, 278 to 155. A no vote favored the space station.
- </p>
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
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