The House

Polygraph Tests

By a vote of 251 to 120, the House approved the conference report on legislation (HR 1212) prohibiting most private employers from administering polygraph tests to employees and job applicants.

Among the few categories of employers exempted from the ban are those that handle controlled drugs, do intelligence work for the government and operate private security services. The bill puts no restrictions on lie-detector testing by governments.

Supporter James M. Jeffords (R-Vt.) said: “You can’t just plug a person into a machine and determine whether or not he or she is lying.”

Opponent George (Buddy) Darden (D-Ga.) said regulation of polygraphs “is best left up to the individual states.”

Members voting yes favored the ban on polygraph testing.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dreier (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Hawkins (D) x Rep. Martinez (D) x Rep. Torres (D) x

Catastrophic Coverage

By a vote of 328 to 72, the House approved the conference report on legislation expanding Medicare to protect the elderly and disabled against catastrophic medical expenses. The bill (HR 2470) puts a cap on what the 32 million Medicare beneficiaries must pay in doctor, hospital and outpatient charges, and reimburses some outpatient drug costs. It does not protect the chronically ill against catastrophic home-care and nursing home costs. The bill’s estimated $33 billion cost over five years would be paid by flat premium increases and premium surcharges levied on Medicare beneficiaries who pay federal income taxes.

Supporter Ed Jenkins (D-Ga.) termed the bill imperfect but needed because “there is no fear that is more valid and more real than the fear of catastrophic illness.”

Opponent Harris W. Fawell (R-Ill.) said: “We are voting on an income tax increase” affecting Medicare beneficiaries on fixed incomes.

Members voting yes favored the legislation.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dreier (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Hawkins (D) x Rep. Martinez (D) x Rep. Torres (D) x

NASA Budget

By a vote of 360 to 26, the House passed and sent to the Senate a bill (HR 4561) authorizing a National Aeronautics and Space Agency budget of $11.5 billion in fiscal 1989. The funding is all that the Administration had requested and nearly an 18% increase over NASA’s 1988 budget.

In addition to reaffirming the space shuttle as a long-term program, the bill advances projects such as increased satellite study of Earth, a manned space station, multicountry exploration of Mars and stepped-up commercialization of the space program.

Supporter Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad) said: “If we don’t move forward now . . . we will relinquish our preeminence in space.”

Opponent Denny Smith (R-Ore.) complained that the bill gives NASA the option of building a GOCO (government-owned, contractor-operated) plant for manufacturing solid rocket motors for the space shuttle.

He said “regular business competition will do the job” of providing shuttle rockets.

Members voting yes supported the bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dreier (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Hawkins (D) x Rep. Martinez (D) x Rep. Torres (D) x