THE HOUSE : Check Scandal

By a unanimous vote of 426 to 0, the House adopted a measure (HR 396) to make public the names of 355 present and former members who wrote bad checks on the House Bank during a 39-month period ending Oct. 3, 1991.

Supporter Jim Leach (R-Iowa) said “a House divided against itself, a House that cannot balance either the public’s or its own checkbook, a House that bounces an average of 44 checks every working day, is a House that cannot stand.”

A yes vote was for full public disclosure in the House check scandal.

How They Voted

Rep. Beilenson (D): Yea

Rep. Berman (D): Yea

Rep. Gallegly (R): Yea

Rep. Lewis (R): Yea

Rep. Moorhead (R): Yea

Rep. Thomas (R): Yea

Rep. Waxman (D): Yea

Naming Check Abusers

On a vote of 391 to 36, the House required public identification of the 19 present and five former members who were the most serious abusers of check-cashing privileges at the House Bank. The House then ordered identification of all 355 lawmakers with check problems (above).

A yes vote was for disclosure of the worst offenders in the check-kiting scandal.

How They Voted

Rep. Beilenson (D): Yea

Rep. Berman (D): Yea

Rep. Gallegly (R): Yea

Rep. Lewis (R): Yea

Rep. Moorhead (R): Yea

Rep. Thomas (R): Yea

Rep. Waxman (D): Yea

Check Records

By a vote of 244 to 133, the House shelved in committee a resolution (HR 397) requiring the General Accounting Office to provide each member with records of their account at the House Bank, even if the member was free of the scandal.

A yes vote was to shelve a GOP proposal that each member receive the details they need to reconstruct their own accounts during the years of the House check scandal.

How They Voted

Rep. Beilenson (D): Nay

Rep. Berman (D): Nay

Rep. Gallegly (R): Nay

Rep. Lewis (R): No vote

Rep. Moorhead (R): Nay

Rep. Thomas (R): Nay

Rep. Waxman (D): Nay

China Veto

On a vote of 357 to 61, the House overrode President Bush’s veto of a bill (HR 2212) requiring China to make human rights reforms if it wants its exports to continue to receive America’s lowest available tariffs. But the Senate appeared likely to sustain the veto.

In part, the bill made renewal of China’s favored trade status dependent on it freeing all political prisoners arrested during or since the massacre at Tian An Men Square.

A yes vote was to override the veto.

How They Voted

Rep. Beilenson (D): Yea

Rep. Berman (D): Yea

Rep. Gallegly (R): Yea

Rep. Lewis (R): Nay

Rep. Moorhead (R): Nay

Rep. Thomas (R): Yea

Rep. Waxman (D): Yea

Source: Roll Call Report Syndicate