Comparing the votes cast by your House member or Senator with your own views is an important step in the process of deciding who to vote for this election. The Minnesota Family Council has selected some key votes from this year. Use these vote descriptions and the information in the accompanying charts to see how your representatives voted. And be sure to check out the Voter’s Guide included with this issue for other important information.

1. Tax Limitation Amendment (HJ Res 111). The House failed to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution by a 238-186 margin (a two-thirds majority was needed). This amendment would have required that future tax increases must be approved by a two-thirds "super-majority" vote in Congress. (Roll Call #102, 4-22-98)

2. Prohibit judges from ordering prison releases due to jail overcrowding. The House passed an amendment to the Judicial Reform Act of 1998 (HR 1252), on a vote of 367-52, which would stop judges from giving criminals early releases from prison due to a lack of jail space. (Roll Call #105, 4-23-98)

3. Prohibit Federal taxpayer funding for the distribution of free needles or syringes to illegal drug users (HR 3717). The House voted 287-140 to ban the use of federal funds for "needle exchange" programs. (Role Call #114, 4-29-98)

4. District of Columbia Student Opportunity Act (S 1502). The House voted 214-206 to pass this bill, which would provide 2,000 poor children in Washington D.C. with a $3,200 scholarship to attend schools of their choice. (Roll Call #119, 4-30-98)

5. Dollars to the Classroom (HR 3248). The House voted and passed HR 3248 by a 212-198 margin. The bill calls for federal education money to bypass federal education bureaucrats and go directly to individual school classrooms. (Roll Call #452, 9-18-98)

1. Give Federal Education Funding Directly to States. The Senate passed an amendment to S 1590, on a vote of 50-49, which would require K-12 education funding to go directly to states and local school districts in the form of "block grants." The funding would bypass the U.S. Department of Education, essentially ending federal K-12 education programs, and allow states to use the money for their own education program priorities. (Vote No. 91, 4-22-98)

2. Ban on Federal Standardized Testing. The Senate passes an amendment to S 1590, on a vote of 52-47, which would permanently ban the development and implementation of federal tests (without specific congressional authorization) for the nation’s schoolchildren. (Vote No. 94, 4-22-98)

3. Education Savings Accounts (S 1590). The Senate voted 56 -43 in support of this bill, which would allow parents to set up tax-free "Education Savings Accounts" to help pay for any of their children’s educational expenses from kindergarten through college. (Vote No. 102, 4-23-98)