The House : Superfund

By a 386-27 vote, the House passed and sent to the White House a bill extending for five years the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund cleanup of the nation’s hazardous wastes.President Reagan has threatened to veto the legislation (HR 2005) because its $9-billion price tag would be paid mostly by new taxes, including levies on the oil and petrochemical industries covering a large chunk of the five-year Superfund cost.

Of the nearly 900 toxic dumps nationwide targeted by the EPA during the six years of the Superfund program, fewer than two dozen have been cleaned up.

Members voting yes supported the proposed Superfund extension.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dixon (D) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Fiedler (R) x Rep. Levine (D) x Rep. Lungren (R) x

Immigration Reform

By a 230-166 vote, the House passed and sent to conference with the Senate a landmark bill (HR 3810) tightening federal immigration policies to combat the influx of illegal aliens into the United States.

The bill’s primary mission is to enable teh United States to regain control of its border with Mexico in a way that is reasonably fair to western growers who depend on undocumented foreigners to pick their fruits and vegetables, illegal aliens who have put down roots in the United States and domestic workers who compete with cheap foreign labor.

It imposes criminal penalties on growers who knowingly hire undocumented farm workers, contains an amnesty provision granting permanent-resident status immediately to uncounted millions of illegal aliens who entered the country before 1982 and phases in permanent residency for up to 350,000 foreigners who worked in American agriculture for specified periods in the last three years.

Members voting yes supported the immigration bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dixon (D) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Fiedler (R) x Rep. Levine (D) x Rep. Lungren (R) x

Employer Penalties

By a vote of 137 for and 264 against, the House rejected an amendment to soften the immigration reform bill (above) by imposing civil rather than criminal penalties against western growers and others who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

The vote preserved language subjecting employers to maximum penalties of $5,000 and six months in jail for each undocumented worker they hire.

Critics of the proposed criminal penalties said it was an impossible burden to require employers to verify the legal residency of all their workers.

Members voting against the amendment countered that illegal immigration will be checked only if tough means are used to stop employers from hiring undocumented workers.

Members voting no supported criminal penalties against those who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dixon (D) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Fiedler (R) x Rep. Levine (D) x Rep. Lungren (R) x