The House

Military Base Closings

By a vote of 370 to 31, the House sent to President Reagan a bill (SB 2749) setting up a one-time procedure for closing domestic military bases the Pentagon no longer wants. A Defense Department commission is to identify obsolete bases for closure beginning in 1990. Congress can reject the list only if both houses pass a resolution of disapproval and override any presidential veto of the resolution.

By shifting the toughest decisions from Capitol Hill to the Department of Defense panel, the bill minimizes the chances of pork barrel politics frustrating Pentagon attempts to close surplus bases.

Members voting yes supported the procedure for closing obsolete bases.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Moorhead (R) X Rep. Roybal (D) X Rep. Waxman (D) X

Lobbying Restrictions

By a vote of 374 to 19, the House passed and sent to conference with the Senate a bill (HR 5043) placing the first restrictions ever on former House members and senators who return to Capitol Hill as paid lobbyists.

Ex-members would be prohibited for one year after leaving office from lobbying in the house to which they belonged. Departed senior staffers also would face a one-year ban on certain types of congressional lobbying.

The bill, carrying criminal and civil penalties, also tightens controls on former White House and executive branch employees seeking to influence policies in the agency where they once worked.

Members voting yes favored the bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Moorhead (R) X Rep. Roybal (D) X Rep. Waxman (D) X

Advice on Nutrition

By a vote of 311 to 84, the House passed and returned to the Senate a bill (SB 1081) to make the government more efficient and reliable in telling the public about the nutritional value of foods. Several agencies and departments now wage turf wars over nutrition issues and often issue conflicting advice to the public.

The aim of this bill is to have the government speak with one voice on nutrition. Both the food industry and nutrition advocates would help the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services issue their joint recommendations.

Supporter Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) said the bill “requires nothing radical, nothing unaffordable, nothing unattainable.”

Opponent Robert Walker (R-Penn.) said the bill overlaps existing programs and is certain to draw a presidential veto.

Members voting yes wanted to streamline federal nutrition programs.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Moorhead (R) X Rep. Roybal (D) X Rep. Waxman (D) X