THE HOUSE

Immigration Reform

By a vote of 264 to 118, the House gave final congressional approval to a bill (S358) reforming the process of legal immigration into the United States. President Bush was expected to sign the bill, under which the current limit of 500,000 immigrants annually will be raised to 700,000 between 1992-94, then drop permanently to 650,000. The majority of the new visas will go to people with needed job and professional skills or who come from European and African countries that have had low quotas in recent decades.

The bill eases restrictions based on ideology and sexual preference, gives the Department of Health and Human Services power to admit immigrants who may be infected with AIDS, and is more protective than present law of political refugees from El Salvador and elsewhere in Latin America.

A yes vote was to pass the immigration reform bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Beilenson (D) x Rep. Berman (D) x Rep. Gallegly (R) x Rep. Lewis (R) x Rep. Moorhead (R) x Rep. Thomas (R) x Rep. Waxman (D) x

Clean Air

By a vote of 401 to 25, the House gave its final approval to a bill (S1630) accelerating federal efforts to make the air healthier to breathe, protect the Earth’s ozone layer against further depletion and curb the damage that acid rain inflicts on lakes and forests.

President Bush was set to sign the first upgrade of the Clean Air Act in 13 years. Supported by much of the business community and environmentalists, the 750-page measure relies on economic incentives and tough civil and criminal penalties to achieve its goals. It seeks to cut acid rain by curbing high-sulfur coal emissions from Midwestern power plants, mandates cleaner gasolines and tighter exhaust controls on motor vehicles, and requires that the more than 100 cities with the dirtiest air to lower pollution to acceptable levels over the next five to 20 years.

A yes vote supported the bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Beilenson (D) x Rep. Berman (D) x Rep. Gallegly (R) x Rep. Lewis (R) x Rep. Moorhead (R) x Rep. Thomas (R) x Rep. Waxman (D) x