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Independent commission following Katrina
Global Gag Rule
Santorum votes against Boxer amendment, which passed 52-46 [vote #83], allowing foreign non-profits to receive US aid even if they seek to overturn their own countries restrictions
on women's rights. Specter voted with Boxer.
“We are a country that believes in fairness, democracy, free speech,
and improving the health and lives of people all over the world,” Boxer said. “But instead of promoting
these values, the Global Gag Rule enforces a dangerous code of silence.”
The Boxer-Snowe Amendment repeals the Global Gag Rule, which President Bush established by executive order
on his first working day in office in 2001. Also known as the Mexico City Policy, the Global Gag Rule denies U.S. international
family planning assistance to organizations that use their own privately raised funds to counsel women on the availability
of abortion, advocate for changes to abortion laws, or provide abortion services.
Boxer said, "At a time when we are trying to promote the best of our democracy abroad, the
last thing we need is to export unconstitutional restrictions on free speech. It is not only hypocritical, but it is bad foreign
policy."
Voted against broad protections for veterans and reservists in bankruptcy bill [SA16]
Santorum voted against an amendment that "sought to exempt military families from the bill's new means test
on bankruptcy filers. It proposed a $75,000 minimum exemption for homes in bankruptcy courts in the 50 states. Also, the amendment
sought to deny predatory "payday" lenders any claim on assets and to exempt debt incurred after military service begins from
the reach of creditors during bankruptcy."
Santorum voted to confirm Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General, without asking for release of documents
on torture and in spite of questions about whether in 1996, Gonzales met with a judge to argue that Bush shouldn't do
jury duty as governor of Texas, thereby keeping Bush's drunk driving record quiet. See Michael Isikoff story in Newsweek.
Education
- Voted against providing "an additional $8 billion to fully fund Elementary
and Secondary Education Act programs at the $32 billion level authorized in No Child Left Behind for the 2003 and 2004 budgets.
"
- Voted for a 2004 budget that failed to provide for "any increase in the Pell
Grant maximum award (freezing the award at $4,050), required $7.6 billion in unspecified cuts to other critical programs,
and eliminated funding for 46 education programs."
- Voted against "waiving procedural budget rules and allowing passage of amendments
to: provide funding for rural education, provide additional funding for education for the disadvantaged, increase student financial aid by an amount that matches the increase in low- and middle-income family college costs."
- Voted against "suspending sanctions for schools that failed to make
"Adequate Yearly Progress" under the No Child Left Behind Act for the 2004-05 school year unless Congress fully funds Title
I at the levels authorized in No Child Left Behind ($18.5 billion)."
- Voted against protecting "the rights of employees to receive overtime compensation."
Minimum Wage
Offerred a smaller increase than Democrats in amendment to the bankruptcy bill: two 55 cent increases
to $6.25. Included in amendment pro-business provisions ending 40 hour work week and limiting state's
ability to raise minimum wage for restaurant workers.
Senator Kennedy stated in the debate, "The senator from
Pennsylvania has a record of opposing increases in the minimum wage. He has voted against it at least 17 times in the last 10 years."
Of Kennedy and his own amendments, Santorum said, "I would hope candidly that
we didn't pass either of these at this time." The minimum wage has not changed in 9 years since 1996.
"In addition to forcing senators to go on record on yet another wage-hike vote,
Kennedy forced Republicans to tip their hand on their own wage-hike legislation, which was kept under wraps for more than
a year. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), now the majority whip, assembled the package to head off the last Kennedy attempt. Republicans
said the Santorum package closely parallels McConnell’s original plan. “The McConnell effort was done last year to provide a viable alternative to an amendment
by [Kennedy] on a must-pass vehicle,” said one industry lobbyist opposing the Kennedy wage increase. "
Tort Reform
"After voting to limit suits over medical malpractice and put ceilings on jury awards, Sen. Rick Santorum
found himself supporting one such claim: His wife sued for malpractice and won $350,000. Santorum (R., Pa.) told a Fairfax,
Va., jury that he supported his wife's decision to go to court... the jurors awarded Karen Santorum $350,000 for back
injuries she said were caused by a Virginia chiropractor."
Claude R. Marx, AP, Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec 15, 1999
Gun Violence
Voted against amending the Gun Industry Immunity Bill with a 10 year extension
of the assault weapons ban. The amendment was successfully added to the bill, but inaction, including by the senate
leadership led to it not being passed into law. The Assault Weapons Ban expired on September 13, 2004.
Reproductive Rights
Planned Parenthood states, "Congress has used its funding powers to single
out certain classes of women (low-income, federal employees, military personnel serving overseas, residents of the District
of Columbia, and women in federal prisons) and restrict their access to legal abortion because their health care is funded
in part by the federal government. As part of the relentless attack on access to abortion services, Congress continues to
bar military service members and their dependents from obtaining abortions in U.S. military hospitals overseas - even
if they use their own money. Senators voted on tabling the amendment to overturn the ban, which contains exceptions
only for cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest, and is especially harmful to those women stationed overseas in countries
where abortion is illegal and/or unsafe (5/22/03, Murray/Snowe Amendment to S. 1050, amendment rejected, roll call 192)."
Santorum did not vote to give medical rights to women in the military.
Chief sponsor of Partial Birth Abortion Ban of 2003
- Cosponsored bill increasing penalties for assault and murder of pregnant women, but only when it included
the language "unborn victim of violence"
- Voted against affirming that Roe v. Wade was an appropriate decision, secures an
important constitutional right, and should not be overturned or narrowed
- In favor of the global gag rule, which is oppopses family planning education and
restricts access to contraceptive and abortion services and information in developing countries
- Voted to reduce international family planning funding by 85% through funding cuts and
delays in distribution
- In favor of abstinence-only sex education
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