In honor of our new president and his vow to encourage bipartisan cooperation, here are a few congressional actions that involved reaching across the aisle.
PRWORA was introduced by Republican Florida congressman Clay Shaw. It was the cornerstone of the Republican majorities “Contract With America.” One of the signature pieces of legislation of the Clinton Administration, it changed the nation’s welfare system dramatically.
In addition to putting a five-year limit on receiving assistance, it included money for the creation of jobs, programs to transition individuals from welfare to work, and childcare services for working mothers.
The bill passed largely on party lines having only 33 “Aye” votes from Democrats and only 4 “Nay” votes from Republicans in the house and 10 and 1 respectively in the Senate . However, this vote is considered to be bipartisan due to the fact that Bill Clinton signed the act into Law despite the bill’s unpopularity among congressional Democrats.
2. Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold)
The BCRA was introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI). Its goal was to add transparency and accountability to federal campaigns and to reduce the impact of special interest groups in elections, especially “soft money” campaign contributions.
The Senate vote was split 60/40, with mostly Democrats voting “Aye” In the Senate, it only received 11 GOP “Ayes” and 2 Dem. “Neas”. In the House, it received 41 GOP “Ayes” and 12 Democrat “Neas”
President Bush signed the bill into law in March, 2002 though with some reservations
“I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising.” however, he added, “I expect that the courts will resolve these legitimate legal questions as appropriate under the law.”
In two Supreme Court cases (McConnell vs. FEC and FEC vs. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.), the issues of the ban on issue advertising close to elections was resolved.
3. State Children’s Health Insurance Program
SCHIP was designed to match state funds for programs that provide health care for impoverished children and those whose parents make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough for private insurance. It was originally created by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). One of its signature aspects is its use of increased cigarette taxes to provide funding. The original bill passed with a partisan split in the House and with unanimous support in the Senate.
When SCHIP came up for reauthorization in 2007, it passed with only 45 “Nay” votes (all Republican) in the House and 38 Republican “Nays” in the Senate. President Bush vetoed the bill in October 2007, but the House was unable to get enough votes in order to override the veto.
In 2009, the House and Senate both passed the reauthorization and it was signed by President Obama. The new reauthorization removed a rule that prohibits children of legal immigrants from receiving health under SCHIP care for five years.
4. TRICARE Reserve Select coverage for Reservists
The TRS plan created a premium-based insurance plan for otherwise uninsured members of the US military reserves. Though the program does have a cost for its members, they government pays 72% of the premium. The legislation succeeded in part do to the collaboration of Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Hillary Clinton (D-New York), Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont)
James | 
07 16th, 2009| 
