Obama and Clinton Legislative Histories

I’m so tired of the GOP/Clinton/MSM meme that Sen. Obama is thin on specifics (which he isn’t) and has a thin legislative history (which he doesn’t). So, what has he done? And what has Sen. Clinton?

First, admission of bias. I am an Obama supporter and don’t want another Clinton “co-presidency”.

However, I believe, based not on opinion but on research, that both candidates “walk their talk” in terms of their legislative activities, and either would make fine presidents.

First a tally from Politifact:

The legislative accomplishments of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama reveal different interests and styles. Obama shows a consistent interest in making government more open and efficient, while Clinton has a focus on health care efforts she started as first lady, though in a more incremental way. Here’s a look at each senator’s noteworthy legislative accomplishments:

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, 2000-present

• Wrote a section of the 2001 “No Child Left Behind” education law (PL 107-110) that authorized funding for recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and principals, citing a projected shortage of 2.2-million teachers by 2011.

• Co-authored a 2003 law (PL 108-155) that compels drug companies to conduct pediatric safety tests when their products are prescribed for children. The measure strengthened an earlier law that awards manufacturers added patent protection, allowing them to market drugs exclusively for six additional months if they agree to test them for use on children as well as adults. The 2003 law bestowed the extra six-month extension even if the Food and Drug Administration orders the testing.

• Worked with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to add language to a fiscal 2005 defense authorization bill (PL 108-375) giving military reservists and members of the National Guard access to the military’s Tricare health system even when they are not deployed. Previously, reservists only got covered while on active duty and for a limited time afterward. The measure came at a time when about 40 percent of U.S. forces in Iraq were reservists. Was enacted as law as part of a broader defense authorization bill.

• Sponsored a 2005 bill to distribute flu vaccines more efficiently, which inspired similar provisions in a 2006 law (PL 109-417) promoting adequate vaccine production and stockpiles to improve the nation’s responses to public health emergencies.

• Wrote a 2006 law (PL 109-442) providing grants to state and local governments to pay for respite care services for family caregivers. (Respite care is designed to give principal caregivers of sick or disabled individuals temporary relief in their caregiving obligations.)

• Worked with Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-N.Y., to insert language in a fiscal 2007 defense authorization measure (PL 109-364) keeping the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station open at a time when the Pentagon was closing bases. The move saved 800 upstate New York jobs.

Number of bills sponsored: 635

Number of bills co-sponsored: 2,441

Number of bills sponsored or co-sponsored that became law: 54

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, 2005-present

• Collaborated with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., in 2006 to pass a law (PL 109-282) creating a Google-like database of federal contracts and grants allowing users to type in key words that would bring up exactly how much money any particular recipient received.

• With then-Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Richard G. Lugar, R-Ind., won enactment of a 2006 law (PL 109-401) that allowed the United States to export nuclear fuel, technology and reactors to India for the first time in three decades. The law accepted India as a nuclear-armed power and was enacted despite concerns about India’s ties to Iran and past sanctions for transferring sensitive equipment to Iran.

• Chief sponsor of legislation signed into law in 2006 (PL 109-456) that authorized a 25 percent increase in U.S. assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been ravaged by civil wars since its independence from Belgium in 1960 and which received $33-million in fiscal 2006. The law called for a special envoy to help mediate an end to the conflict there and urged the Bush administration to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping force now operating in parts of the nation.

• Co-sponsored legislation by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., signed into law in 2007 (PL 110-175) that speeds the release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act by revising requirements for federal agency disclosures of requested information.

• Played a significant role in the 2007 overhaul of congressional lobbying and ethics rules. Sided with Republicans who wanted stronger rules for the disclosure of earmarks in spending bills and tried to set an example by releasing a lengthy list of requests he asked to be included in annual appropriations bills. His support is believed to have persuaded some other Democrats (there were nine total) to adopt the amendment.

• With Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., proposed requiring senators to make full reimbursement for the market rate of corporate jet flights. Under old rules, senators reimbursed for the first-class commercial rate of the flight. In some cases, that meant paying $2,000 for a private jet flight that actually may have cost upwards of $20,000 per seat. The proposal was incorporated into a broader package of reforms.

Number of bills sponsored: 272

Number of bills co-sponsored: 834

Number of bills sponsored or co-sponsored that became law: 16

Succinct list from blog comment:

Sponsored or cosponsored

• PACE-Energy Act
• Wired for Health Care Quality Act
• Water Resources Development Act of 2005
• Violence Against Women Act of 2005
• Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006
• Combat Meth Act of 2005
• Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005
• PREEMIE Act
• Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2005
• Oversight of Vital Emergency Recovery Spending Enhancement and Enforcement Act of 2005
• Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005
• Millennium Development Goals Act of 2005
• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006
• Development Bank Reform and Authorization Act of 2005
• High-Performance Green Buildings Act of 2006
• MINER Act
• Religious Liberty and Charitable Donation Clarification Act of 2006
• Open Government Act of 2007
• Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007
• Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007
• Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act
• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006
• COPS Improvements Act of 2007
• Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006
• Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2007
• Nuclear Release Notice Act of 2006
• United States Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs Act
• Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007
• Nuclear Release Notice Act of 2006
• S.2167
• S.1184 – A bill to waive the passport fees for relatives of deceased soldiers
• Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006
• Voting Rights Act Reauthorization

From another blog comment:

Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006

He has also introduced legislation to strengthen chemical plant and drinking water security and to enhance disaster preparedness

Obama introduced an amendment in the 109th Congress that would provide immediate tax relief to low-income working families from the Gulf Coast disaster areas

Obama has co-sponsored the Working Family Child Assitance Act

Cosponsored and won passage of an amendment to reduce the marriage penalty for EITC recipients and to ensure that members of our military can include their combat pay when calculating eligibility for tax credits.

Senator Obama worked closely with Senator Coburn, to draft and ultimately pass the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act

Obama sponsored the Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act.

Obama introduced amendments to the Homeland Security and Defense spending bills to reinforce the requirements for competitive procedures in contracting.

Obama joined with Senator Lugar to introduce the American Fuels Act to increase domestic production, distribution, and end uses of biofuels

Obama has introduced the Oil SENSE Act to eliminate unnecessary tax breaks to the oil industry.

Obama introduced the Iraq War De-escalation Act in January 2007.

Obama introduced legislation to prevent another tragedy in which the poor and elderly are left behind during a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Obama cosponsored the Combat Meth Act, which provides more money for fighting methamphetamine.

And another

-Obama passed legislation with Republican Senator Jim Talent to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps. The tax credit covers 30 percent of the costs of switching one or more traditional petroleum pumps to E85, which is an 85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline blend.-After a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

-His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent.

-Obama created the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families in 2000 and successfully sponsored a measure to make the credit permanent in 2003. The law offered about $105 million in tax relief over three years.

-Obama joined forces with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) to pass the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation banned the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned gifts from lobbyists. Before the law was passed, one organization ranked Illinois worst among 50 states for its campaign finance regulations.

-As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.

-He traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world.

-Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.

- In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began.

-Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbied the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.

-Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

-Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.

-Obama has introduced and helped pass bipartisan legislation to limit the abuse of no-bid federal contracts.

-Obama and Senator Feingold (D-WI) took on both parties and proposed ethics legislation that was described as the “gold standard” for reform. It was because of their leadership that ending subsidized corporate jet travel, mandating disclosure of lobbyists’ bundling of contributions, and enacting strong new restrictions of lobbyist-sponsored trips became part of the final ethics bill that was signed into law.

Of all I’ve seen, Helenann at DailyKos has produced the best tally

Below I summarize Senator Obama’s legislative record in the US Senate.

First I list the bills he sponsored that have become law.

Next I summarize the bills that he has sponsored or cosponsored since he became a US Senator in 2005.

I have only included major pieces of legislation and have not
summarized continuing resolutions or naming post offices, for example.

His record suggests several priorities and the bills he supports address many of our most pressing problems.

Most of his legislative effort has been in the area of Energy
Efficiency and Climate Change (25 bills), health care (21 bills) and
public health (20 bills), consumer protection/labor (14 bills), the
needs of Veterans and the Armed Forces (13 bills), Congressional Ethics
and Accountability (12 bills), Foreign Policy (10 bills) Voting and
Elections (9 bills), Education (7 bills), Hurricane Katrina Relief (6),
the Environment (5 bills), Homeland Security (4 bills), and
discrimination (4 bills).

Of the 15 bills Senator Obama sponsored or co-sponsored in 2005-7 that became law:

Two addressed foreign policy:

Promote relief, security and democracy in the Congo (2125)

Develop democratic institutions in areas under Palestinian control (2370).

Three addressed public health:

Improve mine safety (2803)

Increased breast cancer funding (597)

Reduce preterm delivery and complications, reduce infant mortality (707).

Two addressed openness and accountability in government:

Strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (2488)

Full disclosure of all entities receiving federal funds (2590)

Two addressed national security

Extend Terrorist Risk Insurance (467)

Amend the Patriot Act (2167)

One addressed the needs of the Armed Forces

Wave passport fees to visit graves, attend memorials/funerals of veterans abroad (1184).

Of the 570 bills Senator Obama introduced into the Senate
during the 109th and 110th Congress (Senate Bill numbers are in
parentheses), they can be summarized as follows:

25 addressed Energy Efficiency and Climate Change

Suspend royalty relief for oil and gas (115)

Reduce dependence on oil; use of alternative energy sources (133)

Increase fuel economy standards for cars (767, 768)

Auto industry incentives for fuel efficient vehicles (1151)

Reduce green house gas emissions (1324)

Establish at NSF a climate change education program (1389)

Increase renewable content of gasoline (2202)

Energy emergency relief for small businesses and farms (269)

Strategic gasoline and fuel reserves (1794)

Alternative diesel standards (3554)

Coal to liquid fuel promotion (3623)

Renewable diesel standards (1920)

Reducing global warming pollution from vehicles (2555)

Fuel security and consumer choice (1994, 2025)

Alternative energy refueling system (2614)

Climate change education (1389)

Low income energy assistance (2405)

Oil savings targets (339)

Fuel economy reform (3694)

Plug-in electric drive vehicles (1617)

Nuclear release notice (2348)

Passenger rail investment (294)

Energy relief for low income families (2405)

21 addressed Health Care

Drug re-importation (334)

Health information technology (1262, 1418)

Discount drug prices (2347)

Health care associated infections (2278)

Hospital quality report cards (692, 1824)

Medical error disclosure and compensation (1784)

Emergency medical care and response (1873)

Stem cell research (5)

Medical Malpractice insurance (1525)

Health centers renewal (901, 3771)

Children’s health insurance (401)

Home health care (2061)

Medicare independent living (2103)

Microbicides for HIV/AIDS (823)

Ovarian cancer biomarker research (2569)

Gynological cancers (1172)

Access to personalized medicine through use of human genome (976)

Paralysis research and care (1183)

20 addressed Public Health:

Violence against women (1197)

Biodefense and pandemic preparedness and response (1821, 1880)

Viral influenza control (969)

End homelessness (1518)

Reduce STDs/unintended pregnancy (1790)

Smoking prevention and tobacco control (625)

Minority health improvement and disparity elimination (4024)

Nutrition and physical education in schools (2066)

Health impact assessments (1067, 2506)

Healthy communities (1068)

Combat methamphetamines (2071)

Paid sick leave (910)

Prohibit mercury sales (833, 1818)

Prohibit sale of lead products (1306, 2132)

Lead exposure in children (1811, 2132)

14 address Consumer Protection/Labor

Stop unfair labor practices (842)

Fair minimum wage (2, 1062, 2725, 3829)

Internet freedom (2917)

Credit card safety (2411)

Media ownership (2332)

Protecting taxpayer privacy (2484)

Working family child assistance (218)

Habeus Corpus Restoration (185)

Bankruptcy protection for employees and retirees (2092)

FAA fair labor management dispute resolution (2201)

Working families flexibility (2419).

13 addressed the Needs of Veterans and the Armed Forces:

Improve Benefits (117)

Suicide prevention (479)

Needs of homeless veterans (1180)

Homes for veterans (1084)

GI Bill enhancement (43)

Military job protection

Dignity in care for wounded vets (713)

Housing assistance for low income veterans (1084)

Military children in public schools (2151)

Military eye injury research and care (1999)

Research physical/mental health needs from Iraq War (1271)

Proper administration of discharge for personality disorder (1817, 1885)

Security of personal data of veterans (3592)

12 addressed Congressional Ethics and Accountability

Lobbying and ethics reform (230)

Stop fraud (2280)

Legislative transparency and accountability (525)

Open government (2180, 2488)

Restoring fiscal discipline (10)

Transparency and integrity in earmarks (2261)

Accountability of conference committee deliberations and reports (2179)

Federal funding accountability and transparency (2590)

Accountability and oversight for private security functions under Federal

contract (674)

Accountability for contractors and personnel under federal contracts

(2147) Resctrictions awarding government contracts (2519)

10 addressed Foreign Policy:

Iraq war de-escalation (313)

US policy for Iraq (433),

Divestiture from Iran (1430)

Sudan divestment authorization (831)

Millennium Development Goals (2433)

Multilateral debt relief (1320)

Development bank reform (1129)

Nuclear nonproliferation (3131,977,2224).

9 address Voting/Elections

Prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections (453)

Voter access to polls and services in Federal elections (737)

Voter intimidation and deceptive practices (1975)

Senate campaign disclosure parity (185)

Require reporting for bundled campaign contributions (2030)

Election jamming prevention (4102)

Campaign disclosure parity (223)

Presidential funding (2412)

Integrity of electronic voting systems (1487)

11 addressed Education

Increase access of low income African Americans to higher education (1513)

Establish teaching residency programs (1574)

Increase early intervention services (2111)

Middle school curriculum improvements (2227)

Public database of scholarships, fellowships and financial aid (2428)

Summer learning programs (116)

TANF financial education promotion (924)

Higher education (1642)

Build capacity at community colleges (379)

Campus law enforcement in emergencies (1228)

Support for teachers (2060).

6 addressed Hurrican Katrina

Hurricane Katrina recovery (2319)

Emergency relief (1637)

Bankruptcy relief and community protection (1647)

Working family tax relief (2257)

Fair wages for recovery workers (1749)

Gulf coast infrastructure redevelopment (1836)

5 addressed the Environment

Drinking water security (218, 1426)

Water resources development (728)

Waste water treatment (1995)

Combat illegal logging (1930)

Spent nuclear fuel tracking and Acountability (1194)

Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act (Introduced in Senate)[S.726.IS ]

4 addressed Discrimination

Claims for civil class action based on discrimination (1989)

Domestic partnership benefits (2521)

Unresolved civil rights crimes (535)

Equality or two parent families (2286)

4 addressed Homeland Security

Judicial review of FISA orders (2369)

National emergency family locator (1630)

Amend US Patriot Act (2167)

Chemical security and safety (2486)

Here’s what the NY Times has to say about Obama in the Illinois statehouse. Here’s a summary of his legislation there. Here’s what the Washington Post says. A detailed history of all his and her significant legislation is here, here, here, here and here.