John Tower

[Congressional biography]

Born: September 29, 1925 in Houston, TX
Died: April 5, 1991 near Brusnwick, GA (plane crash)

Education:

Military Service:

Career:

Key Senate Vote Data for John Tower in 1979

Date	Subject	Result	Conserv. Position	Tower Voted
1979-03-08	Taiwan Security [S245]	Rejected (42-50)
Percy (R-IL) amendment to declare that hostile action against Taiwan would be a threat to the security interests of the United States. This amendment, although not declaring what action the U.S. would take, would have made U.S. support for Free China unquestioned.
1979-03-27	Spending Limitation [HR2534]	Agreed To (61-33)
Long (D-LA) motion to table (kill) the Armstrong (R-CO) amendment to reduce taxes annually provided that federal outlays decline to 20.5 percent of gross national product in fiscal 1981, 20 percent in 1982, 19.5 percent in 1983 and 19 percent in 1984.
1979-04-09	Voluntary School Prayer [S210]	Agreed To (53-40)		No Vote
Byrd (D-WV) motion to table (kill) the Helms (R-NC) amendment, to remove from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court or other federal courts any state laws or regulations relating to voluntary prayer in public schools or public buildings. The Helms amendment would have precluded federal interference in state lawmaking procedures relative to voluntary prayer.
1979-04-24	Defense Budget [SCONRES22]	Rejected (24-69)
McGovern (D-SD) amendment to reduce national defense spending by $1.7 billion (budget authority) in 1980, to "transfer" $1 billion of that to nutrition, education for the handicapped, energy conservation and railroad rehabilitation programs, to use the rest to decrease the deficit and to make similar adjustments to the fiscal 1981 and 1982 budgets. This vote drew a line between those who did and did not see the need for increased spending to upgrade ailing U.S. defenses.
1979-04-30	Create Education Department [S210]	Passed (72-21)
Passage of the bill to establish a separate cabinet-level Department of Education. Creation of this new bureaucracy institutionalized federal involvement in education at the expense of state and local control.
1979-05-08	Gasoline Rationing [SRES120]	Agreed To (58-39)
Adoption of the resolution to approve the standby gasoline rationing plan which, during an emergency, would require that special ration coupons be used to purchase gasoline. This measure would further increase the effect of the federal government in the free market's natural allocation abilities, would cost an estimated $400 million to implement, and another $1 billion to administer for every 9 months it was in effect.
1979-06-12	Sanctions on Rhodesia [S428]	Agreed To (52-41)
Stennis (D-MS) motion to table (kill) the Tsongas (D-MA)-Javits (R-NY) amendment to delete a provision in the bill to discontinue U.S. economic sanctions against Rhodesia. This vote followed President Carter's decision to retain sanctions despite the free elections in April which brought majority rule to this beleagured nation.
1979-06-25	Food Stamps [HR4289]	Rejected (22-66)
Helms (R-NC) amendment to cut $328.7 million from the $988.8 million in the bill for the food stamp program. The request for additional funds is a clear example of Carter administration and congressional proclivity to condone and expand programs fraught with corruption and abuse.
1979-07-10	Abolish Electoral College [SJRES28]	Passed (51-48)
Adoption of the resolution to propose a constitutional amendment to abolish the electoral college and provide for direct popular election of the President and Vice-President. Such action could do great harm to the federal system of checks and balances and separation of powers.
1979-07-13	Davis-Bacon Waivers [HR3875]	Rejected (35-57)
Garn (R-UT) amendment to exempt residential rehabilitation projects of non-profit neighborhood groups from Davis-Bacon Act journeyman-trainee ratios. The Act stipulates that federal contracts pay the prevailing wage rate -- usually the union wage -- on federal projects, which drives up the cost of taxpayer-funded projects and is an obstacle to neighborhood self-help programs and increased employment of individuals seeking to learn a trade.
1979-07-20	Educational Quotas [HR4389]	Failed (18-70)		No Vote
Helms (R-NC) motion to table (kill) the Javits (R-NY) substitute to the Helms-Hayakawa (R-CA) amendment. The Javits substitute which was subsequently approved, although prohibiting racial or sexual quotas in education, entirely undermined the original Helms-Hayakawa language by allowing for timestables, goals, ratios or other numerical requirements.
1979-07-24	Forced Busing [HR4392]	Rejected (37-60)
Helms (R-NC) amendment to prohibit funds appropriated for the Justice Department to be used for busing schoolchildren to schools other than the one nearest their home. Busing, as a means of achieving racial desegregation and improving the quality of education, has proved to be wasteful and unproductive.
1979-07-24	Wald Nomination	Confirmed (77-21)
Confirmation of President Carter's nomination of Patricia M. Wald of Maryland to be a U.S. judge in the District of Columbia circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. The nomination of Wald, an advocate of undermining parents' rights, income redistribution, and lesser penalties for drug addicts, is an example of efforts to pack the courts with liberal judicial activists.
1979-07-25	Reiche Nomination	Confirmed (73-25)
Confirmation of President Carter's nomination of Frank P. Reiche of New Jersey to be a member of the Federal Election Commission for the term ending April 30, 1985. Reiche is a liberal Republican who is an advocate of taxpayer financing of elections.
1979-07-26	Panama Canal Treaties [HR111]	Rejected (22-73)
Helms (R-NC) amendment to prohibit treaty-mandated payments to Panama from canal revenues if either the U.S. President or Congress determined that Panama was directly or indirectly interfering in the affairs of another nation. The amendment would guarantee that Canal funds would not be laundered into financing Panamanian adventurism such as that evident in the Sandinista takeover of Nicaragua.
1979-07-31	Regional Development Commission [S835]	Rejected (47-51)
Simpson (R-WY) amendment to delete authorization for three new regional planning commissions and expanded commission authority. Without this amendment, these development commissions would be managers of U.S. economic development planning, and thereby extend and expand the power and influence of this non-elected shadow government.
1979-09-06	IRS Private School Regulations [HR4393]	Agreed To (47-43)
Helms (R-NC) amendment to prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from formulating or carrying out any new rule or regulation that would cause the loss of tax exempt status of any private school.
1979-09-07	Presumption of Regulatory Legality [S1477]	Failed (27-51)
Culver (D-IA) motion to table (kill) the Bumpers (D-AR) amendment to remove the legal presumption in federal courts that federal regulations are valid. This makes it easier to contest the legality of regulations by placing the burden of proof for a regulation's validity on the agency rather than the person contesting its legality.
1979-09-19	Spending and Tax Cuts [SCONRES36]	Rejected (36-61)		No Vote
Roth (R-DE) amendment to set 1980 budget totals as follows: budget authority, $614.5 billion; outlays, $527 billion; revenues, $500 billion; deficit, $27 billion; and providing for a $12.7 billion fiscal year tax cut (the amendment also set new budget totals for fiscal 1981 and 1982). This would reduce the FY '80 deficit, provide for additional tax cuts in 1981 and 1982, and provide for a balanced budget in 1981.
1979-09-24	Abortion [HR4389]	Rejected (33-54)
Schweiker (R-PA) motion that the Senate recede to the House position on Medicaid-funded abortions, which allowed payment for abortions only if the life of the mother was endangered if the fetus were carried to term. The Senate language also allows funding in cases of rape or incest or when two doctors determine that continued pregnancy would result in physical damage to the mother.
1979-09-25	Mikva Nomination	Confirmed (58-31)
Confirmation of President Carter's nomination of Abner J. Mikva (D-IL) to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mikva is a long-time liberal activist, and a leader of the gun control movement.
1979-10-04	Energy Mobilization Board [S1308]	Passed (68-25)
Passage of the bill to set up a special board to cut red tape for priority energy projects. This board would have the ability to override any local, state or federal law standing in the way of completion of a priority energy project -- a blatant example of the federal government overpowering states' rights.
1979-10-09	Aid to U.S. Enemies [HR4473]	Agreed To (49-46)
Adoption of the committee amendment to delete a House-passed prohibition on direct (bilateral) and indirect (multilateral) U.S. aid to Angola, the Central African Republic, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
1979-12-06	Tax Indexing [HR3919]	Rejected (41-47)
Armstrong (R-CO) amendment to adjust individual income tax brackets and personal exemptions to reflect the rate of inflation, a process known as "indexing". This provision would protect taxpayers from the effects of government-created inflation.
1979-12-12	"Windfall" Profits [HR3919]	Failed (44-53)
Long (D-LA) motion to table (kill) the Ribicoff (D-CT) amendment to set a 20 percent tax on three types of oil: 1) newly discovered, 2) tertiary and 3) heavy oil. The Ribicoff amendment represented a massive expansion of this confiscatory tax.
1979-12-19	Chrysler Bailout [HR5860]	Passed (53-44)
Passage of the bill to authorize $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees for the Chrysler Corp., to be matched by $2.1 billion from other sources, and to establish a $175 million employee stock ownership plan. This federal bailout sets a dangerous precedent for government interference in private business and further undermines the ability of the free market to operate properly.

Represents a "Yes" vote.   Represents a "No" vote.   Indicates that this member voted against the conservative position on a particular vote. "No vote" means that this member did not cast a vote (or voted 'Present' instead of Yes or No).