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 1983

Date	Subject	Result	Conserv. Position	Tower Voted
1983-03-22	Interest and Dividend Withholding [HR1900]	Agreed To (54-43)
Moynihan (D-NY) motion to table (kill) the Melcher (D-MT) motion to waive provisions of the Congressional Budget Act that would bar consideration of the Melcher amendment to delay tax withholding on interest and dividend income.
1983-03-22	Social Security Payroll Tax Increases [HR1900]	Rejected (27-67)
Armstrong (R-CO) amendment to eliminate the payroll tax increases in the Social Security bailout bill.
1983-03-22	Make-Work Jobs [HR1718]	Agreed To (82-15)
Adoption of the conference report on the bill to provide $15,589,034,000 in fiscal 1983 supplemental appropriations, including $4.6 billion for "emergency" jobs and recession relief.
1983-03-23	Social Security Bailout Bill [HR1900]	Passed (88-9)
Passage of the bill to overhaul the Social Security system, to revamp the way the federal government reimburses hospitals for Medicare, to extend the federal supplemental unemployment benefit program for six months and to increase Supplemental Security Income benefits. This bill included $100 billion in increased Social Security taxes.
1983-04-14	Adelman Nomination	Confirmed (57-42)
Confirmation of President Reagan's nomination of Kenneth L. Adelman of Virginia to be director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.
1983-05-04	Freeze Domestic Spending / Increase Defense [SCONRES27]	Defeated (23-75)
Hatch (R-UT) amendment to freeze spending on domestic programs at current levels, to allow a 7.5 percent growth in defense spending for fiscal 1984 and to require no new taxes.
1983-06-28	Human Life Federalism Amendment [SJRES3]	Defeated (49-50)
Passage of the joint resolution to propose an amendment to the Constitution that would overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal.
1983-06-29	Cap Tax Cuts [HR1183]	Defeated (45-55)
Democrats attempted tax hikes through "capping" the scheduled July 1, 1983 tax cut at $720 per return.
1983-07-14	B-1 Bomber Funding [S675]	Agreed To (56-41)
Tower (R-TX) motion to table (kill) the Nunn (D-GA) amendment to deny authorization for a multi-year procurement contract for critically needed B-1 bombers.
1983-07-16	Cruise Missile Freeze [S675]	Agreed To (47-40)
Tower (R-TX) motion to table (kill) the Mathias (R-MD) amendment expressing the sense of Congress that the President should, as soon as practicable, make every reasonable effort to include in the START talks with the Soviet Union the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile with a view to complete elimination of the weapon by both the United States and the Soviet Union, and should propose a joint moratorium on deployment of the missile for the duration of the START negotiations.
1983-09-15	Korean Airlines Massacre: Soviet Sanctions [HJRES353]	Agreed To (82-14)
Baker (R-TN) motion to table (kill) division 4 of the Helms (R-NC) amendment stating the sense of Congress that the President should direct the U.S. negotiators at strategic arms reduction talks to link the outcome of those talks with the willingness of the Soviet Union to abide by international law.
1983-09-15	Korean Airlines Massacre: Soviet Sanctions [HJRES353]	Agreed To (60-36)
Baker (R-TN) motion to table (kill) division 5 of the Helms (R-NC) amendment stating the sense of Congress that the President should re-emphasize the inconsistency of the Soviet military presence in the Western Hemisphere with the Monroe Doctrine.
1983-09-20	Coal Leasing [HR3363]	Agreed To (63-33)
Bumpers (D-AR) amendment to ban all further coal leasing on federal lands until 90 days after a special commission created to study the Interior Department's coal leasing policies has completed its report.
1983-09-23	Voice of America [S1342]	Rejected (26-68)
Helms (R-NC) amendment to earmark $52.9 million in fiscal 1984 and $95.3 million in fiscal 1985 for the U.S. Information Agency for engineering, site preparation and enhancement of radio transmitter facilities operated by the Voice of America, and to reduce authorizations in the bill for the National Endowment for Democracy program to promote democracy abroad and the Fulbright educational exchange program by total amounts equal to the funds earmarked for the Voice of America.
1983-09-23	U.N. Contributions [S1342]	Agreed To (66-23)
Kassebaum (R-KS) amendment to restrict U.S. payments for calendar year 1984 to the United Nations and affiliated organizations to no more than U.S. payments in calendar year 1980, and to reduce such payments in each of calendar years 1985-1987 by an amount equal to 10 percent of such U.S. payments in calendar year 1980 for a total reduction estimated at $500 million.
1983-10-19	MLK Federal Holiday [HR3706]	Passed (78-22)
Passage of the bill to declare the third Monday in January a legal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
1983-10-31	Tax Increases / Spending Cuts [HJRES308]	Rejected (42-55)		No Vote
Kasten (R-WI) amendment to express the sense of the Senate that no further tax increase should be enacted until Congress reduces spending by $3 for every $1 in revenue raised by the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. Congress had already promised the 3-for-1 cuts, but failed to deliver on that promise.
1983-10-31	"Mutual and Verifiable" Nuclear Freeze [HJRES308]	Agreed To (58-40)
Dole (R-KS) motion to table (kill) the Kennedy (D-MA)-Hatfield (R-OR) amendment to call for a "mutual and verifiable" freeze on and reduction in nuclear weapons.
1983-11-04	Soviet SALT II Compliance [HR4185]	Agreed To (50-29)
Rudman (R-NH) motion to table the Helms (R-NC) amendment expressing the sense of the Senate that no defense program should be constrained to comply with the SALT II U.S.-Soviet arms control treaty, until the Senate has consented to the treaty's ratification. The Helms amendment would ensure that the Soviets comply with previous agreements.
1983-11-07	MX Missile Funding [HR4185]	Rejected (37-56)
Bumpers (D-AR) amendment to delete $2.1 billion for the production of 21 MX missiles.
1983-11-16	Tax Credits for Tuition [HJRES290]	Agreed To (59-38)
Boren (D-OK) motion to table (klll) the Dole (R-KS) amendment to provide tax credits for tuition payments to private elementary and secondary schools. The credits, to be subtracted from taxes owed, would cover 50 percent of tuition payments up to a maximum of $300 a year once the program was fully in force.
1983-11-16	Presidential Impound [HJRES290]	Agreed To (49-46)
Hatfield (R-OR) motion to table (kill) the Armstrong (R-CO) amendment to establish quarterly limits for future increases in the public debt limit and to permit the President to cut back federal spending if necessary to stay within those limits. The President could not use this authority to cut any federal program or activity by more than 20 percent, nor could he reduce current benefit levels for individuals under entitlement programs which require payments to all who qualify.
1983-11-17	IMF/HUD Bailout [HR3959]	Agreed To (67-30)
Garn (R-UT) motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment with the Garn amendment to authorize funds for housing programs, the International Monetary Fund, the Export-Import Bank, and international development banks; reauthorize the Defense Production Act; and appropriate $8.4 billion for the International Monetary Fund.

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).