Joseph Lieberman

[Congressional biography]

Born: February 24, 1942 in Stamford, CT
Died: March 27, 2024 in New York City, NY

Education:

Elected Office:

Other notes:

Key Senate Vote Data for Joseph Lieberman in 1999

Date	Subject	Result	Conserv. Position	Lieberman Voted
1999-02-12	Impeachment of President Clinton - Article I (Grand Jury Perjury) [HRES611]	Not Guilty (45-55)
Conviction on Article I, which would find President Clinton guilty of "perjurious, false and misleading testimony" during his Aug. 17, 1998, federal grand jury testimony about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, his prior testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit and his attempts to influence others' testimony in both.
1999-02-12	Impeachment of President Clinton - Article II (Obstruction of Justice) [HRES611]	Not Guilty (50-50)
Conviction on Article II, which would find President Clinton guilty of obstruction of justice, concealing evidence and delaying proceedings in the Paula Jones federal sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
1999-03-09	Educational Flexibility [S280]	Rejected (55-39)
Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee substitute amendment that would expand from 12 to 50 the number of states eligible for greater latitude in spending federal school aid. The language would allow states to waive certain federal rules normally required in order to use federal education funds. Three-fifths of the total Senate (60 votes) is required to invoke cloture.
1999-03-18	China World Trade Organization Admission [S544]	Agreed To (69-30)
Stevens (R-AK) motion to table (kill) the Hutchinson (R-AR) amendment that would prohibit U.S. support for China's admission into the World Trade Organization unless a joint resolution supporting such admission is enacted into law.
1999-03-25	Mandatory Spending Offsets [SCONRES20]	Rejected (52-47)
Craig (R-ID) motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Lautenberg (D-NJ) point of order against the Craig amendment. The Craig amendment would establish a Senate point of order against any measure that would increase mandatory spending unless the increase is offset by a reduction in mandatory spending (60 votes are needed to waive the Budget Act).
1999-03-25	Tobacco Tax [SCONRES20]	Rejected (54-44)
Wyden (D-OR) motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Bunning (R-KY) point of order against the Snowe (R-ME) amendment. The Snowe amendment would allow the Medicare prescription drug benefit program outlined in the resolution to be paid for by increased tobacco taxes (60 votes are needed to waive the Budget Act).
1999-03-25	Fiscal 2000 Budget Resolution [HCONRES68]	Passed (55-44)
Adoption of the concurrent resolution to adopt a five-year budget plan that calls for tax cuts beginning in fiscal 2000 and increased spending for defense, education and agriculture. The resolution would put the Social Security surplus off limits for other uses, but would rely on anticipated non-Social Security surpluses for tax cuts of $800 billion over ten years.
1999-04-22	Create Social Security "Lockbox" [S557]	Rejected (54-45)
Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Abraham (R-MI) amendment that would create a Social Security "lockbox" and establish limits on the public debt and a Senate point of order against any provision that would increase the debt limit. The underlying bill would establish a Senate point of order against any emergency spending items that do not meet a specific criteria for "emergencies". Three-fifths of the entire Senate (60 votes) is needed to invoke cloture.
1999-05-04	U.S. Troops in Kosovo [SJRES20]	Agreed To (78-22)
Lott (R-MS) motion to table (kill) the joint resolution that would authorize the President to "use all necessary force and other means," in concert with U.S. allies, to accomplish U.S. and NATO objectives in Yugoslavia.
1999-05-14	Juvenile Crime -- Republican Gun Proposals [S254]	Agreed To (48-47)
Hatch (R-UT) amendment that would increase mandatory minimum and maximum penalties for the illegal transfer or use of firearms, authorize funding to hire additional prosecutors to prosecute drug cases and require anyone who attends a gun show with the intent of selling a firearm to obtain a background check on purchasers.
1999-05-18	Cap Y2K Liability Limits [S96]	Rejected (53-45)
Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the motion to proceed to the bill that would cap at $250,000, or three times the amount of actual damages, whichever is greater, the liability of businesses from damage caused by so-called Year 2000 computer problems, which will occur if computers mistake a two-digit code of "00" for 1900 instead of 2000.
1999-05-26	Overseas Military Hospital Abortions [S1059]	Agreed To (51-49)
Smith (R-NH) motion to table (kill) the Murray (D-WA) amendment to repeal current law prohibiting overseas U.S. military hospitals and medical facilities from performing privately funded abortions for U.S. service members and their dependents.
1999-05-26	Blocking Nuclear Weapons Reduction [S1059]	Agreed To (56-44)
Warner (R-VA) motion to table (kill) the Kerrey (D-NE) amendment that would strike bill language requiring that U.S. strategic nuclear forces remain at START I levels through the end of fiscal 2000 unless Russia ratifies START II.
1999-07-13	Managed Care Revisions -- Tax Deduction for Self-Employed [S1344]	Agreed To (53-47)
Santorum (R-PA) amendment to the Kennedy (D-MA) amendment to the Daschle (D-SD) substitute amendment. The Santorum amendment would strike the Kennedy amendment, which would expand the scope of the substitute amendment, and instead would allow self-employed individuals to fully deduct the cost of their health insurance on their federal taxes. It also would express the sense of the Senate that states have primary responsibility for regulating health care.
1999-07-14	Expand Managed Care Provisions [S1344]	Rejected (48-52)
Kennedy (D-MA) amendment to the Dodd (D-CT) amendment, as amended, to the Daschle (D-SD) substitute amendment. The Kennedy amendment would expand the underlying substitute's provisions to apply to all individuals with private health insurance (approximately 161 million Americans).
1999-07-29	Across-the-Board Tax Cuts [S1429]	Rejected (46-54)
Hutchison (R-TX) motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Moynihan (D-NY) point of order against the Gramm (R-TX) substitute amendment. The substitute would reduce taxes by $792 billion over 10 years by reducing all income tax rates 10 percent, eliminating the so-called marriage penalty, repealing estate and gift taxes, reducing the capital gains tax and allowing self-employed individuals to fully deduct health insurance costs (60 votes are needed to waive the Budget Act).
1999-08-05	NEA Funding [HR2466]	Agreed To (80-16)
Gorton (R-WA) motion to table (kill) the Smith (R-NH) amendment that would eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
1999-09-16	District of Columbia Appropriations [HR2587]	Agreed To (52-39)
Adoption of the conference report on the bill to provide $429.1 million in federal payments to the District of Columbia and approve the District's $6.8 billion budget. The measure would provide $17 million for a program to allow D.C. students to pay in-state tuition rates at colleges not in the District, and contains legislative provisions to prohibit the District from spending federal, local or private funds on needle exchange programs or to legalize marijuana or reduce marijuana penalties.
1999-09-22	Reduce AmeriCorps Funding [HR2684]	Agreed To (61-38)
Bond (R-MO) motion to table (kill) the Smith (R-NH) amendment that would reduce funding for the AmeriCorps national service program by $225 million and reallocate $210 million for veterans' medical benefits, $5 million for homeless veterans and $10 million for construction of veterans' extended care facilities.
1999-10-05	Nomination of Ronnie White	Rejected (45-54)
Confirmation of President Clinton's nomination of Ronnie L. White of Missouri to be U.S. District judge for the Eastern District of Missouri.
1999-10-06	Across-the-Board Spending Cuts [S1650]	Agreed To (54-46)
Nickles (R-OK) amendment to the Nickles amendment. Both amendments would express the sense of the Senate that Congress should adopt an across-the-board cut in all discretionary funding if failure to do so would result in tapping the Social Security surplus to provide fiscal 2000 spending.
1999-10-13	Nuclear Test Ban Treaty [TREATYDOC10528]	Rejected (48-51)
Adoption of the resolution of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which would ban nuclear weapons testing six months after the pact is ratified by the 44 nations that have either nuclear power plants or nuclear research reactors.
1999-10-19	Campaign Finance -- Shays-Meehan Substitute [S1593]	Rejected (52-48)
Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Daschle (D-SD) substitute amendment, which would insert text similar to the campaign finance bill passed by the House on September 14. The amendment would ban all contributions of "soft money," or money used for party-building activities as opposed to supporting a specific candidate, and impose restrictions on issue advocacy communications. It also would raise individual aggregate contribution limits and the amount that may be given to state political parties.
1999-10-21	Partial-Birth Abortion Ban [S1692]	Passed (63-34)
Passage of the bill that would ban a certain late-term abortion procedure, in which the physician partially delivers the fetus before completing the abortion. Anyone convicted of performing such an abortion would be subject to a fine and up to two years in prison. The penalties would not apply if the abortion is necessary to save the mother's life.
1999-11-09	Blocking Minimum Wage Increase [S625]	Agreed To (50-48)
Domenici (R-NM) motion to table (kill) the Kennedy (D-MA) amendment that would increase the minimum wage by $1 an hour over two years, to $5.65 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2000, and to $6.15 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2001. The amendment also would provide $9.5 billion in tax cuts over five years, offset by extending the Superfund tax and eliminating some corporate tax breaks.

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).