Kent Conrad

The Senate passed an emergency spending bill in response to the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. The bill authorizes $60 billion in emergency spending with no offsets and includes many provisions for long-term projects and unconnected programs such as EPA Global Warming studies, Amtrak subsidies and fishery projects in Alaska. ACU opposes these pork-filled bills that spend taxpayer money with little oversight and opposes this bill. The bill passed the Senate on December 28, 2012, by a vote of 62-32.

The Senate rejected the Coburn amendment to the Disaster Relief bill that would ensure taxpayer funds are not spent on tax cheats, deceased individuals, or fisheries outside the affected area. ACU supports reasonable efforts to oversee government spending and supported this amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment on December 28, 2012, by a vote of 35-60.

The Senate failed to ratify the United Nations Treaty on the Rights of Persons with Disability treaty. ACU opposes the ratification of this treaty that seeks to have all countries conform to an ill-defined set of standards left for UN interpretation. The Senate voted in favor of the treaty on December 4, 2012, by a vote of 61-38 but it failed to get the 67 votes necessary for ratification.

The Senate adopted the Ayotte amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that prohibits the transfer of terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United States. ACU opposes these transfers and supported this amendment. The amendment passed the Senate on November 29, 2012 by a vote of 54-41.

The Senate adopted the Mark Udall amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would remove sections of the bill that would hold down the cost of the global warming program. The provision eliminated by the amendment would have limited use of alternative fuels to those that do not exceed the coat of traditional fossil fuels. ACU opposes these expensive programs in the name of global warming and opposed this amendment. The amendment passed the Senate on November 28, 2012, by a vote of 62-37.

The Senate rejected the McConnell amendment to the Reid tax increase bill that would have extended the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for one year and maintained the current levels for the Estate Tax, also known as the Death Tax. ACU supports lower taxes for all and supports this amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment on July 25, 2012, by a vote of 45-54.

The Senate rejected the Inhofe motion to take up a resolution of disapproval of EPA's Utility MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) rule. ACU opposed this and a series of EPA rules designed to bypass Congress and impose regulations that would almost totally prohibit the construction of coal fired power plants, increasing the cost of electricity to American consumers and so supported this motion. The Senate rejected the motion on June 20, 2012, by a vote of 46-53.

The Senate rejected the DeMint amendment to the Farm Bill that would have allowed individual businesses and small farmers to "opt-out" of mandatory or compulsory "check-off" programs. ACU opposes programs that allow large corporations to tax small businesses for promotional programs they do not need or want and supported this amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment on June 19, 2012, by a vote of 20-79.

The Senate rejected the Alexander amendment to the Farm Bill. The amendment would have prevented any entity receiving guaranteed loans for wind energy projects from receiving other federal benefits from the same project. ACU opposes "double-dipping"—using different federal programs to get assistance for the same project—and supported this amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment on June 19, 2012, by a vote of 33-66.

The Senate rejected the Sessions amendment to the Farm Bill that restricts eligibility for the food stamp program, renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to recipients of cash assistance from other state and federal programs. ACU opposes the major expansion of the food stamp program under the Obama Administration and supported this amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment on June 19, 2012, by a vote of 43-56.

The Senate passed the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank that increases American taxpayer exposure to default on government backed loans by 40% over the next three years. In recent years, this Depression-era program designed to increase American trade has grown into a bloated $100 billion bureaucracy that has concentrated on giving foreign airlines discounted loan rates to purchase American planes. ACU opposes programs that pick winners and losers in the marketplace and make it harder for some American companies to compete and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on May 15, 2012 by a vote of 78-20.

The Senate passed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that greatly expands the definition of domestic violence. The bill bans organizations that receive federal grants from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. ACU opposes the growth of this program into a $455 million bureaucracy that has been repeatedly cited by the Inspector General for unauthorized and unallowable expenditures and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 26, 2012 by a vote of 68-31.

The Senate passed a postal service overhaul bill that temporarily covers billions of dollars in losses but prohibits any reforms to fix the long-term problems of the post office. The Postmaster General has predicted that without reforms, the Post Office would lose $238 billion between 2010 and 2020. ACU supports true postal reform and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 25, 2012, by a vote of 62-37.

The Senate rejected the Paul amendment to the Postal Service bailout bill that would have ended government control over private mailboxes. The amendment would allow mailbox owners to decide if someone other than the post office can put something in their mailbox, which is currently illegal. ACU has long supported removing restrictions on private mailboxes and supported this amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment on April 23, 2012 by a vote of 35-64.

The Senate rejected the Enzi motion to take up a resolution of disapproval of a National Labor Relations Board ruling that allows union-backed snap elections. ACU opposes rules that diminish the ability of workers and employers to discuss the merits of union representation and supported this motion. The Senate rejected the motion on April 24, 2012, by a vote of 45-54.

The Senate adopted the Merkley amendment to a bill making it easier for businesses to attract small investors through the technique of "crowdfunding," through which small investors pool their funds through the internet. The amendment would restore restrictive conditions that make "crowdfunding" difficult. ACU supports efforts to allow small businesses to attract capital and opposed this amendment. The Senate adopted the amendment on March 22, 2012, by a vote of 64-35.

The Senate rejected the Menendez amendment that would have greatly increased tax credits for those who purchase natural gas vehicles to a maximum of $64,000. ACU opposes the government's picking winners and losers among different energy technologies and opposed this amendment. The Senate voted in favor of the amendment on March 13, 2012, by a vote of 51-47 but it failed to achieve the 60 votes required for passage.

The Senate rejected the DeMint amendment to the transportation bill that would eliminate numerous tax benefits for chosen energy producers and repeal tax benefits for chosen technologies, such as electric vehicles. ACU opposes programs that pick winners and losers in the marketplace and supported this amendment. The Senate rejected the amendment on March 13, 2012, by a vote of 26-72.

The Senate adopted the Bingaman amendment to the transportation bill that would punish states that lease toll roads to private operators by reducing their transportation funding. ACU supports states efforts to include private enterprise in government programs and opposed this amendment. The amendment was adopted on March 13, 2012, by a vote of 50-47.

The Senate rejected the Hoeven amendment to the transportation bill that would approve the Keystone XL pipeline between Canada and the United States which was blocked by the Obama Administration. ACU supports this addition to the U.S. oil supply from our northern neighbor and supports this amendment. A Senate majority voted in favor of the amendment on March 8, 2012, 56-42, but 60 votes were required for passage.