Our first look at the 110th Congress shows how every representative and senator voted on key issues, such as the minimum wage, immigration, stem-cell research, and the Iraq War. This Review will address how Senator Bob Bennett voted on 10 Bills.  Bennett voted for the principles of the Constitution only 50% of the time, issues 1, 3, 4, 5, & 7.  He voted against the principles of the Constitution on issues 2, 6, 8, 9, & 10. (See issues below)

House Vote Descriptions

About this Index

‘‘The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution,” published by the John Birch Society, rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility,  national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements. We have changed the name of this index from “Conservative Index” to “Freedom Index” because the meaning of “conservative” has changed so dramatically since we began publishing “The Conservative Index” 35 years ago. Whereas preserving our Constitution, the freedoms it guarantees, and the moral bedrock on which it is based is what “conservatism” once meant, nowadays “conservative” is often used to refer to the exact opposites of these time-honored American values.

We encourage readers to examine how their own congressmen voted on each of the 10 key measures as well as overall. This is our first index for the 110^th Congress. Previous Conservative Index congressional scorecards are available online for the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses at ww.jbs.org/taxonomy/term/210.

We also encourage readers to commend legislators for their constitutional votes and to urge improvement where needed. For congressional contact information and a series of pre-written letters to Congress on some key issues go to www.capwiz.com/jbs/home. ■

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1 Grass-roots Lobbying. During consideration of the ethics and lobbying overhaul bill (S. 1), Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah) offered this amendment that would strike Section 220, a provision that would subject grass-roots lobbying groups to strict disclosure requirements, from the bill. The bill caused a firestorm of controversy from grass-roots activists who saw this bill as a threat to the freedom of speech. Commenting on Section 220, LifeNews.com reported, “If this provision is enacted, many ordinary citizens will get less and less information from pro-life groups and other issue-oriented organizations about what is going on in Congress.”

The Senate adopted the Bennett amendment by a vote of 55-43 (Roll Call 17) on January 18, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “yeas” because it would preserve the right of free speech for grass-roots organizations to inform the public about events on Capitol Hill without subjecting them to repressive regulator control.  (Bennett received a plus for his vote).

2 Minimum Wage. The minimum wage bill (H.R. 2) would raise the federal minimum wage from 5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the course of two years. The bill would also provide $8.3 billion in small-business tax incentives. The House passed its version of H.R. 2 on January 10 (see House vote #1).

The Senate passed the minimum-wage increase by a vote of 94-3 (Roll Call 42) on February 1, 2007.  We have assigned pluses to the “nays” because it is unconstitutional to prohibit citizens from working for less than a government-set wage. (Bennett did not received a plus for his vote). 

3 Repeal Estate Tax. During consideration of the fiscal 2008 budget resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 21), Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) offered an amendment that would make the phased out repeal of the estate tax (also known as the “death tax”) permanent. Under current law, the death tax will be phased out by 2010, but because of a “sunset” provision the tax will only be eliminated for a single year before being reinstituted.  The tax has forced many asset rich but cash-poor individuals to liquidate family farms, small businesses, and private property rather than bequeath those assets to loved ones.

The Senate rejected the De-Mint amendment by a vote of 44-55 (Roll Call 109) on March 23, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “yeas” because repealing the estate tax would be a constitutional tax cut that would benefit all Americans who would be subject to estate taxes again in 2011 and all subsequent years according to current tax law.  (Bennett received a plus for his vote).

4 COPS Funding. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) offered an amendment to the fiscal 2008 budget resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 21) that would authorize a $1.2 billion increase in federal funds to support the Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. 

The Senate passed the Biden amendment by a vote of 65-33 (Roll Call 110) on March 23, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “nays” because providing federal aid to local law enforcement programs is not only unconstitutional, but it also further federalizes the police system.  (Bennett received a plus for his vote).

5 Budget Resolution. The 2008 budget resolution (House Concurrent Resolution 21) would authorize nearly $2.9 trillion for fiscal 2008, a nearly $150 billion increase from fiscal 2007. 

The Senate adopted the fiscal 2008 budget resolution by a vote of 52-47 (Roll Call 114) on March 23, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “nays” because Congress must not continue to support massive amounts of irresponsible and unconstitutional spending.  (Bennett received a plus for his vote).

6 Embryonic Stem-cell Research.  The stem-cell research bill (S. 5), introduced by Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), would overturn the 2001 ban on federally funding embryonic stem-cell research with federal dollars. Similar to the House version of the bill (see House vote #2), S. 5 would fund the research, experimentation, and destruction of human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics.

The Senate passed Reid’s stem-cell research bill by a vote of 63-34 (Roll Call 127) on April 11, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “nays” because the bill violates the right to life for millions of unborn babies.  (Bennett did not receive a plus for his vote).

7 Supplemental Spending — Conference Report.

 The same version of this bill (H.R. 1591) is detailed in House vote #4.

The Senate passed the final version of H.R. 1591 by a vote of 51-46 (Roll Call 147) on April 26, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “nays” for several reasons: it contains an enormous amount of unconstitutional spending, would raise the federal minimum wage, and would authorize money for the Iraq War.  (Bennett received a plus for his vote).

8 Guest-worker Program.   Senator Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) introduced an amendment to strike the guest-worker provision of Ted Kennedy’s substitute amendment (S. Amdt. #1150) for the immigration reform bill of 2007 (S. 1348).   Kennedy’s so-called guest-worker provision would create a renewable two-year guest-worker program, issue a guest-worker visa, and set an adjustable annual cap on the number of guest workers permitted in this country.

The Dorgan amendment was rejected by a vote of 31-64 (Roll Call 174) on May 22, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “yeas” because the guest-worker program would constitute a large increase in legal immigration for our country, which would ultimately displace more American workers from their jobs and depress wages.  (Bennett did not receive a plus for his vote).

9 Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants.  David Vitter (R-La.) offered this amendment to Ted Kennedy’s substitute amendment (S. Amdt. #1150) for the immigration reform bill of 2007 (S. 1348). The Vitter amendment would drastically alter the scope of the immigration bill by striking an amnesty provision from the bill that would establish the Z visa, which would be issued to millions of illegal immigrants, placing them on a path toward citizenship. 

The Senate rejected the Vitter amendment by a vote of 29-66 (Roll Call 180) on May 24, 2007. We have assigned pluses to the “yeas” because the Vitter amendment would prevent those who have entered the United States unlawfully from gaining legal status, also known as amnesty.  (Bennett did not receive a plus for his vote).

10 Immigration Reform — Cloture.  Attempting to end debate and force a final vote on so-called immigration reform,  Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) invoked a motion for cloture on Ted Kennedy’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1639). Kennedy’s bill, also known as the “grand compromise” on immigration reform, was arrived at through negotiation between the Bush administration and Senate leaders. The Kennedy bill would, among other things, create an enhanced guest-worker program, call for the acceleration of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, and establish the Z visa, which would grant amnesty by placing illegal immigrants on a path toward citizenship. The vote on cloture would reveal whether or not the Senate had enough votes to force a vote on final passage of S. 1639.

The Senate rejected the motion to invoke cloture by a vote of 46-53 (Roll Call 235) on June 28, 2007 (60 votes are required to invoke cloture). We have assigned pluses to the “nays” because cloture would have ended floor debate on the Kennedy bill and enabled a vote by the full Senate on this dangerous piece of legislation (Bennett did not receive a plus for his vote). ■