Houston Democrats

Congress:

HR 8 - Republican bill to permanently repeal estate taxes in 2001, adding a projected $745 billion to the national debt over the next 10 years

• Al Green - NO
• Sheila Jackson Lee - YES
• Gene Green - NO
• ALL Republicans -YES
• All Democrats voted for a Democratic alternative that would have added only ¼ as much to debt.

 

S 256 Bankruptcy Overhaul – Foes called it a giveaway to the financial services industry

• Al Green - YES
• Sheila Jackson Lee - NO
• Gene Green - NO
• ALL Republicans -YES

 

HR 6 Energy Bill – Opens the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to drilling and gives tax breaks for oil and gas exploration and coal extraction

• Al Green YES
• Sheila Jackson Lee YES
• Gene Green YES
• ALL Republicans YES

A vote to strip the Arctic drilling from HR 6 was held before voting on the final bill All Republicans and Al Green and Gene Green voted NO, Sheila Jackson Lee voted YES to strip it from the bill.

 

Auto Fuel Standards – To raise efficiency standards for automobiles, sports utility vehicles and light trucks to an average of 33 miles per gallon by 2015

• All Democrats and Republicans voted NO

Texas House of Representatives:

HB2 – Republican education bill that funds public education less than the inflation rate

• All Democrats voted against it except Al Edwards who voted present

 

HB3 – Republican tax bill that raised the sales tax (9.25 for Houston), extended it to new items and added an additional 3% sales tax on “snack foods”

• All Democrats voted against the bill except Al Edwards who voted YES

Amendment to tax bill that would restore a the $1,000 health stipend to teachers and other school employees that was cut in 2003. It failed by 5 votes

• All Democrats voted for the bill except for the following who were “absent”: Kevin Bailey, Al Edwards and Sylvester Turner.

Amendment to the bill overhauling the state's Child Protective Services that banned gay people from being eligible to be foster parents

• All Democrats voted against the amendment except for Al Edwards and Sylvester Turner (Note: Sylvester Turner later stated that the vote was made in error.)

The Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriages had to receive 100 votes to win, it got 101

• All Democrats voted against the amendment except Al Edwards who voted for the amendment and Sylvester Turner who abstained.