Political Voting Records: Pennsylvania-PA, Specter: Education

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Voting Record for Specter of Pennsylvania-PA
Voting Record on Legislation that Involves Education

Senate

Arlen Specter
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Next Election Year:

Education:
LLB, Yale Law School, 1956 BA, International Relations, University of Pennsylvania, 1951

Profession:
Attorney, 1974-1980 Assistant Counsel, Warren Commission Investigation, 1964 Attorney, Barnes, Dechert, Price, Myers and Rhoads Law Firm, 1955-1956 First Lieutenant, United States Air Force, 1951-1953

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Voting Record on Legislation Involving Education

(2010) HR 5281 DREAM Act

Outcome: Cloture Not Invoked (55/41)

Summary: -Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of an undocumented immigrant and grant him or her conditional nonimmigrant status for a period of 5 years if the following provisions are met (Secs. 6 & 7):

-The undocumented immigrant has been able to lawfully remain in the United States after such an order was issued; or -The undocumented immigrant received the order before he or she became 16 years old; and

-Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to charge a $525 surcharge per application for relief and requires the application for relief to be made within 1 year of the undocumented immigrant's date of graduation from high school (Sec. 6). -Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to use biometric, biographic, and other data to conduct background checks on each applicant, and to determine whether any criminal or national security factor exists that would make the undocumented immigrant ineligible for relief (Sec. 6). -Requires each applicant for relief to undergo a medical examination, arranged by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Sec. 6). -Defines "conditional nonimmigrant" as an undocumented immigrant who may have an intention of permanently residing in the United States and is not required to have a foreign residence (Sec. 5). -Authorizes a conditional nonimmigrant to (Sec. 7):

-Be employed in the United States; and -Travel outside the United States for a period no longer than 180 days and be readmitted without having to obtain a visa.-Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend conditional nonimmigrant status for 5 additional years if provisions, not limited to those listed below, are met (Sec. 7):

-The undocumented immigrant has demonstrated "good moral character" during the time he or she held conditional nonimmigrant status; -The undocumented immigrant has either acquired a degree from an institution of higher learning in the United States or has completed at least 2 years in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the United States; and -The undocumented immigrant has served in the Armed Forces for at least 2 years, or has been honorably discharged from the Armed Forces.-Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to terminate conditional nonimmigrant status if the Secretary determines that the undocumented immigrant has ceased to meet the requirements of the status, has become a public charge, or has received a dishonorable or other than honorable discharge from the Armed Forces (Sec. 7). -Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to collect a surcharge of $2,000 per application for an extension of conditional nonimmigrant status (Sec. 7). -Authorizes any conditional nonimmigrant to apply to have his or her immigration status changed to that of "lawfully admitted for permanent residence", and to be naturalized upon compliance with immigration laws (Sec. 8). -Specifies that false statements provided in an application for relief under this bill are punishable by no more than 5 years imprisonment and/or a fine (Sec. 11). -Prohibits the publication of information disclosed by individuals in application for relief under this bill, and fines any individual who uses, publishes, or permits such information to be examined no more than $10,000 (Sec. 12).

Specter's Vote

Y

(2010) HR 1586 Aid To States for Medicaid, Teacher Employment, and Other Purposes

Outcome: Concurrence Vote Passed (61/39)

Summary: -Appropriates $10 billion for the Education Jobs Fund to be allocated to states for the retention, rehiring, or hiring of elementary and secondary education employees (Sec. 101). -Establishes the following Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) increases for fiscal year 2010-2011 for states whose fiscal year 2010-2011 FMAPs would otherwise be less than their FMAPs for any single fiscal year from FY 2007-2008 to FY 2009-2010 (Sec. 201):

-An increase of 3.2 percent in the second quarter; and -An increase of 1.2 percent in the third quarter.-Extends the period during which a state can receive a further increase in its FMAP if it has as a specified level of increase in unemployment so that eligibility ends on January 1, 2011 rather than July 1, 2010 (Sec. 201). -Repeals a provision in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that allows for "advanced payment of earned income credit" (Sec. 219). -Rescinds funds that include, but are not limited to, the following amounts (Secs. 301-330):

-$2.2 billion from federal aid to the states for highways; -$1.5 billion from the Department of Energy's Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program; -$340 million from the Department of Defense's Army construction funds; -$302 million from the Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program; -$122 million from the Department of Agriculture's rural development funds.

Specter's Vote

Y

(2010) HR 4872 Health Care Reconciliation Act

Outcome: Bill Passed (56/43)

Summary: -Amends the penalty for individuals who fail to maintain "minimum essential health care coverage" as follows (Sec. 1002):

-Amends the income exemption from under 100 percent of the federal poverty line to below the income filing threshold; -Reduces the applicable dollar amount that is used to determine the penalty (multiplied by the number of people for whom the individual is liable or 300 percent of such amount for the taxable year) from $495 to $325 for 2015, and from $750 to $695 for 2016 and each subsequent year thereafter; and -Increases the alternative penalty, assessed if it's greater than the penalty calculated by the applicable dollar amount, from 0.5 to 1 percent of income for 2014, 1 to 2 percent of income for 2015, and 2 to 2.5 for 2016 and each subsequent year thereafter.-Amends the penalty for large employers (average of at least 50 full time employees, with exceptions for seasonal workers) that fail to offer minimum essential health care coverage to their employees as follows (Sec. 1003):

-Reduces the first 30 employees from the payment calculation; and -Increases the applicable payment amount from $750 to $2,000.-Repeals the $600 penalty for large employers that impose a waiting period for new employees to enroll in the company's health benefits plan (Sec. 1003). -Appropriates $1 billion to the Health Insurance Reform Implementation Fund for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to cover administrative costs associated with implementing the Act (Sec. 1005). -Repeals the $500 reduction in the coverage gap under Medicare Part D that separates the limit on initial coverage and the coverage for catastrophic care ("donut hole") in 2010, establishes a $250 rebate for individuals affected by the gap beginning in 2010, and phases out the gap by 2020 (Sec. 1101). -Repeals amendments to Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage Plan) rates of payments, and amends benchmarks beginning in 2012 based on Medicare costs, to be phased-in over 3, 5, or 7 years depending on the amount reduced, as follows (Sec. 1102):

-95 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the highest quartile; -100 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the second highest quartile; -107.5 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the third highest quartile; and -115 percent of Medicare spending for areas ranked by the Secretary in the highest quartile.-Repeals the provision that exempts the state of Nebraska from the federal compensation guidelines for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility and guaranteed that the state will be compensated for 100 percent of the costs beginning in 2014 and each subsequent year thereafter (Sec. 1201). -Specifies that states will be compensated for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility as follows (Sec. 1201):

-100 percent for 2014, 2015, and 2016; -95 percent for 2017; -94 percent for 2018; -93 percent for 2019; and -90 percent for 2020 and each year thereafter.-Requires Medicaid payment rates to physicians for primary care services be no less than 100 percent of the rates in 2013 and 2014 (Sec. 1202). -Amends the effective date for the excise tax on "high cost employer-sponsored health care plans" from 2013 to 2018, and increases the cost threshold for imposing the tax as follows (Sec. 1401):

-For single coverage, the threshold is increased from $8,500 to $10,200, or from $9,850 to $11,850 for retirees and employees of high-risk professions; and -For family coverage, the threshold is increased from $23,000 to $27,500, or from $26,000 to $30,950 for retirees and employees of high-risk professions.-Repeals the non-deductible fee to be collected annually after 2010 totaling $2 billion on medical device manufacturers and importers making more than $5 million during a calendar year, and establishes a 2.3 percent excise tax on the first sale of medical devices beginning in 2013, with the following exemptions (Sec. 1405):

-Eyeglasses; -Contact lenses; -Hearing aids; and -Any other medical device available to individuals for retail sale, as determined by the Secretary.-Prohibits all existing health insurance plans ("grandfathered health plans") from imposing lifetime limits or rescinding coverage for reasons other than intentional misrepresentation of material fact, and requires such plans to provide coverage for non-dependent children up to 26 years of age who are ineligible to enroll in employer-sponsored coverage (Sec. 2301). -Amends tax credits for the cost of health insurance premiums to be based on household income according to the following sliding scale (Sec. 1001):

-For household incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line, the premium percentage is 2.0 percent; -For household incomes between 133 percent and 150 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 3 percent and the final premium percentage is 4 percent; -For household incomes between 150 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 4 percent and the final premium percentage is 6.3 percent; -For household incomes between 200 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 6.3 percent and the final premium percentage is 8.05 percent; -For household incomes between 250 percent and 300 percent of the federal poverty line, the initial premium percentage is 8.05 percent and the final premium percentage is 9.5 percent; and -For household incomes between 300 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty line, the premium percentage is 9.5 percent.-Appropriates $13.5 billion for the Federal Pell Grant program (Sec. 2101). -Repeals the authority to issue loans through the Federal Family Education Loan program beginning July 1, 2010, and requires all loans be issued directly through a financial institution located or operating in the U.S. and designated by the Secretary of Education (Secs. 2201 & 2206).

Specter's Vote

Y