Remembering Who Was Responsible for the "Personal Responsibility and Work Oppportunity Act

In July/August of 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA), commonly known as "welfare reform." President Clinton signed it into law a few weeks later. And the law was as bad as its acronym was awkward.

I was discussing this briefly with some people this morning, so I decided to look up the roll call from back in 1996 to see who that voted aye and nay are still in Congress.

PRWORA a great example of Clinton's proclivity to passing bills despite near-majority opposition from his own caucus.

PRWORA passed the House 328 to 101.

The Democratic caucus split almost evenly in two: 101 in favor, 99 opposed.

12 Democratic YEA votes are still in the House:

Pete DeFazio (OR-04)
John Dingell (MI-12)
Lloyd Doggett (TX-35)
Mike Doyle (PA-14)
Steny Hoyer (MD-05)
Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Sandy Levin (MI-09)
Nita Lowey (NY-17)
Jim Moran (VA-08)
Frank Pallone (NJ-06)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Pete Visclosky (IN-01)

31 Democratic NAY votes are still in the House:

Xavier Becerra (CA-34)
Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Corrine Brown (FL-05)
Jim Clyburn (SC-06)
John Conyers (MI-13)
Elijah Cummings (MD-07)
Eliot Engel (NY-16)
Anna Eshoo (CA-18)
Sam Farr (CA-20)
Chaka Fattah (PA-02)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Alcee Hastings (FL-20)
Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
John Lewis (GA-05)
Zoe Lofgren (CA-19)
Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)
Jim McDermott (WA-07)
George Miller (CA-11)
Jerry Nadler (NY-10)
Ed Pastor (AZ-07)
Nancy Pelosi (CA-12)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Charlie Rangel (NY-13)
Bobby Rush (IL-01)
Bobby Scott (VA-03)
Jose Serrano (NY-15)
Louise Slaughter (NY-25)
Bennie Thompson (MS-02)
Nydia Velazquez (NY-07)
Maxine Waters (CA-43)
Henry Waxman (CA-33)

3 Democratic YEA votes are now in the Senate: Ben Cardin (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tim Johnson (D-SD).

6 NAY votes from the Democratic caucus are now in the Senate: Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

6 of the Democrats who voted for it are still in the Senate.

Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)

One is our VP, and another our Secretary of State.

4 of the Democrats who voted against it are still in the Senate:

Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
Pat Leahy (D-VT)
Patty Murray (D-WA)