| This vote was to end a filibuster and force Senate action on the FY2002 Department of Transportation Appropriations Act (H.R. 2299). The bill, sponsored by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), would have imposed crucial safety inspection requirements to measure compliance with U.S. safety standards that NAFTA requires be met by Mexican longhaul commercial trucking companies operating in the U.S. The bill was being filibustered by Sens. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) who argued it violated NAFTA. Sixty votes were needed to end the filibuster. Passed 70 Yea to 30 Nay. |