Senate roll call 318 · 96th Congress · Sep 27, 1979
To agree that the melcher amendment to H. J. RES. 404 is germane. The amendment insures equitable continued rail passenger service in the U.S. On the amtrack s
On Sep 27, 1979, the Senate voted 44–44. Result: failed. By party: Democrats 26–25, Republicans 18–18, Independents 0–1. It was a bipartisan vote: majorities of both parties voted yes. 43 members voted against their own party.
During the 96th Congress (1979–1980), Jimmy Carter was president, and Democrats held majorities in both the House and Senate.
- Yes
- 44
- No
- 44
- Did not vote
- 13
- Date
- Sep 27, 1979
By party
- Democrats26 yes · 25 no · 8 didn’t vote
- Republicans18 yes · 18 no · 5 didn’t vote
- Independents0 yes · 1 no
Who broke with their party
- Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa R-CA voted no
- Gary Warren Hart D-CO voted no
- William Lester Armstrong R-CO voted no
- Abraham Alexander Ribicoff D-CT voted no
- Joseph Robinette (Joe) Biden Jr. D-DE voted no
- Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. D-FL voted no
- Herman Eugene Talmadge D-GA voted no
- Samuel Augustus Nunn D-GA voted no
- John Chester Culver D-IA voted no
- Roger William Jepsen R-IA voted no
- Adlai Ewing III Stevenson D-IL voted no
- Charles Harting Percy R-IL voted no
- Richard Green Lugar R-IN voted no
- Nancy Landon Kassebaum R-KS voted no
- Walter Darlington Huddleston D-KY voted no
- John Bennett Johnston Jr. D-LA voted no
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA voted no
- Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. R-MD voted no
- Paul Spyros Sarbanes D-MD voted no
- Edmund Sixtus Muskie D-ME voted no
- William Sebastian Cohen R-ME voted no
- John Claggett Danforth R-MO voted no
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS voted no
- William Thad Cochran R-MS voted no
- Jesse Helms R-NC voted no
- Edward Zorinsky D-NE voted no
- J. James Exon D-NE voted no
- Gordon John Humphrey R-NH voted no
- Howard Walter Cannon D-NV voted no
- Paul Dominique Laxalt R-NV voted no
- John Herschel Glenn Jr. D-OH voted no
- Claiborne de Borda Pell D-RI voted no
- John Hubbard Chafee R-RI voted no
- Ernest Frederick (Fritz) Hollings D-SC voted no
- John Goodwin Tower R-TX voted no
- Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. D-TX voted no
- Edwin Jacob (Jake) Garn R-UT voted no
- John William Warner R-VA voted no
- Patrick Joseph Leahy D-VT voted no
- Robert Theodore Stafford R-VT voted no
- William Proxmire D-WI voted no
- Jennings Randolph D-WV voted no
- Robert Carlyle Byrd D-WV voted no
How each senator voted: Yes
- Maurice Robert (Mike) Gravel D-AK
- Donald Wilbur Stewart D-AL
- Howell Thomas Heflin D-AL
- Dale Bumpers D-AR
- David Hampton Pryor D-AR
- Barry Morris Goldwater R-AZ
- Alan Cranston D-CA
- Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. R-CT
- William Victor Roth Jr. R-DE
- Richard Bernard Stone D-FL
- Daniel Ken Inouye D-HI
- Spark Masayuki Matsunaga D-HI
- Frank Forrester Church D-ID
- James Albertus Mcclure R-ID
- Robert Joseph (Bob) Dole R-KS
- Wendell Hampton Ford D-KY
- Paul Efthemios Tsongas D-MA
- Carl Levin D-MI
- Donald Wayne Riegle Jr. D-MI
- David Ferdinand Durenberger R-MN
- Rudolph Eli (Rudy) Boschwitz R-MN
- John Melcher D-MT
- Max Sieben Baucus D-MT
- Milton Ruben Young R-ND
- Quentin Northrup Burdick D-ND
- John Anthony Durkin D-NH
- Harrison Arlington Williams Jr. D-NJ
- Harrison Hagan Schmitt R-NM
- Pete Vichi Domenici R-NM
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan D-NY
- Jacob Koppel Javits R-NY
- Howard Morton Metzenbaum D-OH
- David Lyle Boren D-OK
- Mark Odom Hatfield R-OR
- Richard Schultz Schweiker R-PA
- James Strom Thurmond R-SC
- Larry Lee Pressler R-SD
- James Ralph Sasser D-TN
- Orrin Grant Hatch R-UT
- Henry Martin (Scoop) Jackson D-WA
- Warren Grant Magnuson D-WA
- Gaylord Anton Nelson D-WI
- Alan Kooi Simpson R-WY
- Malcolm Wallop R-WY
How each senator voted: No
- Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa R-CA
- Gary Warren Hart D-CO
- William Lester Armstrong R-CO
- Abraham Alexander Ribicoff D-CT
- Joseph Robinette (Joe) Biden Jr. D-DE
- Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. D-FL
- Herman Eugene Talmadge D-GA
- Samuel Augustus Nunn D-GA
- John Chester Culver D-IA
- Roger William Jepsen R-IA
- Adlai Ewing III Stevenson D-IL
- Charles Harting Percy R-IL
- Richard Green Lugar R-IN
- Nancy Landon Kassebaum R-KS
- Walter Darlington Huddleston D-KY
- John Bennett Johnston Jr. D-LA
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA
- Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. R-MD
- Paul Spyros Sarbanes D-MD
- Edmund Sixtus Muskie D-ME
- William Sebastian Cohen R-ME
- John Claggett Danforth R-MO
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS
- William Thad Cochran R-MS
- Jesse Helms R-NC
- Edward Zorinsky D-NE
- J. James Exon D-NE
- Gordon John Humphrey R-NH
- Howard Walter Cannon D-NV
- Paul Dominique Laxalt R-NV
- John Herschel Glenn Jr. D-OH
- Claiborne de Borda Pell D-RI
- John Hubbard Chafee R-RI
- Ernest Frederick (Fritz) Hollings D-SC
- John Goodwin Tower R-TX
- Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. D-TX
- Edwin Jacob (Jake) Garn R-UT
- Harry Flood Byrd Jr. I-VA
- John William Warner R-VA
- Patrick Joseph Leahy D-VT
- Robert Theodore Stafford R-VT
- William Proxmire D-WI
- Jennings Randolph D-WV
- Robert Carlyle Byrd D-WV
Did not vote
- Theodore Fulton (Ted) Stevens R-AK
- Dennis Webster Deconcini D-AZ
- Birch Evans Bayh D-IN
- Edward Moore (Ted) Kennedy D-MA
- George John Mitchell D-ME
- Thomas Francis Eagleton D-MO
- Robert Burren Morgan D-NC
- William Warren (Bill) Bradley D-NJ
- Henry Louis Bellmon R-OK
- Robert William Packwood R-OR
- Henry John Heinz III R-PA
- George Stanley Mcgovern D-SD
- Howard Henry Baker Jr. R-TN
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
Cite or embed this page
Capitol Receipts, “To agree that the melcher amendment to H. J…: Senate Vote, Sep 27…,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/96-S-318/to-agree-that-the-melcher-amendment-to-h-j (accessed 2026-10-17).