Legislation United States

In 1995, the issues that forced two partial government shutdowns were the kind of Big Ideas over which political parties stand or fall: whether to overhaul the vast welfare apparatus, revamp the cherished Medicare program, uproot dozens of domestic programs; whether, in short, to remake the size and scope of government. This fall, however, the issues raising the prospect of another budget confrontation are far narrower.

The R&B trio TLC burst onto the music charts in 1992 with such hits as "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," and with its second album it became the biggest-selling female group ever. But by 1995, members of the group said they were too broke to go on and filed for bankruptcy. In January, platinum-record star Toni Braxton joined TLC in insolvency. And, like TLC, she sought to void her recording contract, which she said denied her a fair share of the $170 million in sales she had generated.

Out-of-work Americans will be able to get vouchers to buy their own job-training services under a bill that President Clinton signed Friday. "Almost every American has more than enough sense to decide what is in his or her best interests given a little helpful advice on the available alternatives," Clinton said before signing the Workforce Investment Act.

In a surprising setback for conservatives Wednesday, the House rejected a proposal by Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) to void President Clinton's executive order barring bias against homosexuals in the federal work force. In an election year in which Republicans have repeatedly taken on the homosexual community in word and in votes, the 252-176 roll call saw 188 Democrats joined by one independent and 63 Republicans who said the proposal went too far.

An unexpected outbreak of ideological conflict in the House threatens to derail bipartisan efforts to renew the charter for Head Start, the popular federal program that provides preschool training, nutrition and other services to poor children. Conservatives on the House Education and Workforce Committee, including many who last year tried to unseat Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.

They feared the worst when even allies began voting against their plan to revamp the nation's much-maligned campaign financing system. But as Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Martin T. Meehan (D-Mass.) soon discovered, some supporters were backing so-called "poison pill" amendments to the bill simply because they were confused. The provisions--offered by reform foes--frequently seemed innocuous, but their effect would be to eat away at the fragile coalition backing the measure.

The House on Monday night voted to significantly revamp the nation's laws for financing elections, passing the most sweeping reforms since those inspired by the Watergate scandal. The bill--which would end unregulated and unlimited "soft money" donations to political parties--passed, 237 to 186. Its approval sends a strong election-year message that the House, if not the Senate, favors reforming a system that came under sharp criticism after the 1996 campaign.

This is how members of the California delegation voted Monday on the campaign finance reform bill: Democrats for--Becerra, Berman, Brown, Capps, Condit, Dixon, Dooley, Eshoo, Farr, Fazio, Filner, Harman, Lantos, Lee, Lofgren, Matsui, Millender-McDonald, Miller, Pelosi, Roybal-Allard, Sanchez, Sherman, Stark, Tauscher, Torres, Waters, Waxman, Woolsey Democrats against--none Republicans for--Bilbray, Campbell, Gallegly, Horn Republicans against--Bono, Calvert, Cox, Cunningham, Doolittle, Dreier,

Accusing Congress of trying to put young Americans' futures "in the back seat," President Clinton said Monday he will veto any federal budget that lacks money for a summer jobs program and the education proposals that he wants. The president looked out at a roomful of summer workers at Prince George's Hospital Center and said he, like them, worked during his breaks from school in jobs funded by the federal government--and today he is in the White House.

The Health Industry Manufacturers Assn. has lots of favorites on Capitol Hill, and Rep. Christopher Cox is one of them. The Washington-based trade group of biomedical manufacturers likes the way the Newport Beach Republican helped pass legislation last year that's supposed to streamline government regulation of the industry. He serves on the House Commerce Committee, which handled the bill designed to speed up Food and Drug Administration approvals of new medical devices.