Senate roll call 578 · 96th Congress · Apr 1, 1980
To amend S. 1946, railroad transportation policy, by allowing a reasonable time for abandonment proceedings. (motion failed)
On Apr 1, 1980, the Senate voted 37–59 (S 1946). Result: failed. By party: Democrats 19–35, Republicans 18–23, Independents 0–1. It was a bipartisan vote: majorities of both parties voted no. 37 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
- 37
- No
- 59
- Did not vote
- 5
- Date
- Apr 1, 1980
By party
- Democrats19 yes · 35 no · 5 didn’t vote
- Republicans18 yes · 23 no
- Independents0 yes · 1 no
Who broke with their party
- Donald Wilbur Stewart D-AL voted yes
- Howell Thomas Heflin D-AL voted yes
- Dale Bumpers D-AR voted yes
- David Hampton Pryor D-AR voted yes
- Barry Morris Goldwater R-AZ voted yes
- Dennis Webster Deconcini D-AZ voted yes
- Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. R-CT voted yes
- Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. D-FL voted yes
- Richard Bernard Stone D-FL voted yes
- John Chester Culver D-IA voted yes
- Robert Joseph (Bob) Dole R-KS voted yes
- John Bennett Johnston Jr. D-LA voted yes
- Paul Efthemios Tsongas D-MA voted yes
- Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. R-MD voted yes
- Paul Spyros Sarbanes D-MD voted yes
- Edmund Sixtus Muskie D-ME voted yes
- William Sebastian Cohen R-ME voted yes
- David Ferdinand Durenberger R-MN voted yes
- Rudolph Eli (Rudy) Boschwitz R-MN voted yes
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS voted yes
- William Thad Cochran R-MS voted yes
- John Melcher D-MT voted yes
- Jesse Helms R-NC voted yes
- Milton Ruben Young R-ND voted yes
- Quentin Northrup Burdick D-ND voted yes
- Edward Zorinsky D-NE voted yes
- John Anthony Durkin D-NH voted yes
- Paul Dominique Laxalt R-NV voted yes
- Jacob Koppel Javits R-NY voted yes
- Henry John Heinz III R-PA voted yes
- Richard Schultz Schweiker R-PA voted yes
- James Strom Thurmond R-SC voted yes
- George Stanley Mcgovern D-SD voted yes
- Larry Lee Pressler R-SD voted yes
- James Ralph Sasser D-TN voted yes
- John Goodwin Tower R-TX voted yes
- Alan Kooi Simpson R-WY voted yes
The bill
S. 1946: A bill to reform the economic regulation of railroads, and for other purposes.
How each senator voted: Yes
- Donald Wilbur Stewart D-AL
- Howell Thomas Heflin D-AL
- Dale Bumpers D-AR
- David Hampton Pryor D-AR
- Barry Morris Goldwater R-AZ
- Dennis Webster Deconcini D-AZ
- Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. R-CT
- Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. D-FL
- Richard Bernard Stone D-FL
- John Chester Culver D-IA
- Robert Joseph (Bob) Dole R-KS
- John Bennett Johnston Jr. D-LA
- Paul Efthemios Tsongas D-MA
- Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. R-MD
- Paul Spyros Sarbanes D-MD
- Edmund Sixtus Muskie D-ME
- William Sebastian Cohen R-ME
- David Ferdinand Durenberger R-MN
- Rudolph Eli (Rudy) Boschwitz R-MN
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS
- William Thad Cochran R-MS
- John Melcher D-MT
- Jesse Helms R-NC
- Milton Ruben Young R-ND
- Quentin Northrup Burdick D-ND
- Edward Zorinsky D-NE
- John Anthony Durkin D-NH
- Paul Dominique Laxalt R-NV
- Jacob Koppel Javits R-NY
- Henry John Heinz III R-PA
- Richard Schultz Schweiker R-PA
- James Strom Thurmond R-SC
- George Stanley Mcgovern D-SD
- Larry Lee Pressler R-SD
- James Ralph Sasser D-TN
- John Goodwin Tower R-TX
- Alan Kooi Simpson R-WY
How each senator voted: No
- Theodore Fulton (Ted) Stevens R-AK
- Alan Cranston D-CA
- 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
- William Victor Roth Jr. R-DE
- Herman Eugene Talmadge D-GA
- Samuel Augustus Nunn D-GA
- Daniel Ken Inouye D-HI
- Spark Masayuki Matsunaga D-HI
- Roger William Jepsen R-IA
- James Albertus Mcclure R-ID
- Adlai Ewing III Stevenson D-IL
- Charles Harting Percy R-IL
- Birch Evans Bayh D-IN
- Richard Green Lugar R-IN
- Nancy Landon Kassebaum R-KS
- Walter Darlington Huddleston D-KY
- Wendell Hampton Ford D-KY
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA
- Carl Levin D-MI
- Donald Wayne Riegle Jr. D-MI
- John Claggett Danforth R-MO
- Thomas Francis Eagleton D-MO
- Max Sieben Baucus D-MT
- J. James Exon D-NE
- Gordon John Humphrey R-NH
- Harrison Arlington Williams Jr. D-NJ
- William Warren (Bill) Bradley D-NJ
- Harrison Hagan Schmitt R-NM
- Pete Vichi Domenici R-NM
- Howard Walter Cannon D-NV
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan D-NY
- Howard Morton Metzenbaum D-OH
- John Herschel Glenn Jr. D-OH
- David Lyle Boren D-OK
- Henry Louis Bellmon R-OK
- Mark Odom Hatfield R-OR
- Robert William Packwood R-OR
- Claiborne de Borda Pell D-RI
- John Hubbard Chafee R-RI
- Ernest Frederick (Fritz) Hollings D-SC
- Howard Henry Baker Jr. R-TN
- Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. D-TX
- Edwin Jacob (Jake) Garn R-UT
- Orrin Grant Hatch R-UT
- Harry Flood Byrd Jr. I-VA
- John William Warner R-VA
- Patrick Joseph Leahy D-VT
- Robert Theodore Stafford R-VT
- Henry Martin (Scoop) Jackson D-WA
- Warren Grant Magnuson D-WA
- Gaylord Anton Nelson D-WI
- William Proxmire D-WI
- Jennings Randolph D-WV
- Robert Carlyle Byrd D-WV
- Malcolm Wallop R-WY
Did not vote
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
Cite or embed this page
Capitol Receipts, “To amend S. 1946, railroad transportation…: Senate Vote, Apr 1, 1980,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/96-S-578/to-amend-s-1946-railroad-transportation-policy-by-allowing (accessed 2026-10-17).