How Georgia congressmen voted

Washington — Two of Georgia’s congressmen were among the vote switchers Friday when the House of Representatives passed the historic $700 billion rescue plan to stabilize financial markets. The final vote was 263-171.

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Reps. John Lewis and David Scott, both Atlanta Democrats, voted for the measure, which came before the House for the second time this week. Both had voted “no” last Monday when the House rejected a similar measure.

“I have decided the cost of doing nothing is greater than the cost of doing something,” Lewis said. “The fear that is gripping Wall Street has the power to shut down Main Street.”

Lewis spoke not long after published reports said he had been called by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama urging him to vote for the bill.

Scott, who as a member of the House Financial Committee helped draft the bill, said he changed his vote after he won assurances of more help to homeowners facing foreclosures.

He said new language in the bill “forces the Secretary of the Treasury to take a more aggressive strategy to restructure troubled mortgages.”

Scott added that small businesses in Atlanta “started running out of short term loan options” and would have been faced with cutting payrolls without action to steady the credit markets.

Also voting for the bill were Reps. Sanford Bishop of Albany and Jim Marshall of Macon, both Democrats who were the only Georgians to vote for the proposal when it came up four days ago.

Georgia’s seven House Republicans continued to vote solidly against the $700 billion plan, which has been so unpopular among the public that e-mails and phone calls, most of them in opposition, have strained the Capitol Hill computers and telephone systems close to the breaking point.

The Georgia GOP members did not engage in the Friday House debate, but all have criticized the proposal for inserting the federal government into private markets.

HOW THE DELEGATION VOTED:

John Barrow, Democrat, of Savannah: No

Sanford Bishop, Democrat of Albany: Yes

Paul Broun, Republican of Athens: No

Nathan Deal, Republican of Gainesville: No

Phil Gingrey, Republican of Marietta: No

Hank Johnson, Democrat of Lithonia: No

Jack Kingston, Republican of Savannah: No

John Lewis, Democrat of Atlanta: Yes

John Linder, Republican of Duluth: No

Jim Marshall, Democrat of Macon: Yes

Tom Price, Republican of Roswell: No

David Scott, Democrat of Atlanta: Yes

Lynn Westmoreland, Republican of Grantville: No