| Full Name: | Al Franken |
|---|---|
| Office: | U.S. Senate (MN) - Jr, Democratic/Farmer/Labor |
| First Elected: | 11/04/2008 |
| Next Election: | 2014 |
| Gender: | Male |
|---|---|
| Family: | Wife: Franni; 2 Children: Thomasin, Joe |
| Birth Date: | 05/21/1951 |
| Birth Place: | New York, NY |
| Religion: | Jewish |
Key Votes
Senator Al Franken's Voting Records
Unemployed and Low-Income
Issue
- Unemployed and Low-Income down
- Abortion
- Abortion and Reproductive
- Agriculture and Food
- Animals and Wildlife
- Arts and Entertainment
- Budget, Spending and Taxes
- Business and Consumers
- Campaign Finance and Elections
- Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
- Conservative
- Crime
- Death Penalty
- Defense
- Drugs
- Education
- Employment and Affirmative Action
- Energy
- Environment
- Executive Branch
- Federal, State and Local Relations
- Foreign Affairs
- Gambling and Gaming
- Government Operations
- Guns
- Health and Health Care
- Housing and Property
- Immigration
- Indigenous Peoples
- Judicial Branch
- Labor Unions
- Legislative Branch
- Liberal
- Marriage, Family, and Children
- Military Personnel
- National Security
- Science
- Senior Citizens
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Social
- Stem Cell Research
- Technology and Communication
- Trade
- Transportation
- Unemployed and Low-Income
- Veterans
- Women
(clear issue)
National Key Votes
| Date | Bill No. | Bill Title | Outcome | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 19, 2012 | S Amdt 2156 | Increases Funding for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program | Amendment Rejected - Senate (33 - 66) |
Nay |
| June 19, 2012 | S Amdt 2174 | Limits Eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 56) |
Nay |
| June 19, 2012 | S Amdt 2172 | Rescinds Bonuses to States for Administering Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (41 - 58) |
Nay |
| June 13, 2012 | S Amdt 2392 | Reduces Funding for Food Stamps | Amendment Tabled - Senate (65 - 33) |
Yea |
| Feb. 17, 2012 | HR 3630 | Extends Payroll Tax Cut | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (60 - 36) |
Yea |
| Dec. 17, 2011 | S Amdt 1465 | Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Extension | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 10) |
Yea |
| July 21, 2010 | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (59 - 39) |
Yea |
| July 20, 2010 | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 40) |
Yea |
| Oct. 27, 2009 | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits | Cloture Invoked - Senate (87 - 13) |
Yea |
About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes
Project Vote Smart provides easy access to Congressional and State voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Key votes typically include the initial passage of legislation and final conference report vote versions (the compromised versions of bills passed in separate House and Senate versions). Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:
- The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
- The vote should be clear for any person to understand
- The vote has received media attention
- The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
- Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added
Descriptions of the votes are written by Vote Smart staff and based on information included in the Congressional Record, State House Journals, or Senate Journals, with additional background information from newspapers, magazines, etc. Vote Smart provides summaries for each selected key vote. The summary does not necessarily reflect the final version of the bill.
The Key Votes Program follows Project Vote Smart's strict policies, procedures and structure that guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. In order to ensure that all Key Votes are non-partisan in their selection and language, each is approved by a group of over 160 political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.
