| Full Name: | E. Benjamin 'Ben' Nelson |
|---|
| Gender: | Male |
|---|---|
| Family: | Wife: Diane; 4 Children: Kevin, Kristy, Patrick, Sara |
| Birth Date: | 05/17/1941 |
| Birth Place: | McCook, NE |
| Home City: | Omaha, NE |
| Religion: | Methodist |
Key Votes
E. Benjamin 'Ben' Nelson's Voting Records
Budget, Spending and Taxes
Issue
- Budget, Spending and Taxes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 1, 2013 | HR 8 | Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 8) |
Yea |
| Dec. 21, 2012 | HR 4310 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (81 - 14) |
Yea |
| Nov. 29, 2012 | S Amdt 3245 | Prohibits the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Individuals Detained at Guantanamo Bay | Amendment Adopted - Senate (54 - 41) |
Yea |
| Nov. 29, 2012 | S Amdt 3058 | Expands TRICARE Coverage of Autism | Amendment Adopted - Senate (66 - 29) |
Nay |
| Nov. 28, 2012 | S Amdt 3095 | Repeals the Prohibition on Biofuel Refinery Construction | Amendment Adopted - Senate (54 - 41) |
Yea |
| Sept. 22, 2012 | H J Res 117 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (62 - 30) |
Yea |
| July 25, 2012 | S Amdt 2573 | Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2012 | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 54) |
Nay |
| July 25, 2012 | S 3412 | Middle Class Tax Cut Act | Bill Passed - Senate (51 - 48) |
Yea |
| July 19, 2012 | S 3364 | Bring Jobs Home Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42) |
Yea |
| July 12, 2012 | S 2237 | Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 44) |
Yea |
| June 21, 2012 | S 3240 | Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35) |
Yea |
| May 24, 2012 | S Amdt 2153 | Prohibits Increase in Interest Rates for Student Loans (Lamar Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (34 - 62) |
Nay |
| May 24, 2012 | S 2343 | Extends Student Loan Interest Rates (Reid Bill) | Bill Failed - Senate (51 - 43) |
Yea |
| May 8, 2012 | S 2343 | Extends Student Loan Interest Rates (Reid Bill) | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 45) |
Yea |
| April 25, 2012 | S 1789 | United States Postal Service Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (62 - 37) |
Yea |
| April 16, 2012 | S 2230 | Establishes a Minimum 30 Percent Tax Rate for High-Income Taxpayers | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 45) |
Yea |
| March 29, 2012 | S 2204 | Amends Energy-Related Tax Credits | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 47) |
Nay |
| Feb. 6, 2012 | HR 658 | Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (75 - 20) |
Yea |
| Jan. 26, 2012 | H J Res 98 | Disapproval of President's Authority to Raise the Debt Limit | Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
Yea |
| Dec. 17, 2011 | HR 2055 | Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (67 - 32) |
Yea |
| Dec. 17, 2011 | S Amdt 1465 | Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Extension | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 10) |
Yea |
| Dec. 14, 2011 | S J Res 24 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Udall Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (21 - 79) |
Yea |
| Oct. 21, 2011 | S Amdt 791 | Limits Farm Subsidies to Individuals with Incomes Under $1 million | Amendment Adopted - Senate (84 - 15) |
Yea |
| Oct. 11, 2011 | S 1660 | American Jobs Act of 2011 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
Nay |
| Sept. 26, 2011 | HR 2608 | Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (79 - 12) |
Yea |
| Sept. 23, 2011 | S Amdt 655 | Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 | Amendment Tabled - Senate (59 - 36) |
Nay |
| Sept. 22, 2011 | S Amdt 633 | Extends Trade Adjustment Assistance | Amendment Adopted - Senate (69 - 28) |
Yea |
| Sept. 22, 2011 | S Amdt 634 | Sale of F-16 Aircraft to Taiwan | Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 48) |
Nay |
| Sept. 21, 2011 | S Amdt 642 | Modifies Eligibility Requirements for Trade Adjustment Assistance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 57) |
Nay |
| Sept. 21, 2011 | S Amdt 641 | Requires Extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance to be Contingent Upon Ratification of Free Trade Agreements with Columbia, Korea and Panama | Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
Nay |
| Sept. 21, 2011 | S Amdt 645 | Repeals the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program for Firms | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 54) |
Nay |
| Sept. 21, 2011 | S Amdt 625 | Reducing and Extending Trade Adjustment Assistance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
Nay |
| Sept. 15, 2011 | S Amdt 613 | Reducing Appropriations for Foreign Assistance Programs | Amendment Rejected - Senate (20 - 78) |
Yea |
| Sept. 15, 2011 | S Amdt 602 | Emergency Disaster Relief Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (62 - 37) |
Yea |
| Aug. 2, 2011 | S 365 | Budget Control Act of 2011 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (74 - 26) |
Nay |
| July 31, 2011 | S 627 | Increasing the Debt Ceiling (Reid Bill) | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
Nay |
| July 29, 2011 | S 627 | Increasing the Debt Ceiling (Boehner Bill) | Bill Tabled - Senate (59 - 41) |
Yea |
| July 22, 2011 | HR 2560 | Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011 | Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 46) |
Yea |
| June 23, 2011 | S Amdt 499 | Prohibits the Appointment of Presidential "Czars" Without Senate Approval | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 51) |
Yea |
| June 21, 2011 | S 782 | Economic Development Revitalization Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (49 - 51) |
Nay |
| June 14, 2011 | S Amdt 436 | Repeals the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (40 - 59) |
Nay |
| May 25, 2011 | S Con Res 21 | 2012 Budget | Motion Rejected - Senate (42 - 55) |
Nay |
| May 25, 2011 | H Con Res 34 | 2011-2012 Budget | Motion Rejected - Senate (40 - 57) |
Nay |
| May 17, 2011 | S 940 | Amending Oil Company Tax Laws | Motion Rejected - Senate (52 - 48) |
Nay |
| April 14, 2011 | HR 1473 | 2011 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 19) |
Yea |
| April 5, 2011 | HR 4 | Repeals the Form 1099 Provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Bill Passed - Senate (87 - 12) |
Yea |
| March 17, 2011 | H J Res 48 | Additional Continuing Appropriations | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (87 - 13) |
Yea |
| March 9, 2011 | S Amdt 149 | Department of Defense funding and Continuing Appropriations | Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 58) |
Nay |
| March 9, 2011 | HR 1 | Continuing Appropriations | Bill Failed - Senate (44 - 56) |
Nay |
| March 2, 2011 | H J Res 44 | Continuing Appropriations Amendments | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (91 - 9) |
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.
