| 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
National Security
Issue
- National Security down
- Abortion
- Abortion and Reproductive
- Agriculture and Food
- Animals and Wildlife
- Arts, Entertainment, and History
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 28, 2012 | HR 5949 | FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 23) |
Yea |
| Nov. 29, 2012 | S Amdt 3096 | Accelerated Transition of US Military Operations to the Government of Afghanistan | Amendment Adopted - Senate (62 - 33) |
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 |
| Aug. 2, 2012 | S 3414 | Cybersecurity Act of 2012 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 46) |
Yea |
| Oct. 21, 2011 | S Amdt 753 | Prohibits the Use of Funds for Prosecution of Enemy Combatants in Civilian Courts | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 52) |
Yea |
| May 26, 2011 | S 990 | Patriot Act Extension | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (72 - 23) |
Yea |
| May 23, 2011 | S 1038 | Patriot Act Extension | Cloture Invoked - Senate (74 - 8) |
Yea |
| Feb. 15, 2011 | HR 514 | Extension of Various Patriot Act Provisions | Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 12) |
Yea |
| May 27, 2010 | S Amdt 4214 | National Guard Deployment on Southern U.S. Land Border | Motion Rejected - Senate (51 - 46) |
Yea |
| May 27, 2010 | S Amdt 4204 | Requiring Afghanistan Troop Redeployment Plan and Timetable | Amendment Rejected - Senate (18 - 80) |
Nay |
| Oct. 22, 2009 | HR 2647 | 2009-2010 Defense Appropriations | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (68 - 29) |
Yea |
| Oct. 20, 2009 | HR 2892 | 2009-2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Authorizations | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (79 - 19) |
Yea |
| July 8, 2009 | S Amdt 1399 | Requiring Completion of Reinforced Border Fencing | Amendment Adopted - Senate (54 - 44) |
Yea |
| Oct. 1, 2008 | HR 7081 | United States - India Nuclear Agreement | Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 13) |
Yea |
| Sept. 27, 2008 | HR 2638 | Continuing Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (78 - 12) |
Yea |
| July 9, 2008 | S Amdt 5064 | Striking Telecom Immunity from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (32 - 66) |
Nay |
| July 9, 2008 | HR 6304 | Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 28) |
Yea |
| Feb. 13, 2008 | HR 2082 | Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 45) |
Nay |
| Feb. 12, 2008 | S 2248 | FISA Amendments Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 29) |
Yea |
| Feb. 12, 2008 | S Amdt 3910 | FISA as Exclusive Means for Conducting Electronic Surveillance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (57 - 41) |
Nay |
| Feb. 12, 2008 | S Amdt 3907 | Striking Telecommunications Companies' Civil Immunity for Surveillance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 67) |
Nay |
| Dec. 18, 2007 | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17) |
Yea |
| Nov. 16, 2007 | S 2340 | Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (45 - 53) |
Nay |
| Nov. 16, 2007 | HR 4156 | Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense and Timeline for Withdrawal from Iraq | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45) |
Yea |
| Oct. 16, 2007 | HR 3093 | Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (75 - 19) |
Yea |
| Oct. 3, 2007 | S Amdt 3117 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (95 - 1) |
Yea |
| Sept. 26, 2007 | S Amdt 2997 | Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23) |
Yea |
| Sept. 26, 2007 | S Amdt 3017 | Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | Amendment Adopted - Senate (76 - 22) |
Yea |
| Sept. 19, 2007 | S Amdt 2022 | Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43) |
Yea |
| Sept. 11, 2007 | S Amdt 2797 | Limiting Mexican Trucks to Commercial Zones Near the Border Between the U.S. and Mexico | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23) |
Yea |
| Aug. 3, 2007 | S 1927 | Foreign Intelligence Acquisition | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28) |
Yea |
| July 26, 2007 | HR 2638 | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 4) |
Yea |
| July 26, 2007 | HR 1 | Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (85 - 8) |
Yea |
| July 26, 2007 | S Amdt 2405 | REAL ID Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44) |
Nay |
| July 26, 2007 | S Amdt 2480 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1) |
Yea |
| July 19, 2007 | S Amdt 2351 | Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees | Amendment Adopted - Senate (94 - 3) |
Yea |
| June 6, 2007 | S Amdt 1250 | Law Enforcement Review of Z Visa Applications | Amendment Adopted - Senate (57 - 39) |
Yea |
| March 13, 2007 | S 4 | Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 38) |
Yea |
| Dec. 6, 2006 | PN 2191 | Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2) |
Yea |
| Sept. 29, 2006 | HR 6061 | Secure Fence Act of 2006 | Bill Passed - Senate (80 - 19) |
Yea |
| Sept. 28, 2006 | S Amdt 5104 | Military Commissions Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 52) |
Yea |
| Sept. 28, 2006 | S 3930 | Military Commissions Act of 2006 | Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 34) |
Yea |
| Sept. 28, 2006 | S Amdt 5095 | Oversight of CIA Interrogation and Detention Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
Yea |
| Sept. 13, 2006 | S Amdt 4936 | National Security Amendment | Motion Rejected - Senate (41 - 57) |
Nay |
| Sept. 13, 2006 | S Amdt 4999 | Security of Cargo Containers Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) |
Nay |
| Sept. 7, 2006 | S Amdt 4909 | Media in the Middle East Amendment | Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 44) |
Nay |
| July 12, 2006 | S AMDT 4587 | Transit Security Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (50 - 50) |
Nay |
| July 12, 2006 | S AMDT 4553 | Rail and Transit Security Amendment | Motion Rejected - Senate (50 - 50) |
Nay |
| July 11, 2006 | S AMDT 4563 | FEMA Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (32 - 66) |
Nay |
| July 11, 2006 | S AMDT 4560 | USEMA Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (87 - 11) |
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.
