| Full Name: | Arlen Specter |
|---|
| Gender: | Male |
|---|---|
| Family: | Wife: Joan; 2 Children: Shanin, Stephen |
| Birth Date: | 02/12/1930 |
| Birth Place: | Wichita, KS |
| Home City: | Philadephia, PA |
| Religion: | Jewish |
Key Votes
Arlen Specter's Voting Records
Issue
- 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
National Key Votes
| Date | Bill No. | Bill Title | Outcome | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 22, 2010 | Treaty Doc. 111-5 | Treaty with Russia to Reduce and Limit Offensive Arms | Treaty Ratification Passed - Senate (71 - 26) |
Yea |
| Dec. 21, 2010 | HR 3082 | Continuing Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (79 - 16) |
Yea |
| Dec. 18, 2010 | HR 2965 | Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (65 - 31) |
Yea |
| Dec. 15, 2010 | HR 4853 | Temporary Extension of Tax Relief | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (81 - 19) |
Yea |
| Dec. 9, 2010 | HR 847 | 9/11 Health and Compensation Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 42) |
Yea |
| Dec. 8, 2010 | S 3985 | Emergency Senior Citizens Relief Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45) |
Yea |
| Dec. 8, 2010 | S 3991 | Allowing Collective Bargaining for Public Safety Officers | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 43) |
Yea |
| Dec. 4, 2010 | S Amdt 4727 | Extension of Tax Cuts for Those Making Under $250,000 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 36) |
Yea |
| Dec. 4, 2010 | S Amdt 4728 | Extension of Tax Cuts for Those Making Under $1 Million | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 37) |
Yea |
| Nov. 30, 2010 | S Amdt 4697 | Prohibiting Earmarks | Motion Rejected - Senate (39 - 56) |
Nay |
| Nov. 30, 2010 | S 510 | FDA Food Safety Modernization Act | Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 25) |
Yea |
| Nov. 17, 2010 | S 3772 | Paycheck Fairness Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 41) |
Yea |
| Sept. 29, 2010 | HR 3081 | Continuing Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 30) |
Yea |
| Sept. 29, 2010 | S J Res 39 | Disapproving Rule for "Grandfathered Health Plans" | Motion Rejected - Senate (40 - 59) |
Nay |
| Sept. 29, 2010 | S Amdt 4676 | Reducing "Continuing Appropriation" Amounts by 5 Percent | Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 51) |
Nay |
| Sept. 28, 2010 | S 3816 | Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45) |
Yea |
| Sept. 23, 2010 | S 3628 | Campaign Finance Disclosure Requirements | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (59 - 39) |
Yea |
| Sept. 21, 2010 | S 3454 | 2010-2011 Defense Authorizations | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43) |
Yea |
| Sept. 16, 2010 | HR 5297 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 38) |
Yea |
| Sept. 14, 2010 | S Amdt 4596 | Repealing Business Transaction Reporting Requirements | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (46 - 52) |
Nay |
| Sept. 14, 2010 | S Amdt 4595 | Business Transaction Reporting Requirement Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42) |
Yea |
| Aug. 5, 2010 | HR 1586 | Aid To States for Medicaid, Teacher Employment, and Other Purposes | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (61 - 39) |
Yea |
| Aug. 5, 2010 | PN 1768 | Elena Kagan, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 37) |
Yea |
| July 29, 2010 | S Amdt 4519 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 42) |
Yea |
| July 27, 2010 | S 3628 | Campaign Finance Disclosure Requirements | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 41) |
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 |
| July 15, 2010 | HR 4173 | Regulation and Oversight of the United States Financial System | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
Yea |
| June 10, 2010 | S J Res 26 | Statement of Opposition to EPA Greenhouse Gas Rule | Motion Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |
Nay |
| June 9, 2010 | S Amdt 4302 | Requiring Reports on Foreign Holdings of U.S. Debt | Amendment Not Tabled - Senate (38 - 61) |
Nay |
| June 9, 2010 | S Amdt 4326 | Requiring Reports on Foreign Holdings of U.S. Debt | Amendment Adopted - Senate (58 - 41) |
Yea |
| May 27, 2010 | S Amdt 4204 | Requiring Afghanistan Troop Redeployment Plan and Timetable | Amendment Rejected - Senate (18 - 80) |
Yea |
| May 27, 2010 | HR 4899 | Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Supplemental Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 28) |
Yea |
| May 27, 2010 | S Amdt 4214 | National Guard Deployment on Southern U.S. Land Border | Motion Rejected - Senate (51 - 46) |
Nay |
| May 19, 2010 | S Amdt 3746 | Allowing States to Limit Credit Card Interest Rates | Amendment Rejected - Senate (35 - 60) |
Did Not Vote |
| May 18, 2010 | S Amdt 4072 | Inspector General Appointment Modification | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 21) |
Did Not Vote |
| May 18, 2010 | S Amdt 4071 | Amending State Authority to Enforce Consumer Financial Regulations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (80 - 18) |
Did Not Vote |
| May 18, 2010 | S Amdt 4114 | Credit Default Swap Regulations | Amendment Tabled - Senate (57 - 38) |
Did Not Vote |
| May 18, 2010 | S Amdt 4034 | Federal Preemption Over State Consumer Financial Laws | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) |
Did Not Vote |
| May 18, 2010 | S Amdt 4051 | Prohibiting Funding of State and Local Governments to Prevent Defaulting on Debt | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 50) |
Did Not Vote |
| May 13, 2010 | S Amdt 3987 | Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Termination | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 55) |
Nay |
| May 13, 2010 | S Amdt 3832 | Establishing Bankruptcy Process for Non-bank Financial Institutions | Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 58) |
Nay |
| May 13, 2010 | S Amdt 3991 | Credit Rating Agency Board | Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 35) |
Yea |
| May 13, 2010 | S Amdt 3989 | Debit Card Fee Regulations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 33) |
Yea |
| May 12, 2010 | S Amdt 3816 | Derivatives Regulation Modifications | Amendment Rejected - Senate (39 - 59) |
Nay |
| May 12, 2010 | S Amdt 3962 | Home Loan Regulation Modifications | Amendment Adopted - Senate (63 - 36) |
Yea |
| May 12, 2010 | S Amdt 3955 | Establishing New Mortgage Underwriting Requirements and Eliminating a Risk Retention Requirement | Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 57) |
Nay |
| May 11, 2010 | S Amdt 3839 | Termination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Conservatorships | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 56) |
Nay |
| May 11, 2010 | S Amdt 3760 | Federal Reserve Audit | Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 62) |
Nay |
| May 11, 2010 | S Amdt 3938 | Study on Ending the Conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | Amendment Adopted - Senate (63 - 36) |
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.
