OpenCongress Unemployment Benefits 2009-2010 Senate Scorecard

This scorecard lists the U.S. Senate votes in 2009 and 2010 to extend unemployment benefits. It was created by the staff at OpenCongress but should not be construed as an endorsement of a vote or a position of the organization. Many oppose extending unemployment benefits due to costs or budgetary impacts specific to a particular bill. Many have endorsed extending unemployment benefits through 2009 and 2010 as a response to the recession. We created this scorecard merely as a way of organizing the votes over 2009 and 2010 to extend unemployment benefits due to public interest in the topic.

If you have input, or think a vote was missed or wrongly included, leave a note on the "Discussion" page linked to at the top of this article.

Guide
Votes

For context on the votes and full break-downs by party, senator, and state, see the main page on unemployment votes. For the full pages on the bills, click the links below:


 * 1) H.R.3548: Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. Roll Call vote #329.
 * 2) H.R.3548: Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. Roll Call vote #332.
 * 3) H.R.3548: Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. Roll Call vote #333.
 * 4) S.181: Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Roll Call vote #384. A vote in favor of this bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 5) H.R.4691: Temporary Extension Act of 2010. Roll call vote #32. A vote in favor of this bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 6) H.R.4851: Continuing Extension Act of 2010. Roll call vote #109. A vote in favor of this bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 7) H.R.4851: Continuing Extension Act of 2010. Roll call vote #116. A vote in favor of this bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 8) H.R.4213: American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010. Roll call vote #190. A vote in favor of this bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 9) H.R.4213: American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010. Roll call vote #194. A vote in favor of this bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 10) H.R.4213: American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010. Roll call vote #200. A vote in favor of the bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 11) H.R.4213: American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010. Roll call vote #204. A vote in favor of the bill would extend unemployment benefits.
 * 12) H.R.4213: American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010. Roll call vote #209. A vote in favor of the bill would extend unemployment benefits.

Key

All "aye" votes were to extend unemployment benefits. For the purposes of calculating the ratio of votes, a "no vote" (where the senator was not present) were calculated as a vote against extending unemployment benefits.

Special note:


 * Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) started serving in the Senate in 2010. He has eight selected votes, all in 2010.
 * Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.)died in office on June 28, 2010. He has 10 selected votes, missing the last two in 2010. (Note that he was prevented from voting several times due to illness.)
 * Sen. Paul Kirk (D-Mass.) served in the Senate from Sept. 25, 2009 to Jan. 20, 2010. He has only 4 selected votes, all in 2009.
 * Sen. Carte Goodwin (D-W.V.) started serving in the Senate on July 20, 2010. He has only 1 selected vote, in 2010.
 * Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) voted "Nay" on roll call vote #204 in his capacity as Senate Majority Leader in order to preserve his privilege to bring up the measure for a vote again. His vote for roll call #204 is thus counted as an "Aye" in totals and rankings (but listed as a "Nay" in the column for vote 204).