Voting Record: Ken Salazar

Voting Record: Ken Salazar

Overview

Over the course of his career as a senator, Ken Salazar voted on a variety of major issues as follows: ABORTION & THE RIGHTS OF THE UNBORN YES on A Amdt 3896 – Prohibiting the Funds in S 1200 from Being Used for Abortions (2008) – a bill that would forbid the funding of abortions […]


Over the course of his career as a senator, Ken Salazar voted on a variety of major issues as follows:

ABORTION & THE RIGHTS OF THE UNBORN

YES on A Amdt 3896 – Prohibiting the Funds in S 1200 from Being Used for Abortions (2008) – a bill that would forbid the funding of abortions under the Indigenous Health Bill (S 1200), except in cases where the pregnancy resulted from rape, or from incest involving a minor, or if an abortion were medically necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life.

NO on S Amdt 3330 – Prohibiting Funds for Groups that Perform Abortions (2007) – an amendment to prohibit funds from being granted to organizations (other than hospitals) that perform abortions when a woman’s life is not in danger.

NO on S Amdt 2707 – Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion  (2007) – an amendment to bar federal funds from being distributed to organizations that support the practices of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.

YES on S 403 – the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (2006) – a bill to criminalize the transportation of pregnant minors across state lines with the intention of the minor obtaining an abortion, with certain exceptions.

CIVIL LIBERTIES & CIVIL RIGHTS

YES on S 3930 – the Military Commissions Act of 2006 – a bill authorizing the creation of a military commission to try unlawful enemy combatants for violations of the laws of war.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES

YES on S Amdt 47 – Violent Protester Amendment (2005) – an amendment to S 256 that would prevent violent protesters from filing for bankruptcy in order to avoid paying court-awarded civil damages or criminal penalties.

EMPLOYMENT & WAGES

YES on S Amdt 4259 – the Immigration Enforcement and Employer Sanctions Amendment (2008)  – an amendment that would allow the Senate Budget Committee chairman to raise spending levels to increase border security, expand enforcement of immigration laws, increase penalties against employers who hire undocumented immigrants, deploy National Guard troops to the southern and northern borders of the United States, and identify and deport non-citizen immigrants in prisons, provided that such spending would not increase the budget deficit.

YES on S Amdt 4322 – the Minimum Wage Adjustment Amendment (2006) – which sought to raise the federal hourly minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over a two-year period.

YES on S Amdt 44 – the Minimum Wage Amendment (2005) – which sought to increase the federal hourly minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over a two-year time period.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

YES on S Amdt 4825 – Carbon Emissions Cap and Trade Plan (2008). (Click here for an explanation of Cap and Trade.)

YES on S Amdt 2358 – ANWR Amendment (2005) – which called for the removal of provisions that would allow an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

GUN RIGHTS ISSUES

YES on S 397 – the Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill (2005) –  which sought to provide liability protection for manufacturers, dealers or importers of firearms or ammunition, as well as their trade associations, for harm caused by criminal or unlawful misuse of their products.

IMMIGRATION, NATIONALITY, & ENGLISH LANGUAGE ISSUES

YES on S Amdt 4309 – Restriction of Federal Assistance Based on Compliance with Federal Immigration Laws (2008) – a vote to table an amendment that would provide the Senate Budget Committee with the authority to revise funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services Program if the community was impeding the government’s ability to verify citizenship.

YES on S Amdt 4259 – Immigration Enforcement and Employer Sanctions Amendment (2008) – which would allow the Senate Budget Committee chairman to raise spending levels to increase border security, expand enforcement of immigration laws, increase penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants, deploy National Guard troops to the southern and northern borders of the United States, and identify and deport non-citizen immigrants in prisons, provided that such spending would not increase the budget deficit.

YES on S Amdt 3117 – Border Fence and Customs Appropriations (2007) – an amendment to appropriate $3 billion to be used to hire full-time border patrol agents, improve employment eligibility verification, and fund security measures along the U.S. and Mexican border that would include building a fence, establishing vehicle barriers, utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles, placing ground-based sensors and cameras, and removing and detaining illegal immigrants.

YES on S Amdt 2405 – Real ID Funding (2007) – a vote to table (i.e., kill) an amendment to fund the Real ID Act, which established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibited Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards.

NO on S Amdt 1151 – Declaring English the National Language (2007) – which sought to declare English as the language of “sole legal authority” for the business of the federal government, and declared that no person had a right to require officials of the United States government to use a language other than English.

NO on S Amdt 1184 – Denying Legal Status for Immigrants Convicted of Certain Crimes (2007) – which sought to prohibit illegal immigrants convicted of aggravated felonies, domestic violence, stalking, violation of protection orders, crimes against children, or crimes relating to the illegal purchase or sale of firearms, from gaining legal status.

NO on S Amdt 1202 – Point-Based Immigration Expiration Date (2007) – which sought to place an expiration date on a point-based (merit-based) immigration system.

NO on HR 6061 – the Secure Fence Act of 2006 – a bill authorizing the construction of an additional 700 miles of double-layered fencing between the U.S and Mexico, and authorizing the Secretary of Homeland Security to take whatever steps it deemed necessary to stop the unlawful entry of immigrants into the U.S.

YES on S Amdt 4177 – Employer Verification Amendment (2006) – which required the implementation of an Electronic Employment Verification System, to be used by employers to ensure that they do not hire or continue to employ any illegal immigrants.

NO on S Amdt 4064 – English As National Language Amendment (2006) – an amendment declaring English to be the national language, and calling for stricter requirements in language testing and knowledge of U.S. history.

TAXATION AND ECONOMIC ISSUES

NO on HR 4297 – the Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 – a bill to authorize and extend $69.96 billion in tax credits and cuts through 2010.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For a more comprehensive look at Ken Salazar’s voting record, visit VoteSmart.orgOnTheIssues.org, and GovTrack.us.

NOTE: Voting records and legislation descriptions, courtesy VoteSmart.org.

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During his tenure as a U.S. Senator from Colorado (2005-2009), Ken Salazar voted on a variety of key pieces of legislation as follows:

Energy and Environment Issues:

  • against a 2007 proposal to permit natural gas exploration and extraction at least fifty miles off the coast of Virginia
  • in favor of a 2007 proposal to eliminate federal subsidies for oil and gas exploration — on the theory that oil companies were gouging the public and thus earning record profits
  • against a 2005 proposal to allow an oil-leasing program in Alaska’s ANWR region
  • in favor of a 2007 proposal (which he co-sponsored) to designate the ANWR area as protected wilderness
  • in favor of a 2005 proposal to reduce oil usage in the U.S. by 40 percent within 20 years
  • against a 2008 amendment to increase spending levels on certain energy-related programs, including the development of natural gas off the coast of Virginia and the development of oil shale resources on public lands
  • in favor of taking measures to cut carbon-dioxide emissions in the United States, without regard to whether the world’s other leading CO2 producers — India and China — would agree to abide by similar restrictions

Military and National Security Issues:

  • in favor of a 2006 proposal to create military commissions to try unlawful enemy combatants for war crimes they had committed against the U.S.
  • against separate proposals (in 2006 and 2007) to impose an arbitrary timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq
  • in favor of a 2006 proposal to reauthorize the Patriot Act

Immigration Issues:

  • against separate bills (in 2006 and 2008) to finance the construction of several hundred miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as additional measures to stem the flow of illegal immigration
  • against an amendment to prohibit illegal aliens convicted of serious crimes, from gaining legal status in the U.S.
  • in favor of a 2006 proposal to allow illegal aliens to qualify for Social Security benefits based on work they performed while  unlawfully present in the United States

Gun-Rights Issues:

  • in favor of a 2005 proposal to ban lawsuits against gun manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers for damages resulting from the misuse of their products by others

Taxation Issues:

  • in favor of a 2008 bill imposing a 25 percent tax on the “windfall profits” of major oil companies
  • in favor of tax-cut proposals in 2005 and 2006

Interest-Group Ratings:

Salazar’s tax-related votes earned him the following ratings from various interest groups whose primary focus is tax policy:

  • In 2008, Salazar received a 2 percent rating from Citizens Against Government Waste, whose mission is to eliminate waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the federal government.”
  • In 2007-08, Salazar received a 13 percent rating from the National Tax Limitation Committee, which aims to “maximize” people’s opportunity to “enjoy the fruits of [their] labors free from an intrusive, coercive government.”
  • In 2007, Salazar received a 0 percent rating from Americans for Tax Reform, which contends that the government’s “power to tax … should be minimized.”
  • In 2007, Salazar received a 0 percent rating from FreedomWorks, which “fights for lower taxes, less government and more economic freedom for all Americans.”
  • In 2007, Salazar received a grade of F from the National Taxpayers Union, which works for “for lower taxes and smaller government at all levels.”

NOTE: For a more comprehensive look at Salazar’s voting record and interest-group ratings, visit Project VoteSmart.

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