who removed the 60 vote rule in the senate
Cloture


the 1974 Senate elections to attain a strength of 61 (with an additional independent senator caucusing with them for a total of 62), reduced the necessary supermajority to three-fifths (60 out of 100). However, as a compromise to those who were against the revision, the new rule also changed the requirement for determining the number of votes needed for a cloture motion's passage from those senators "present and voting" to those senators "duly chosen and sworn". Thus, 60 votes for cloture would be
15998185
Nuclear option


shall be two-thirds of the Senators present and voting." This is typically 67 senators assuming all are voting. Meanwhile, Rule V sec. 2 states that "[t]he rules of the Senate shall continue from one Congress to the next Congress unless they are changed as provided in these rules." These provisions, by themselves, mean that the general 60-vote cloture rule in Rule XXII can't be modified without the approval of 67 senators. Although rule XXII requires three-fifths of Senators to close debate, rule
1840140
Nuclear option


in 2013. This was after Senate Democrats filibustered the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States, after the Senate Republicans had previously refused to take up Merrick Garland's nomination by President Obama in 2016. Following elimination of the 60-vote rule for nominations in 2017, senators expressed concerns that the 60-vote rule will eventually be eliminated for legislation via the nuclear option. President Donald Trump has spoken out against the 60-vote requirement for legislation on several occasions. On January 21, 2018, President Trump said on Twitter that
1840168
Nuclear option


new precedent. This procedure effectively allows the Senate to decide any issue by simple majority vote, regardless of existing procedural rules such as Rule XXII which requires the consent of 60 senators (out of 100) to end a filibuster for legislation, and 67 for amending a Senate rule. The term "nuclear option" is an analogy to nuclear weapons being the most extreme option in warfare. In November 2013, Senate Democrats led by Harry Reid used the nuclear option to eliminate the 60-vote rule on executive branch nominations and federal judicial
1840136
Filibuster in the United States Senate


minority party actually hold the floor or extend debate. In 1975, the Senate revised its cloture rule so that three-fifths of sworn senators (60 votes out of 100) could limit debate, except for changing Senate rules which still requires a two-thirds majority of those present and voting to invoke cloture. However, by returning to an absolute number of all Senators (60) rather than a proportion of those present and voting, the change also made any filibusters easier to sustain on the floor by a small number
13848230
Nuclear option


required the minority to actually hold the floor and bring all other business to a halt, the mere "threat" of a filibuster has gradually become normalized. In the modern Senate, this means that any controversial item now typically requires 60 votes to advance, unless a specific exception limiting the time for debate applies. Changing Rule XXII to eliminate the 60-vote rule is made difficult by the rules themselves. Rule XXII sec. 2 states that to end debate on any proposal "to amend the Senate rules...the necessary affirmative vote
1840139
Nuclear option


and has a simple majority in the Senate, as FDR's Democrats did in 1937, could quickly gain control of the Court as well. In general, senators from both parties have been very opportunistic in making these policy arguments. Senators in the majority often argue for simple majority rule, especially for nominations, while senators in the minority nearly always defend the 60-vote rule. However, since a simple-majority rule for nominations was progressively adopted in 2013 and 2017, a significant bipartisan majority has remains opposed to eliminating the 60-vote
1840182
Patricia Millett


was rejected 55–38, with 3 senators voting "present." On November 21, 2013, the motion to invoke cloture was again rejected, 57–40 with 3 senators voting "present." A motion to reconsider the motion to invoke cloture was held shortly thereafter and passed 57–43. Senator Reid then requested a ruling from the presiding officer regarding the filibuster of judicial nominees. The President pro tempore ruled that the Senate required 60 votes to cut off a filibuster and move to a final vote. Senator Reid appealed that ruling and the
21274559
Filibuster in the United States Senate


Obama. In 2009-10, President Barack Obama briefly enjoyed an effective 60-vote Democratic majority (including independents) in the Senate during the 111th Congress. During that time period, the Senate passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the ACA or "Obamacare," on Dec. 24, 2009 by a vote of 60-39 (after invoking cloture by the same 60-39 margin). However, Obama's proposal to create a public health insurance option was removed from the health care legislation because
13848252
Modern display of the Confederate battle flag


South Carolina state legislators who supported the flag's removal because they said such actions could hurt their goal to have the flag permanently removed. On July 6, 2015, the South Carolina Senate voted, by the required two-thirds majority, to remove the Confederate flag from display on the grounds of the South Carolina State House. Following 13 hours of debate and over 60 attempts to amend the bill, the vote in the South Carolina House of Representatives to remove the flag was passed by a two-thirds majority (94–20
5782595
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017


, 2017. In the December 19 vote, the same Republicans who voted against the original House bill still voted against it, with the exception of Tom McClintock. However, several provisions of the bill violated the Senate's procedural rules, causing the need for the House of Representatives to re-vote with the provisions removed. On December 20, the Senate passed the bill by a party-line vote of 51–48. On the same day, the House of Representatives re-voted on the bill and passed it by a
7920727
Nuclear option


The nuclear option is a parliamentary procedure that allows the United States Senate to override the 60-vote rule to close debate, by a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the two-thirds supermajority normally required to amend the rules. The option is invoked when the majority leader raises a point of order that only a simple majority is needed to close debate on certain matters. The presiding officer denies the point of order based on Senate rules, but the ruling of the chair is then appealed and overturned by majority vote, establishing
1840135
Filibuster in the United States Senate


it could not command 60-vote support. House Democrats did not approve of all aspects of the Senate bill, but after 60-vote Senate control was permanently lost in February 2010 due to the election of Scott Brown to fill the seat of the late Ted Kennedy, House Democrats decided to pass the Senate bill intact and it became law. Several House-desired modifications to the Senate bill — those sufficient to pass scrutiny under the Byrd rule — were then made under reconciliation via the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which was
13848253
Nuclear option


majority to bring the previous question ceased to exist. The filibuster became possible, and since any Senator could now block a vote, 100% support was required to bring the matter to a vote. A rule change in 1917 introduced cloture, permitting a two-thirds majority of those present to end debate, and a further change in 1975 reduced the cloture requirement to three-fifths of the entire Senate. Proponents of the 60-vote rule have argued that the Senate is a less-than-democratic body that could conceivably allow
1840176
Guy Cordon


the vote against Democrat Willis Mahoney. Longtime Senator Wayne Morse was elected to his first term in the Senate in that election. Cordon was elected to a full six-year term in 1948, receiving 60% of the vote against Democrat Manley J. Wilson. In 1954, a bad year for Republicans, Cordon was defeated for re-election by Democrat Richard L. Neuberger by a margin of 50.2% to 49.8%. While in the Senate, Cordon suggested a rule (now known as the Cordon Rule) that Senate committee
17379653
United States congressional conference committee


Act, enacted in September 2007. Now any single Senator may raise a point of order against subject matter newly inserted by the conference committee without objecting to the rest of the bill. Proponents of the measure may move to waive the rule. The affirmative vote of 60 Senators is required to waive the rule. If the point of order is not waived and the Chair rules that the objection is well-founded, only the offending provision is stricken from the measure, and the Senate votes on sending the balance of the measure
14189560
Filibuster in the United States Senate


60 out of 100) bring the debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII. The ability to block a measure through extended debate was an inadvertent side effect of an 1806 rule change, and was infrequently used during much of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1970, the Senate adopted a "two-track" procedure to prevent filibusters from stopping all other Senate business. The minority then felt politically safer in "threatening" filibusters more regularly, which became normalized over time to the point that 60 votes
13848213
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007


, a motion to proceed passed the Senate, by a margin of 64–35 (under Senate rules it needed 60 votes). A number of amendments to the bill were considered and rejected. On June 28, the bill failed to get the 60 votes necessary to end debate. The final cloture vote lost, 46–53. This effectively ended its chances, and President Bush said he was disappointed at Congress's failure to act on the issue. S.1639 would have created a new class of visa, the "Z visa",
7854734
Appointment and confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States


when the Democrats, who then held the majority, changed the rules, lowering the threshold for advancing nominations to lower court and executive branch positions from 60 votes to a simple majority, but explicitly excluded Supreme Court nominations from the change. There are others ways that a nomination can be derailed prior to the final vote in the Senate. A president has the perogitive to withdraw a nomination at any point during the process, typically doing so if it becomes clear that the Senate will reject the nominee. This occurred most recently with
1216567
Filibuster in the United States Senate


Senate and kept the 2013 rules in place. On April 6, 2017, Senate Republicans eliminated the sole remaining exception to the 2013 change by invoking the "nuclear option" for Supreme Court nominees. This was done in order to allow a simple majority to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. The vote to change the rules was 52 to 48 along party lines. The only bills that are not currently subject to effective 60-vote requirements are those considered under provisions of law that limit time for debating them. These limits on
13848237
Filibuster in the United States Senate


to the 60-vote requirement. An FY17 budget resolution that included reconciliation instructions for health care reform was passed by the Senate by a 51-48 vote on January 12, 2017, and by the House on a 227-198 vote the following day. The House later passed the American Health Care Act of 2017 as the FY17 budget reconciliation bill by a vote of 217-213 on May 4, 2017. In July, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that certain provisions of the House bill must be stricken (as "extraneous"
13848256
Lyndon B. Johnson Supreme Court candidates


from occurring. However, the Senate web site now characterizes the debate as the first filibuster on a Supreme Court nominee. In 1968, Senate rules required two-thirds of senators present to stop a debate (now 60% of the full Senate is needed). The 45 to 43 cloture vote to end the Fortas debate included 10 Republicans and 35 Democrats voting for cloture, and 24 Republicans and 19 Democrats voting against cloture. The 12 other senators, all Democrats, were not present. "The New York Times"
14442992
Reconciliation (United States Congress)


ineligible for reconciliation—in six cases: The Byrd Rule does not automatically prevent the inclusion of extraneous provisions, but rather relies on objecting senators to strip provisions by raising procedural objections. Any senator may raise a procedural objection to a provision believed to be extraneous, which will then be ruled on by the Presiding Officer, customarily on the advice of the Senate Parliamentarian. A vote of 60 senators is required to overturn the ruling. The Presiding Officer need not necessarily follow the advice of the Parliamentarian, and the Parliamentarian can be
1242135
Independent Senators Group


ISG. On May 17, 2017 senators voted to remove the requirement that a caucus must be formed by senators who are members of a political party, making the ISG equal under the rules of the senate with the two partisan caucuses. Following that change, McCoy stated that the ISG's influence in Senate standing committees will be increased to ensure its representation is proportional to the other caucuses. A formal secret ballot election was announced in June 2017 to replace facilitator Elaine McCoy. At the close of nominations on September 22, 2017
11159098
2011 Wisconsin protests


claiming collective bargaining rights are protected under the First Amendment, but the case never went to trial. Around 3 a.m. on June 16, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed the 2012 fiscal year budget with a party line vote of 60–38. During the Senate debate, an onlooker was removed after screaming "Fascist" repeatedly at Republican Senator Glenn Grothman while he was speaking. The Senate subsequently approved the 2012 fiscal year budget later that day, with a party line vote of 19–14. Shortly after the vote, an onlooker repeatedly screamed "
12267541
Constitutional Court of Thailand


the Senate voted to remove the name of Supreme Court vice-president Amphorn Thongprayoon, on the grounds that his credentials were dubious and on allegations that he had defaulted on 3 million THB in debt. The Supreme Court was furious, arguing the Constitution did not empower the Senate to do background checks or to reject Supreme Court nominees. The Supreme Court requested a ruling from the Constitutional Tribunal chaired by the House speaker. On 8 January 1998, in a 6:3 vote, the Tribunal ruled the Senate did "not" have the
9377355
Filibuster in the United States Senate


"United States v. Ballin" (1892), Senate rules can be changed by a simple majority vote. Nevertheless, under current Senate rules, a rule change could itself be filibustered, requiring two-thirds of senators who are present and voting to end debate. (This differs from the usual requirement for three-fifths of sworn senators.) Despite the two-thirds requirement described above being written into the Senate rules, any Senator may attempt to nullify a Senate rule, starting by making a point of order that
13848263
Cloture


necessary regardless of whether every senator voted. The only time a lesser number would become acceptable is when a Senate seat is vacant. For example, if there were two vacancies in the Senate, thereby making 98 senators "duly chosen and sworn", it would take only 59 votes for a cloture motion to pass. The new version of the cloture rule requiring three-fifths (60%) rather than two-thirds (66.7%) approval, which has remained in place since 1975, makes it considerably easier for
15998186
United States Senate


release of a secret transcript, the transcript is stored in the Office of Senate Security and ultimately sent to the national archives. The proceedings remain sealed indefinitely until the Senate votes to remove the injunction of secrecy. In 1973 the House adopted a rule that all committee sessions should be open unless a majority on the committee voted for a closed session. The Senate maintains a Senate Calendar and an Executive Calendar. The former identifies bills and resolutions awaiting Senate floor actions. The latter identifies executive resolutions, treaties, and nominations reported out
2672709
Impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, 2018


" into a court of impeachment and set trial dates and other housekeeping matters. A resolution substituting censure for a full trials for Workman and Walker was ruled out of order. Justice Walker's impeachment trial began on October 1. The trial concluded on October 2 with the Senate voting 32-1-1 not to remove her from office, with only Senator Stephen Baldwin of Greenbrier County voting for conviction and Senator Ryan Weld of Brooke County absent. The Senate followed by agreeing, by voice vote, to publicly "reprimand and
4732845
Car Allowance Rebate System


a point of order under Rule 28, which prohibits insertion of provisions not previously passed by either house into conference reports. The rule was overridden with 60 votes, despite some senators, including Sam Brownback, being uncomfortable with a last-minute change that called for the bill's funding to come from "deficit spending" rather than from the stimulus package that was originally agreed upon. The larger funding bill passed by a vote of 91–5 in the Senate. The Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 was signed into law with the Consumer
17416345
Filibuster in the United States Senate


each time a cloture vote fails. The number of votes required would be reduced by three on each vote (e.g. from 60 to 57, 54, 51) until a simple majority was required. Harkin envisioned that this rule would still allow the minority to bring visibility to and slow down a bill, and since the whole process would take eight days the majority would have incentive to compromise with the minority. The Senate defeated the idea by voice vote in 2013. As an alternative to blocking the majority's agenda, some
13848261
Mel Watt


motioned to invoke cloture on Watt's nomination, setting up a key test of whether his nomination could overcome procedural hurdles and move to a final up-or-down vote. The motion failed on October 31, with 56 votes in favor, shy of the 60 needed to pass. After a series of procedural votes on December 10, 2013, the Senate voted 57–40 to invoke cloture on Watt's nomination, ending the Republican filibuster under the Senate's recently modified rules for cloture on executive branch nominees. Later that same
20326763
Buffett Rule


2012 budget proposal and the White House initially stressed it as a guideline rather than a legislative initiative. The rule, however, was later submitted for deliberation as US Senate Bill S. 2059, "Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012". On April 16, 2012, the bill received 51 affirmative votes, but was stopped by a Republican filibuster that required 60 votes to proceed to debate and a vote on final passage. If enacted, the rule change would result in $36.7 billion per year in additional tax revenue (
14427157
Filibuster in the United States Senate


the President may extend once for 30 additional days, unless Congress has declared war, otherwise authorized the use of force, or is unable to meet as a result of an armed attack upon the United States. Both the House and Senate must vote on any joint resolution authorizing forces, or requiring that forces be removed, within a specified time period, thus establishing a simple-majority threshold in the Senate. The modern-era filibuster — and the effective 60-vote supermajority requirement it has led to — have had significant policy and
13848245
Federal Marriage Amendment


49 nay votes to 48 yea votes, with the vote mostly following party lines with Democrats opposing and Republicans in favor. The 48 votes in support of the cloture motion were 12 votes short of the 60-vote supermajority (three-fifths) needed to end debate and force a vote on the Amendment itself. Eight Republican Senators opposed or did not vote; four Democratic Senators favored or did not vote. The only Senators who changed their position from the 2004 vote to the 2006 vote were Senators Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)
14490217
Redistricting in Arizona


vote took place before the case could go forward. Brewer also attempted to remove both Democratic members of the commission in the same motion, but the Senate declined to vote on those removals. Attorneys for Mathis and the AIRC brought suit to the state Supreme Court asking it "to rule the governor exceeded her legal authority in dismissing Mathis, and the Senate acted illegally in ratifying Brewer's decision." While Brewer's office and Republicans in the Arizona legislature defended their actions as part of their constitutional prerogatives, Democrats and the authors
10776349
United States Senate


House. The presiding officer calls on senators to speak (by the rules of the Senate, the first senator who rises is recognized); ruling on points of order (objections by senators that a rule has been breached, subject to appeal to the whole chamber); and announcing the results of votes. Each party elects Senate party leaders. Floor leaders act as the party chief spokesmen. The Senate majority leader is responsible for controlling the agenda of the chamber by scheduling debates and votes. Each party elects an assistant leader
2672690
2005 debate on nuclear option (United States Senate)


The 2005 debate on the nuclear option was a political debate in the United States Senate regarding the possible use of the nuclear option to allow a simple majority to confirm judicial nominees. At the time, three-fifths of all senators duly chosen and sworn (then 60 votes) were required to end debate on nominations under Rule XXII of the Senate's standing rules. The debate was sparked when Majority Leader Bill Frist (Republican of Tennessee) threatened its use to end Democratic-led filibusters of judicial nominees submitted by President George
20341657
Supermajority


a filibuster prevents passing almost any measure that has less than three-fifths agreement in the Senate, 60 of the 100 senators if every seat is filled. For state legislatures in the United States, "Mason's Manual" says, "A deliberative body cannot by its own act or rule require a two-thirds vote to take any action where the constitution or controlling authority requires only a majority vote. To require a two-thirds vote, for example, to take any action would be to give to any
3992805
1974 United States Senate elections


election contest was not settled, however, and eventually a new election would be called, see below. As a last option to the disputed election above, Durkin petitioned the Senate, which had a 60-vote Democratic majority, to review the case, based on the that each house of Congress is the final arbiter of elections to that body. On January 13, 1975, the day before the new Congress convened, the Senate Rules Committee tried unsuccessfully to resolve the matter. Composed of five Democrats and three Republicans, the Rules
7055132
Senate of Spain


amendments is slightly more tangled: the rule is to require a three fifths (60%) of both houses, but if the Senate does not achieve such a supermajority and a joint congress-senate committee fails to resolve the issues, the Congress may force the amendment through with a two-thirds vote as long as an absolute majority of the Senate was in favour. On the other hand, the Senate has certain exclusive functions in the appointment of constitutional posts, such as judges of the Constitutional Court or the members of
2228755
Texas Archive War


-the-Brazos. In his introductory remarks, Houston demanded that Congress support the removal of the archives, over the protests of the "seditious" citizens of Austin, asserting that "as to the propriety and necessity of the act no reasonable doubt could exist". On December 9, Senator Greer proposed "A Bill to provide for the safety of the National Archives". The vote to suspend the rules to allow the bill to pass quickly resulted in a tie; Senate president Edward Burleson, who did not like
11822851
Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination


Senate to move forward on the Kavanaugh nomination. The vote was almost entirely along party lines, with the exception of Democrat Joe Manchin, who voted yes, and Republican Lisa Murkowski, who voted no. For many years, in order for a cloture motion on a Supreme Court nomination to pass in the Senate a three-fifths super-majority vote (60 senators) was required. However, in 2017, during the Neil Gorsuch confirmation process, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked the so-called nuclear option, which
20870504
Same-sex marriage in Indiana


On January 27, the Indiana House voted 52-43, with 29 Democrats and 23 Republicans in favor, to remove the second sentence, which would have banned civil unions, from the amendment. On January 28, the House approved the shortened version in a 57-40 vote. On February 10, the Senate Rules Committee approved the identical one-sentence version in an 8-4 vote, and the Senate approved that version in a 32-17 vote on February 17. The text adopted was: The amendment
19728776
Habeas corpus in the United States


and the individuals held there. This order stated that the detainees "have the constitutional privilege of the writ of habeas corpus." Following the December 1, 2011, vote by the United States Senate to reject an NDAA amendment proscribing the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens, the ACLU has argued that the legitimacy of "Habeas Corpus" is threatened: "The Senate voted 38-60 to reject an important amendment [that] would have removed harmful provisions authorizing the U.S. military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians
20448392
Appointment and confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States


recent rejection of a nominee by vote of the full Senate came in October 1987, when the nomination of Robert Bork as an associate justice was rebuffed by a 42–58 vote. Prior to 2017, a successful filibuster threat could add the requirement of a supermajority of 60 needed in favor of cloture, which would allow debate to end and force a final vote on confirmation. Under the old rule, a nominee could be filibustered once debate on the nomination had begun in the full Senate. A filibuster indefinitely prolongs the debate, preventing
1216564
California Homemade Food Act


(6 senators did not vote). The Senate amendments required the bill to return to the Assembly, which approved the amended version on August 30 by a vote of 60-16 with 4 Assemblymen not voting. No Assembly members who supported the bill in the first vote opposed the bill in the second vote. There were two assembly members, Connie Conway and Jim Nielsen, who voted against the bill in the first vote but subsequently voted for the bill in the second vote. Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Homemade Food
16480147
Everytown for Gun Safety


internet and at gun shows. The amendment ultimately failed to win the 60 votes necessary for passage in the Senate. After the Senate vote, Mayors Against Illegal Guns ran ads in 13 states either in support of Senators who voted to pass the legislation or in opposition to lawmakers who voted against it. The group spent approximately $12 million on these advertisements. Mayors Against Illegal Guns also ran a bus tour, similar to the bus tour it organized following the shooting of Giffords, entitled "No More Names." The "
21587786
Filibuster


vote to break the filibuster. However, under Senate precedents, a simple majority can (and has) acted to limit the practice by overruling decisions of the chair. The removal or substantial limitation of the filibuster by a simple majority, rather than a rule change, is called the constitutional option by proponents, and the nuclear option by opponents. On November 21, 2013, the Democratic controlled Senate voted 52 to 48 to require only a majority vote to end a filibuster of all executive and judicial nominees, excluding Supreme Court
192143
Non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives


of the House during the 112th Congress, the right of delegates to vote in committee of the whole was again removed. When Democrats regained control in the 116th United States Congress, they again reinstated the right of delegates to vote in the committee of the whole. Delegates have always retained the right to vote in congressional committees and in conference committees (see House Rule III, 3[b]). Conference committees include representatives from both the House and Senate. These committees work to compromise and reconcile conflicts between House and Senate bills.
6573649
Filibuster in the United States Senate


presidency. It was used once in 2001 to repeal an ergonomics rule promulgated under Bill Clinton, was not used in 2009, and was used 14 times in 2017 to repeal various regulations adopted in the final year of the Barack Obama presidency. The Act provides that a rule disapproved by Congress "may not be reissued in substantially the same form" until Congress expressly authorizes it. However, CRA disapproval resolutions require only 51 votes while a new authorization for the rule would require 60 votes. Thus, the CRA effectively functions as
13848242
2010 United States Senate election in Indiana


years after their congressional jobs, requiring Congress members to put all their investments in blind trusts, more disclosure of Senate candidates' personal financial information, and changes to the U.S. Senate filibuster rules. He proposed lowering number of votes required to break a filibuster to 55 from the current 60. In response to Ellsworth's charges, Coats published his lobbying record in an 815-page document. Coats emphasized the individual issues rather than ethic reforms advocated by his opponent. He focused on Ellsworth's record of voting in support of the Economic Stimulus
16475378
Filibuster


preferred to avoid filibusters by moving to other business when a filibuster is threatened and attempts to achieve cloture have failed. As a result, in recent decades this has come to mean that all major legislation (apart from budgets) now requires a 60% majority to pass. Under current Senate rules, any modification or limitation of the filibuster would be a rule change that itself could be filibustered, with two-thirds of those senators present and voting (as opposed to the normal three-fifths of those sworn) needing to
192142
Filibuster in the United States Senate


enacted days later following a 56-43 vote in the Senate. The near-60-vote Senate majority that Democrats held throughout the 111th Congress was also critical to passage of other major Obama initiatives, including the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (passed 60-38, two Republicans voting yes) and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (passed 60-39, three Republicans voting yes, one Democrat voting no). However, the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would have
13848254
Elizabeth MacDonough


read the rules and make the right decisions." During the 2015 congressional effort to partially repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), MacDonough ruled the provision that would roll back the Independent Payment Advisory Board disqualified the 2015 package from consideration as a reconciliation bill in the Senate under the Byrd Rule, which requires that reconciliation bills must have a budgetary effect. Rather than the simple, filibuster-free 51-vote majority required to pass a reconciliation bill, the 2015 package would require a 60-vote threshold to pass in the
15556930
2004 California Proposition 60


only a single subject. The group wished to have Proposition 60 removed from the ballot. Instead, in "Californians for an Open Primary v. Shelley", the Third District Court of Appeals ordered that the proposition be split, so that the provisions relating to government property would become a separate measure, called Proposition 60A. Proposition 60 (including the provisions later excised) was approved by the California State Senate by a vote of 28-3 and by the State Assembly by a by 55-21. On November 2, 2004
2294595
Filibuster in the United States Senate


ineffective by a rule change in 1979. As the filibuster has evolved from a rare practice that required holding the floor for extended periods into a routine 60-vote supermajority requirement, Senate leaders have increasingly used cloture motions as a regular tool to manage the flow of business, often even in the absence of a threatened filibuster. Thus, the presence or absence of cloture attempts is not necessarily a reliable indicator of the presence or absence of a threatened filibuster. Because filibustering does not depend on the use of any specific rules, whether a
13848232
William W. Belknap


had no jurisdiction; the Senate ruled by a vote of 37-29 that it did. Belknap was charged with five articles of impeachment, and the Senate listened to over 40 witnesses. With 40 votes needed for conviction, the Senate voted 35 to 25 to convict Belknap, with one Senator not voting, thus acquitting Belknap of all charges by failing to reach the required two-thirds majority. All Senators agreed that Belknap took the money from Marsh, but 23 who voted for acquittal believed that the Senate did not have
8237119
2005 debate on nuclear option (United States Senate)


In the last session of Congress, the Republican minority invoked an endless string of filibusters to frustrate the will of the majority. This (is a) relentless abuse of a time-honored Senate tradition … Once a rarely used tactic reserved for issues on which Senators held passionate convictions, the filibuster has become the tool of the sore loser, dooming any measure that cannot command the 60 required votes." There was no attempt to rewrite Senate rules for cloture at that time. In 1996, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge
20341659
Nuclear option


if the shutdown stalemate continued, Republicans should consider the "nuclear option" in the Senate. He repeated the call on December 21, 2018 with a fresh shutdown looming. Policy debates surrounding the nuclear option – a tool to implement a rule change – are closely related to arguments regarding the 60-vote requirement imposed by Rule XXII. Issues include: The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly address how many votes are required for passage of a bill or confirmation of a nominee. Regarding nominations, Article II, Section 2, of the U.S.
1840169
Proclamation No. 216


for an initial period of 60 days and ask for its extension in case of rebellion, invasion or when public safety requires it. The incumbent Senators who voted for NO are as follows: The incumbent Representatives who voted for NO are as follows: The incumbent Senators who were ABSENT are as follows: On December 13, 2017, a special joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate was held in order to respond to President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend the declaration of martial law in Mindanao until December 31,
7396664
Tony Mendoza (politician)


Antonio Mendoza (born April 22, 1971) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represented the 32nd Senate District, which encompasses Buena Park and the Gateway Cities of Los Angeles County. In January 2018, the State Senate voted to suspend him for 60 days to investigate allegations of sexual harassment. He could not vote on legislation during that period, while contesting the suspension. Before a vote for expulsion was to be taken by the State Senate due to the released findings of an
17521305
Saleem Mandviwalla


and Privatization. Saleem Mandviwalla elected Vice Chairman of Senate of Pakistan on March 12, 2018 with 54 votes out of total 103 votes cast and defeated Usman Khan Kakar who secured only 44 votes. To be elected for the seat of Vice Chairman Senate, candidate had to secure at least 53 votes from the house of 104. On the 1st of August 2019, a no-confidence motion was presented by the Government in the senate to remove him from the post of the Deputy Chairman of the Senate, but the no-
3519790
Harvey S. Peeler Jr.


. Peeler compared removing it to "removing a tattoo from the corpse of a loved one and thinking that that would change the loved one's obituary". He was one of only three state senators to vote against its removal, the other two being Danny Verdin and Lee Bright. Fifteen years earlier, Peeler was one of only seven senators who voted against the flag's removal from the top of the South Carolina Capitol Dome and both chambers of the South Carolina Legislature to its present position on the capitol grounds, arguing that
13651327
Reconciliation (United States Congress)


then begins consideration of their respective omnibus bills under their respective rules of debate. The reconciliation process has a relatively minor impact in the House of Representatives, but it has important implications in the Senate. In contrast to most other legislation, senators cannot use the filibuster to indefinitely prevent consideration of a reconciliation bill, because Senate debate over reconciliation bills is limited to twenty hours. Thus, reconciliation bills only require the support of a simple majority of the Senate for passage, rather than the 60-vote super-majority required to invoke
1242132
1974 and 1975 United States Senate elections in New Hampshire


awarded a new credential to Wyman. Cotton resigned the Senate seat on December 31, 1974, and Thomson appointed Wyman to fill the remainder of the term, which would expire on January 3, 1975. As a last option, Durkin petitioned the Senate, which had a 60-vote Democratic majority, to review the case, based on the Constitutional provision that each house of Congress is the final arbiter of elections to that body. On January 13, 1975, the day before the new Congress convened, the Senate Rules Committee tried
12968822
Filibuster in the United States Senate


sets overall funding levels for the government. The Senate may then consider a budget reconciliation bill, not subject to filibuster, that reconciles funding amounts in any annual appropriations bills with the amounts specified in the budget resolution. However, under the Byrd rule no non-budgetary "extraneous matter" may be considered in a reconciliation bill. The presiding officer, relying always (as of 2017) on the opinion of the Senate parliamentarian, determines whether an item is extraneous, and a 60-vote majority is required to include such material in
13848239
Impeachment of Renato Corona


of each senator. Only the 2nd, 3rd and 7th articles were considered; after the required two-thirds vote to remove from office was reached on the first article being voted upon, the Senate decided not to pursue voting on the last two articles. There were no absences or abstentions. In September 2013, Senator Jinggoy Estrada revealed in a privilege speech that senators who voted to convict Corona in the impeachment trial were given an additional ₱50 million in discretionary funds. He claimed that the allocation was provided in a private and
18734744
J. W. Grant


the law required. A circuit court judge agreed, and removed Matthews from the ballot, opening the Republican primary to all registered voters in the district, invalidating the results of the closed Republican primary that would be held in August, and putting the election on the general election ballot in November. Grant won the election over Steinberg handily, winning 60% of the vote to her 40%, but an appeals court ruled that Matthews was improperly removed from the ballot, so the Florida House of Representatives voted to invalidate the results
20989840
Caitlin Halligan


vote, falling six votes short of the 60 votes needed to move forward with a floor vote on her nomination. Her nomination was returned to the President on December 17, 2011, pursuant to the rules of the Senate. Halligan was renominated on June 11, 2012. Two more attempts to gain cloture on her confirmation failed, and on August 3, 2012 her nomination was again returned to the White House. She was renominated on September 19, 2012. Her nomination was again returned to the President on January 2,
13580926
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008


June 26 and was not present for the final senate vote on the bill. The only other senator not voting was Sen. Ted Kennedy, who was recovering after surgery to remove a brain tumor. Then-United States Senator from Illinois and Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who had expressed early support for the Webb version of the veteran education benefits, voted for the final bill on June 26. In May 2008 the issue became a campaign issue with both candidates attacking the others' position. During Senate debate on the bill,
19881567
Chuck Schumer


for months. In March 2017, at the end of Senate hearings for Trump Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Schumer stated he would vote against the nomination and called for Democrats to join him in waging a block of an up-or-down vote on Gorsuch. In his floor speech, Schumer said, "If this nominee cannot earn 60 votes — a bar met by each of President Obama's nominees and George Bush's last two nominees — the answer isn't to change the rules. It's to change
16850855
Mike Delph


according to his survey 60 percent of his constituents wanted to vote on the amendment in November. The amendment did not pass during session because of a controversial second sentence that would have also banned on civil unions. During the process, the second sentence was removed by each chamber. Delph was critical of traditional supporters of the amendment, especially Senate leader David Long and House Speaker Brian Bosma, who did not exert their political influence during the most favorable political climate for its passage. Delph criticized Long for moving the hearing for the
1939852
Campaign finance reform in the United States


BCRA), also called the McCain-Feingold bill after its chief sponsors, John McCain and Russ Feingold. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on February 14, 2002, with 240 yeas and 189 nays, including 6 members who did not vote. Final passage in the Senate came after supporters mustered the bare minimum of 60 votes needed to shut off debate. The bill passed the Senate, 60-40 on March 20, 2002, and was signed into law by President Bush on March 27, 2002
18887403
Up or down vote


. In 2005, the phrase was heard most often from Republicans in the United States, who occupied 55 seats in the United States Senate and so lacked the 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster maneuver by the Democratic senators. A united Democratic bloc was able to filibuster any objectionable bill, presidential appointment, or other matter before the Senate and to prevent its passage. If the Republicans were able to bring any particular matter to an "up or down vote," they would be able to approve that measure if they were
1840757
Aquilino Pimentel Jr.


12 Senate seats. In October 2000 Senate President Franklin Drilon issued a statement about the "Juetengate scandal" of President Joseph Estrada. Drilon was removed as Senate President the next month through a Senate revamp and Pimentel was installed as Senate President. In December 2000, an impeachment case was filed on the Senate. On January 16, 2001, Pimentel was one of those who voted in favor of the opening of the second bank envelope. Their vote was outnumbered and some of the opposition senators cried in front of Senate President Pimentel
12018147
Redistricting in Arizona


nine congressional districts extend into its more than 3.8 million-person territory. In an unprecedented vote on November 1, 2011, the Arizona Senate approved Governor Jan Brewer's removal of the AIRC's independent chairwoman, Colleen Mathis, under allegations of gross misconduct. On November 17, the Arizona Supreme Court summarily and unanimously overturned Governor Brewer's removal of Mathis, ordering her reinstatement as commission chair. Mathis, who denied all wrongdoing, attempted to have the Arizona Supreme Court stop the Senate from voting to remove her, but the
10776348
Fernando Collor de Mello


's attorneys argued that with Collor's resignation, the impeachment trial could not proceed and should close without ruling on the merits. The attorneys arguing for Collor's removal, however, argued that the trial should continue, to determine whether or not the defendant should face the constitutional penalty of suspension of political rights for eight years. The Senate voted to continue the trial. It ruled that, although the possible penalty of removal from office had been rendered moot, the determination of the former President's guilt or innocence was still relevant
19420098
Patricia Millett


Senate began voting on whether the President pro tempore's ruling should stand, setting up a vote on what is colloquially known as the "nuclear option." The ruling was not sustained in a 48–52 vote. As a result of that vote, the President pro tempore ruled that as of November 21, 2013, the threshold for invoking cloture on all executive branch nominees, and all district and circuit court nominees would be a simple majority of senators present and voting. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, immediately requested
21274560
Mark Pryor


trial. On September 28, 2006, Pryor was one of 12 Senate Democrats who voted to adopt S.3930, the Military Commissions Act of 2006. He voted against the flag burning amendment in June 2006. On March 15, 2007, Pryor was one of two Democratic Senators to vote against a resolution aimed at withdrawing most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008. The vote, requiring 60 votes to pass, was 50 to 48 against. In 2003, Pryor voted for a federal ban on partial-birth abortion. He
5057767
Political positions of John McCain


military service, McCain said he now supported the bill, because it encouraged additional service beyond three years, mitigating his earlier concerns. McCain, who had not voted in the Senate since April 8, was campaigning in Ohio on June 26 and was not present for the final senate vote on the bill, which passed 92–6 (The only other senator not voting was Ted Kennedy, who was recovering after surgery to remove a brain tumor). Bush signed the war funding bill, along with the veterans education benefits, into law
19307319
2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis


of the Spanish Constitution would be invoked, leading to direct rule over Catalonia by the Spanish government once approved by the Senate. On 27 October, the Catalan parliament voted in a secret ballot to unilaterally declare independence from Spain, with some deputies boycotting a vote considered illegal for violating the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Spain, as the lawyers of the Parliament of Catalonia warned. As a result, the government of Spain invoked the Constitution to remove the regional authorities and enforce direct rule the next day, with a regional election
138403
Ulysses J. Lupien


taken. In September 1953, the Lowell retirement board ruled that Lupien, who would turn 70 in December, must quit by December 31 of that year, citing a provision in the retirement law dealing with employees who began their initial employment with the city after the age of 60. On November 10, 1953, the City Council voted five to three to remove Lupien from office in order to give the next city manager plenty of time to prepare the city's budget for the following year. After his firing, Lupien campaigned
1473015
History of health care reform in the United States


from Conference that differed from the Senate bill would have to be passed in the Senate over another Republican filibuster; most House Democrats agreed to pass the Senate bill on condition that it be amended by a subsequent bill. They drafted the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, which could be passed via the reconciliation process. Unlike rules under regular order, as per the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 reconciliation cannot be subject to a filibuster, which requires 60 votes to break, but the process is limited to budget changes; this
11028708
Mari Carmen Aponte


of a Latin American tour that also included Brazil and Chile. In August, 2011, she personally hosted a visit from U.S. Supreme Court Justice (and fellow Puerto Rican) Sonia Sotomayor, who met with her Salvadorean counterparts. In December 2011, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on Aponte's nomination, in an effort to break Senate Republicans' filibuster of her nomination. On December 12, 2011, the Senate held a cloture vote on Aponte's nomination. The cloture vote required 60 votes in order to cut
18658250
Michael Bennet


2013 Bennet voted against a Senate Amendment 711 to S. 649 (The Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013), an amendment introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would have reinstated the federal assault weapons ban. The amendment was defeated 40-60 with one Republican, Mark Kirk, voting in favor and 16 Democrats (including independent Senator Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats) against. Also in 2013 Bennet voted to strengthen the background check system and to ban high-capacity magazines. Bennet owns
21976488
History of health care reform in the United States


a cloture vote to end debate, 60 votes would be necessary to get passage in the Senate. At the start of the 111th Congress, Democrats had only 58 votes; the Senate seat in Minnesota that would be won by Al Franken was still undergoing a recount, and Arlen Specter was still a Republican. To reach 60 votes, negotiations were undertaken to satisfy the demands of moderate Democrats, and to try to bring aboard several Republican Senators; particular attention was given to Bob Bennett (R-UT), Chuck Grassley
11028696
Nuclear option


The PRESIDENT pro tempore. *** Under the precedent set by the Senate today, November 21, 2013, the threshold for cloture on nominations, not including those to the Supreme Court of the United States, is now a majority. That is the ruling of the Chair. /poem A new precedent is thus established allowing for cloture to be invoked by a simple majority on certain types of actions. These and other Senate precedents will then be relied upon by future Parliamentarians in advising the chair, effectively eliminating the 60-vote barrier
1840144
Standing Rules of the United States Senate


in alphabetical order; each senator responds when his or her name is called. Senators who miss the roll call may still cast a vote as long as the recorded vote remains open. The vote is closed at the discretion of the presiding officer, but must remain open for a minimum of 15 minutes. If the vote is tied, the Vice President, if present, is entitled to a casting vote. If the Vice President is not present, however, the motion is resolved in the negative. On occasion, the
19749792
Nuclear option


," even though the text of the rule requires "three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn" to end debate. This ruling's precedent eliminated the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster against all executive branch nominees and judicial nominees other than to the Supreme Court. The text of Rule XXII was never changed. A 3/5 supermajority was still required to end filibusters unrelated to those nominees, such as for legislation and Supreme Court nominees. The Democrats' stated motivation for this change was expansion of filibustering by Republicans during
1840164
2010 United States Senate elections


ties to lobbyists. He called for more disclosure of the meetings lawmakers have with lobbyists, banning congressional staff from lobbying for six years after their congressional jobs, requiring Congress members to put all their investments in blind trusts, more disclosure of Senate candidates' personal financial information, and changes to the U.S. Senate filibuster rules. He proposed lowering number of votes required to break a filibuster to 55 from the current 60. In response to Ellsworth's charges, Coats published his lobbying record in an 815-page document. Coats emphasized the individual
10878928
History of the United States Democratic Party


sworn into the Senate, thus Senate Democrats obtained the 60 vote threshold to overcome the Senate filibuster. On October 28, 2009, Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which included in it the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded federal hate crime laws to include sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5–4 decision in the case of "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" that the First Amendment
21554157
President of the Senate of the Philippines


President is traditionally the last senator to vote. A tied vote, therefore, means that the motion is lost, and that the Senate President cannot cast a tie-breaking vote since that would mean that the presiding officer would have had voted twice. According to the Rule 3 of the Rules of the Senate, the Senate President has the powers and duties to: The Senate President is also the "ex officio" chairman of the Commission on Appointments, a constitutional body within the Congress that has the sole power to
1140374
Thomas R. Marshall


any senator to prolong debate as long as he desired. The rule has been modified several times, most prominently that the current rule requires three-fifths of "all" Senators, not only the ones voting. As Marshall made little news and was viewed as a somewhat comic figure in Washington because of his sense of humor, a number of Democratic party leaders wanted him removed from the 1916 reelection ticket. Wilson, after deliberating, decided keeping Marshall on would demonstrate party unity; thus in 1916 Marshall won reelection over the
12731970
Political positions of Kirsten Gillibrand


2018, Gillibrand voted for a bill that would reinstate net neutrality rules and thereby overturn the FCC's repeal via a law authorizing Congress to reverse regulatory actions by a simple majority vote. Sen. Gillibrand expressed support for preserving the Senate filibuster during an interview in 2019, saying it's "useful" because it encourages bipartisan consensus seeking, and saying "if you’re not able to get 60 votes on something, it just means you haven’t worked hard enough, talking to enough people and trying to listen to their concerns and
7790088
Tom Perez


at which time Perez's nomination cleared the committee on a party line vote of 12–10. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) postponed a full Senate vote on the nomination until July. As Senate Democrats pushed in July 2013 to eliminate the filibuster for all executive-branch nominees, senators struck a deal for a Senate vote on Perez's nomination. On July 17, 2013, the Senate voted 60–40 for cloture on Perez's nomination, ending the filibuster. On July 18, 2013, the Senate voted 54–46
22123324
Nuclear option


final action via an initial filibuster. The nuclear option was raised again following the congressional elections of 2012, this time with Senate Democrats in the majority (but short of a supermajority). The Democrats had been the majority party in the Senate since 2007 but only briefly did they have the 60 votes necessary to halt a filibuster. "The Hill" reported that Democrats would "likely" use the nuclear option in January 2013 to effect filibuster reform, but the two parties managed to negotiate two packages of amendments to the Rules
1840160
Mary Lundby


, as a member of the Linn County Republican Central Committee, and as staff assistant to then-senator Roger Jepsen. She graduated from Upper Iowa University, majoring in Political Science and History. Lundby served on several committees in the Iowa Senate - the Government Oversight committee; the Natural Resources and Environment committee; and the Rules and Administration committee. Lundby was re-elected in 2004 with 20,686 votes (60%), defeating Democratic opponent Lorna Richards. Lundby didn't run for re-election in 2008, opting to
5750445
USA Freedom Act


bill, lawmakers opposed to the Bill stated it will handicap the NSA and allow terrorist groups to prosper. The USA Freedom Act was not passed by the U.S. Senate on May 22, 2015. By a vote of 57–42, the Senate did not pass the bill that would have required 60 votes to move forward, which meant that the NSA had to start winding down its domestic mass surveillance program. The Senate also rejected, by 54–45, also short of the necessary 60 votes, a two-month extension for the key
2242286