GovTrack.us Blog

Site news and community analysis of U.S. legislation, at GovTrack.us.
July 31, 2006

Crazy Maps? No, Cartograms!

Author: Josh Tauberer - Categories: Uncategorized

You may notice the vote maps on this site look all crazy now. They’re “cartograms,” distorted mathematically so that every state (for Senate votes) or congressional district (for House votes) gets an equal amount of space in the image. (In House vote maps, look how big California got, or see if you can find Manhattan, now the size of Montana!)

July 29, 2006

Abortion Over State Lines

Author: Josh Tauberer - Categories: Uncategorized

On Tuesday the Senate passed S. 403: Child Custody Protection Act 65 to 34 [vote details] to prohibit taking minors across state lines to circumvent parental notification laws for abortion. The Senate is now caught up with the House, which passed H.R. 748: Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act in April 2005. Once they resolve their differences, some version of these bills is likely to become law.

July 18, 2006

Ethics Votes: One Passes, One Fails

Author: Josh Tauberer - Categories: Uncategorized

House Republicans failed in their push for “Marriage Protection”, 236 to 187 (2/3 needed) [vote details] missing a two-thirds majority for passage of their proposed constitutional amendment. The Senate passed H.R. 810: Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, allowing more use of stem cells 63 to 37 [vote details].

July 14, 2006

Voting Rights Continued

Author: Josh Tauberer - Categories: Uncategorized

The House extends the Voting Rights Act.