On the Amendment S.Amdt. 595 to H.R. 1249 (Leahy-Smith America Invents Act)

Number:
Senate Vote #127 [primary source: senate.gov]
Date:
Sep 08, 2011 (112th Congress)
Result:
Amendment Rejected
Bill:
H.R. 1249 (112th): Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
Introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith [R-TX21] on March 30, 2011
Current Status: Signed by the President

This was a vote to approve or reject an amendment.

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Totals     Democrat     Republican     Independent
  Yea 13
 
 
 
13%
6 7 0
  Nay 85
 
 
 
85%
44 39 2
Present 1
 
 
 
1%
0 1 0
Not Voting 1
 
 
 
1%
1 0 0
Required: Simple Majority

Vote Details

Notes

What’s the difference between aye and yea?

There is no meaningful difference between aye and yea (and nay and no), but the terms are used in different sorts of votes based on Congress’s long tradition of parliamentary procedure. The House and Senate follow the U.S. Constitution strictly when it says that bills should be decided on by the “yeas and nays” (Article I, Section 7). The House sometimes operates under a special set of rules called the “Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union” (or “Committee of the Whole” for short), which is a sort of pseudo-committee that is made up of every congressman. During this mode of operation, the House uses the terms “aye” and “no” instead. (See the Rules of the House, Rule XX, and House Practice in the section Voting.)