Amendment Votes
When it comes to congressional amendment votes, two things are important to remember:
- Bill Number Prefix.
- Parent Bill.
The prefix for amendment votes in Congress is different from the prefix assigned to amendments in state legislatures. The difference is subtle but important: an "H" or "S" introduces the prefix to indicate the chamber (ex: "H Amdt 668" for a House amendment, and "S Amdt 3952" for a Senate amendment). If it is amending an amendment (ex: S Amdt 3995 to S Amdt 4557 to HR 586), the latter amendment is not entered into admin, other than a mention in the PVS synopsis (ex: "Vote to adopt an amendment to S Amdt 4557 to HR 586..."). All of this is necessary to import the web address for the bill text.
The parent bill is also necessary to ensure that the correct web address is imported. If you enter the amendment number, but fail to select the parent bill, it will likely import the web address of a different amendment text. The correct bill number, including the appropriate bill prefix, and the correct parent bill will successfully import the correct web address.
Here is an example of a congressional amendment vote, followed by the incorrect and correct ways to input the information into admin:
- U.S. Congress - S Amdt 4302 to S Amdt 4301 to HR 4213 (Senate Tabling Vote), 2010.
INCORRECT
CORRECT
If you were to click the link to legislation on the website, it will not take you directly to the text of the amendment. The text of amendments are listed in the House and Senate journals, and we are unable to import the appropriate place in the journal to find the text. Instead, it opens a web page that provides a short description of the amendment, amendment history, a list of sponsors and cosponsors, and link to the journal where the amendment text can be found. Using the aforementioned example, this is what you encounter after clicking the link to legislation:
