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Bill Nelson

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This is a profile of a U.S. senator. (See all the Florida portal for all incumbents, candidates and blogs.)
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Bill Nelson currently serves as the Sr. Senator for Florida

Clarence William "Bill" Nelson, a Democrat, has represented Florida in the U.S. Senate since 2000. He posts his daily schedule online (available here).

Contents

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Bill Nelson voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

Iraq War

Nelson voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

For more information see the chart of U.S. Senate votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Bill Nelson posts his schedule online

Starting in the 110th Congress, Nelson began posting his schedule online here. Congresspedia archives this schedule here.

Election reform

On February 13, 2007, Sen. Nelson introduced the Vote Integrity and Verification Act of 2007 (S.559), that would amend the Help America Vote Act to require a paper trail. Specifically, it would:

  • Require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to study, test, and develop best practices to enhance the accessibility of ballot verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, voters whose primary language is not English, and voters with difficulties in literacy.
  • Require laboratories to meet standards prohibiting conflicts of interest as a condition of accreditation for the testing of voting system hardware and software.
  • Outline additional voting system requirements and prohibitions.
  • Extend the authorization of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
  • Provide for complaints to the Attorney General by persons affected by violations of Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
  • Make available additional funding to enable states to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by the Act.
  • Direct the chief auditor of each state to appoint an Election Audit Board to administer, without advance notice to the precincts selected, random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots required to be produced and preserved for each such election held in the state.
  • Repeal the exemption of the EAC from certain government contracting requirements.
Main article: Help America Vote Act

Biography

Nelson was born September 29, 1942 in Miami, Florida. He attended the University of Florida and Yale University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1965, and later served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1965 to 1971. During this time, Nelson studied at the University of Virginia, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1968.

Nelson worked as a fire marshal and later as a lawyer before beginning his political career in the Florida House of Representatives. Nelson served in the state house from 1972 to 1979, when he left the state house following his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Nelson served in the U.S. House from 1979 to 1991. In 1986, he became the second sitting member of congress (first from the House) to travel into space; Nelson flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on the STS-61-C mission with six other astronauts from January 12-18, where he was the payload specialist.

Nelson ran an unsuccessful campaign to the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida in 1990. He lost to former U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles, who went on to win the general election. During the campaign, he tried to make an issue out of Chiles' health and age, a strategy that backfired on him in a state with a large population of retirees and senior citizens. From 1995 to 2000, Nelson was the Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida.

In 2000, Nelson won the election for Florida senator, beating then-Representative Bill McCollum, the Republican candidate in an open seat election to replace retiring Republican incumbent Connie Mack.

Nelson has been a vocal opponent of oil drilling off Florida's coast. He has fought for benefits and health care for veterans and their spouses, and he has fought for a Medicare prescription drug benefit that allows the government to negotiate for lower drug prices from pharmaceutical companies. He is generally regarded as a moderate, and was among the few Democrats to vote in favor of U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He has also voted in favor of bankruptcy reform and abolishing the estate tax.

2006 elections

In 2006, the Republicans nominated Katherine Harris to face Nelson in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) [1] Nelson retained his seat.

Riscorp scandal: illegal campaign contributions

In July 2006, during his campaign for the U.S. Senate, incumbent Sen. Nelson was accused of taking $80,000 in illegal campaign contributions from Riscorp, Inc. According the Orlando Sentinel, Nelson did receive $62,000 from the company during the mid-1990s. Unlike his senatorial opponent (Rep. Katherine Harris), Sen. Nelson has never repaid the funds he received and used in his campaign.

Mr. Bill Griffin, CEO of Riscorp, pleaded guilty to felony counts involving illegal campaign donations and conspiracy and served prison time. The Riscorp scandal involved dozens of Florida state legislators and was among the largest scandals in recent Florida history.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. <crpcontribdata>cid=N00009926&cycle=2006</crpcontribdata>

Links to more campaign contribution information for Bill Nelson
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2006 election cycle Career totals


Committees and Affiliations

Committees

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

Coalitions and Caucuses

  • Democratic Policy Committee
  • Vice Chair, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
  • Senate Centrist Coalition
  • Senate New Democrat Coalition.

More Background Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Bill Nelson. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

DC Office:
716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0903
Phone:202-224-5274
Fax:202-228-2183
Web Email
Website

District Office-Coral Gables:
2925 Salzedo Street
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: 305-536-5999
Fax: 305-536-5991

District Office- Davie:
3416 South University Drive
Davie, FL 33328
Phone: 954-693-4851
Fax: 954-693-4862

District Office- Fort Myers:
Justice Center Annex Building
2000 Main Street, Suite 801
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Fax: 239-334-7710

District Office- Jacksonville:
1301 Riverplace Blvd, Suite 2218
Jacksonville, FL 32207
Phone: 904-346-4500
Fax: 904-346-4506

District Office-Orlando:
225 East Robinson Street, Suite 410
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407-872-7161
TollFree: 888-671-4091 (In Florida)
Fax: 407-872-7165

District Office- Tallahassee:
United States Courthouse Annex
111 North Adams Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: 850-942-8415
Fax: 850-942-8450

District Office- Tampa:
Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse
801 North Florida Avenue, 4th Floor
Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: 813-225-7040
Fax: 813-225-7050

District Office- West Palm Beach:
500 Australian Avenue, Suite 125
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: 561-514-0189
Fax: 561-514-4078

Articles and resources

Local blogs and discussion sites

Corresponding article on Wikipedia and Cause Caller. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of senators and representatives.)

Current Office: U.S. Senate
111th Congress
Leadership Position:
 Committees Chaired:
 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Committees:
110th Congress
Leadership Position:
Deputy Whip		 Committees Chaired:
 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Senate Centrist Coalition, Senate New Democrat Coalition
Committees: Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Seapower, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Senate Committee on the Budget, Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation, Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation/Subcommittee on Aviation Operations Safety and Security, Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation/Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs Insurance and Automotive Safety, Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation/Subcommittee on Oceans Atmosphere Fisheries and Coast Guard, Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation/Subcommittee on Space Aeronautics and Related Sciences, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations/Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations Democracy and Human Rights, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations/Subcommittee on African Affairs, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations/Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Congressional Career
First Elected to Current Office:
November 7, 2000		 First Took Current Office:
January 3, 2001		 Next Election:
November 6, 2012		 Term Ends:
Freshman Member?
No		 Previous Political Work?
Florida Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal, U.S. House of Representatives, Florida Legislature		 Other Party Membership:
District Offices:
1. 2925 Salzedo Street, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: 305-536-5999 / Fax: 305-536-5991
2. 3416 South University Drive, Davie, FL 33328
Phone: 954-693-4851 / Fax: 954-693-4862
3. Justice Center Annex Building, 2000 Main Street, Suite 801, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: / Fax: 239-334-7710
4. 1301 Riverplace Blvd, Suite 2218, Jacksonville, FL 32207
Phone: 904-346-4500 / Fax: 904-346-4506
5. 225 East Robinson Street, Suite 410, Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407-872-7161, 888-671-4091 / Fax: 407-872-7165
6. 111 North Adams Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: 850-942-8415 / Fax: 850-942-8450
7. Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse, 801 North Florida Avenue, 4th Floor, Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: 813-225-7040 / Fax: 813-225-7050
8. 500 Australian Avenue, Suite 125, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: 561-514-0189 / Fax: 561-514-4078
Campaign Contact:

Website:
Webform Email: / Email:

Campaign Offices:

1.
Phone: / Fax:
Zip Code Affiliations:
Misc:

Date of Birth: September 29, 1942







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