- SPPrime Sponsor
- Took pro-animal position through co-sponsorship of a bill, a vote, signing a letter, or leading on pro-animal legislation
- Led on multiple legislative and/or regulatory efforts or led on a top priority measure
- Took anti-animal position on a vote
- NVDid not vote due to absence or abstention
- NV+Did not vote due to absence or abstention but received credit for co-sponsoring bill
- NV*Put statement in Congressional Record (and notified HSLF) indicating unavoidable missed vote but would have voted pro-animal.
- 100+Pro-animal position on 11 scored items in the House or 6 scored items in the Senate plus extra credit for leading on pro-animal issue(s)
- Member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus (does not affect numerical score)
- •Delegates from U.S. territories and the District of Columbia cannot vote on bills or amendments on the House floor unless they are taken in the “Committee of the Whole”
- ••The top leaders of each party in the House and Senate typically don't co-sponsor bills and the Speaker of the House doesn’t vote, so they have no numerical scores
- ●+Co-sponsored a bill but delegate was unable to vote for it
- #Filled seat during term
- ##Resigned during term
- ###Died during term
Note: In some cases, legislators must miss votes for unavoidable personal reasons, such as a death in the family, serious illness, birth of a child or emergency in their state. Please also consider such unrecorded matters as performance on committees, positions of House or Senate leadership, constituent service and co-sponsorship of other animal protection bills not included in the scorecard.
