I have had a number of emails asking me about what the House passed this year on the fiscal cliff and whether those bills were taken up by the Senate.

That is an issue as both sides blame the other for not reaching a deal on the fiscal cliff, with Republicans in the House saying the Senate must act next, and Democrats in the Senate saying the House GOP must take charge.

The House has passed two plans that would have a direct impact on the fiscal cliff already this year, one on taxes, one on the budget that deals with the automatic spending reductions set to start on January 2.

On August 1, the House approved H.R. 8, a bill that would extend the Bush tax rates for all Americans for one more year; the vote was 256-171.

That bill was sent to the Senate, where it was placed on the legislative calendar. It has not been brought up for any amendments or votes.

Just before a final House vote on H.R. 8, the House rejected a plan from Democrats to extend the current tax rates for those making less than $250,000 a year; the vote was 246-181 against that idea.

On May 10, the House approved H.R. 5652, which makes a series of spending changes to avert automatic budget cuts for the military; that vote was 218-199.

Read more by Jamie Dupree A little Congressional civics on the fiscal cliff