Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:
Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.
For more information about the legislative process, see here.
| Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 30, 1996 | National | S Amdt 3820 | Legal Immigrants Assistance Eligibility Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| April 30, 1996 | National | S Amdt 3820 | Legal Immigrants Assistance Eligibility Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| April 25, 1996 | National | S Amdt 3670 | Foreign Student Program Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47) |
| April 25, 1996 | National | S Amdt 3669 | Foreign Student Public Education Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 46) |
| April 23, 1996 | National | S J Res 21 | Term Limits bill | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 42) |
| April 17, 1996 | National | S 735 | Comprehensive Terrorism Prevention Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (91 - 8) |
| March 27, 1996 | National | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (69 - 31) |
| March 21, 1996 | National | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (59 - 40) |
| Feb. 7, 1996 | National | S 1541 | Farm Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32) |
| Jan. 26, 1996 | National | S 1124 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (56 - 34) |
| Dec. 22, 1995 | National | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 47) |
| Dec. 22, 1995 | National | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 47) |
| Dec. 19, 1995 | National | HR 1530 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 43) |
| Dec. 14, 1995 | National | HR 1977 | Interior Department FY96 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (58 - 40) |
| Dec. 13, 1995 | National | S J Res 44 | Deployment of US Armed Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (69 - 30) |
| Dec. 6, 1995 | National | HR 660 | Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 | Bill Passed - Senate (94 - 3) |
| Nov. 15, 1995 | National | HR 2020 | Appropriations bill FY96, Treasury, Postal Service | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (63 - 35) |
| Sept. 19, 1995 | National | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (87 - 12) |
| Sept. 19, 1995 | National | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (87 - 12) |
| Sept. 14, 1995 | National | S Amdt 2478 | Naturalized Citizen Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 61) |
| Sept. 14, 1995 | National | S Amdt 2478 | Naturalized Citizen Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 61) |
| Sept. 6, 1995 | National | HR 1530 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 34) |
| June 22, 1995 | National | PN 245 | Henry W. Foster Jr., Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 43) |
| June 7, 1995 | National | S 735 | Comprehensive Terrorism Prevention Act | Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 8) |
| May 10, 1995 | National | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 37) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/30 | S Amdt 3820 | Legal Immigrants Assistance Eligibility Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| 4/30 | S Amdt 3820 | Legal Immigrants Assistance Eligibility Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| 4/25 | S Amdt 3670 | Foreign Student Program Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47) |
| 4/25 | S Amdt 3669 | Foreign Student Public Education Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 46) |
| 4/23 | S J Res 21 | Term Limits bill | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 42) |
| 4/17 | S 735 | Comprehensive Terrorism Prevention Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (91 - 8) |
| 3/27 | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (69 - 31) |
| 3/21 | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (59 - 40) |
| 2/07 | S 1541 | Farm Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32) |
| 1/26 | S 1124 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (56 - 34) |
| 12/22 | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 47) |
| 12/22 | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 47) |
| 12/19 | HR 1530 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 43) |
| 12/14 | HR 1977 | Interior Department FY96 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (58 - 40) |
| 12/13 | S J Res 44 | Deployment of US Armed Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (69 - 30) |
| 12/06 | HR 660 | Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 | Bill Passed - Senate (94 - 3) |
| 11/15 | HR 2020 | Appropriations bill FY96, Treasury, Postal Service | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (63 - 35) |
| 9/19 | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (87 - 12) |
| 9/19 | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (87 - 12) |
| 9/14 | S Amdt 2478 | Naturalized Citizen Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 61) |
| 9/14 | S Amdt 2478 | Naturalized Citizen Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 61) |
| 9/06 | HR 1530 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 34) |
| 6/22 | PN 245 | Henry W. Foster Jr., Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 43) |
| 6/07 | S 735 | Comprehensive Terrorism Prevention Act | Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 8) |
| 5/10 | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 37) |