Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
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)

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