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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2014 | National | H Amdt 738 | Authorizes Funds to be Used for Guantanamo Bay Operations | Amendment Rejected - House (169 - 230) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 676 | Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions | Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 230) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 671 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Certain Climate Change Reports | Amendment Adopted - House (231 - 192) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 675 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Guantanmo Bay Operations | Amendment Rejected - House (177 - 247) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 680 | Repeals Military Force Authorization | Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 233) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 679 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used to Implement the New START Treaty | Amendment Adopted - House (233 - 191) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 679 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used to Implement the New START Treaty | Amendment Adopted - House (233 - 191) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | HR 4435 | Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 | Bill Passed - House (325 - 98) |
| May 21, 2014 | National | H Amdt 669 | Amends Intercontinental-Range Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) Laws | Amendment Adopted - House (222 - 196) |
| May 14, 2014 | OK | HB 3143 | Requires Vendors on Military Bases to Collect Sales Tax | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (51 - 42) |
| May 2, 2014 | FL | HB 851 | Authorizes In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Individuals | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (84 - 32) |
| May 1, 2014 | FL | HB 755 | Authorizes Certain Non-Citizen Individuals to be Admitted to the Bar | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (79 - 37) |
| May 1, 2014 | FL | HB 851 | Authorizes In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
| April 25, 2014 | AK | HB 218 | Prohibits Use of Risk of Deportation as a Factor in a Felony Case Referral | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (28 - 10) |
| April 21, 2014 | AZ | HB 2462 | Authorizes the State to Create a Virtual Border | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (35 - 20) |
| April 17, 2014 | AZ | HB 2462 | Authorizes the State to Create a Virtual Border | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 8) |
| April 7, 2014 | TN | SB 2115 | Authorizes In-State Tuition for Certain Students | Bill Passed - House (63 - 27) |
| March 24, 2014 | TN | SB 2115 | Authorizes In-State Tuition for Certain Students | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| March 20, 2014 | FL | HB 851 | Authorizes In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Individuals | Bill Passed - House (81 - 33) |
| March 17, 2014 | NY | A 2597A | Establishes the New York DREAM Fund Commission | Bill Failed - Senate (30 - 29) |
| March 6, 2014 | National | S 1752 | Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 45) |
| Feb. 28, 2014 | AK | HB 1 | Requires Certain Drivers Licenses to Expire Pursuant to their Visa | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 4) |
| Feb. 18, 2014 | WA | SB 6523 | Authorizes In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Individuals | Bill Passed - House (75 - 22) |
| Feb. 10, 2014 | SD | HB 1158 | Establishes a Prenatal Care Program for Non-Citizen Individuals | Bill Passed - House (46 - 22) |
| Jan. 31, 2014 | WA | SB 6523 | Authorizes In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 10) |
| Nov. 21, 2013 | National | S 1197 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 44) |
| Nov. 21, 2013 | National | S 1197 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 44) |
| Nov. 21, 2013 | National | S 1197 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 44) |
| Nov. 19, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2255 | Prohibits the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Guantanamo Detainees | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) |
| Nov. 19, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2175 | Authorizes the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Guantanamo Detainees to the United States | Amendment Rejected - Senate (52 - 46) |
| Nov. 19, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2255 | Prohibits the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Guantanamo Detainees | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) |
| Oct. 10, 2013 | National | H J Res 79 | Border Security and Enforcement Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Joint Resolution Passed - House (249 - 175) |
| Oct. 10, 2013 | National | H J Res 79 | Border Security and Enforcement Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Joint Resolution Passed - House (249 - 175) |
| Oct. 3, 2013 | National | HR 3230 | Pay Our Guard and Reserve Act | Bill Passed - House (265 - 160) |
| Sept. 18, 2013 | National | H Amdt 466 | Requires Mine Operators to Include the Cost of Cleanup in Financial Insurance | Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 235) |
| Sept. 18, 2013 | National | H Amdt 463 | Amends the Definition of "Strategic and Critical Minerals" | Amendment Rejected - House (187 - 241) |
| Sept. 18, 2013 | National | HR 761 | National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (246 - 178) |
| Sept. 12, 2013 | CA | AB 60 | Authorizes Driver's License for Undocumented Immigrants | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 21) |
| Sept. 12, 2013 | CA | AB 60 | Authorizes Driver's License for Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 8) |
| Sept. 10, 2013 | CA | AB 4 | Prohibits Law Enforcement from Detaining Individuals Solely Based on Immigration Status | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 25) |
| Sept. 9, 2013 | CA | AB 4 | Prohibits Law Enforcement from Detaining Individuals Solely Based on Immigration Status | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| Aug. 8, 2013 | CA | AB 817 | Amends Poll Worker Eligibility Requirements | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 25) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | H Amdt 413 | Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the PATRIOT Act | Amendment Rejected - House (205 - 217) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | HR 2397 | Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014 | Bill Passed - House (315 - 109) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | HR 2397 | Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014 | Bill Passed - House (315 - 109) |
| July 23, 2013 | National | H Amdt 375 | Prohibits the Use of Funds to Appoint Chaplains Without an Endorsing Agency | Amendment Adopted - House (253 - 173) |
| July 23, 2013 | National | H Amdt 375 | Prohibits the Use of Funds to Appoint Chaplains Without an Endorsing Agency | Amendment Adopted - House (253 - 173) |
| July 8, 2013 | CA | AB 817 | Amends Poll Worker Eligibility Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 10) |
| June 27, 2013 | National | S 744 | Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 32) |
| June 18, 2013 | National | S Amdt 1197 | Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border | Amendment Rejected - Senate (39 - 54) |