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
May 10, 2000 National H Amdt 685 Land Conservation-Land Acquisition Funding Amendment Rejected - House (109 - 315)
May 10, 2000 National H Amdt 687 Social Security and Medicare Solvency Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (216 - 208)
Oct. 27, 1999 National HR 2260 Pain Relief Promotion Act of 1999 Bill Passed - House (271 - 156)
Oct. 7, 1999 National H Amdt 514 Patient Protection Substitute Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (193 - 238)
Oct. 7, 1999 National HR 2723 Patient Protection bill Bill Passed - House (275 - 151)
Oct. 6, 1999 National HR 2990 Patients' Bill of Rights bill Bill Passed - House (227 - 205)
Sept. 30, 1999 National H Amdt 509 Substitute Amendment to Unborn Victims of Violence Act Amendment Rejected - House (201 - 224)
Sept. 30, 1999 National HR 2436 Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 1999 Bill Passed - House (254 - 172)
Sept. 21, 1999 National HR 2116 Veterans' Millennium Health Care Act Bill Passed - House (369 - 46)
July 29, 1999 National H Amdt 360 Abortion Funding Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (221 - 208)
Oct. 8, 1998 National H Amdt 923 Contraceptive Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (224 - 200)
Sept. 16, 1998 National H Amdt 887 Illegal Drug Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (291 - 133)
Aug. 7, 1998 National H Amdt 869 Illegal Drug Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (250 - 169)
July 24, 1998 National H Amdt 776 Patients' Bill of Rights Act Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (212 - 217)
July 24, 1998 National H Amdt 776 Patients' Bill of Rights Act Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (212 - 217)
July 24, 1998 National HR 4250 Patient Protection bill Bill Passed - House (216 - 210)
July 24, 1998 National HR 4250 Patient Protection bill Bill Passed - House (216 - 210)
July 16, 1998 National H Amdt 728 Federal Health Plan Contraceptive Coverage Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (224 - 198)
July 16, 1998 National H Amdt 728 Federal Health Plan Contraceptive Coverage Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (224 - 198)
March 27, 1998 National H Amdt 542 Road Construction Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (200 - 187)
March 27, 1998 National HR 2515 Forest Recovery and Protection bill Bill Failed - House (181 - 201)
Nov. 7, 1997 National HR 2264 Appropriations bill FY98, Labor, HHS, Education Conference Report Adopted - House (352 - 65)
Sept. 11, 1997 National H Amdt 347 Needle Exchange Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (266 - 158)
Sept. 9, 1997 National H Amdt 335 Family Planning Parental Notification Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (220 - 201)
Sept. 4, 1997 National H Amdt 318 International Family Planning amendment Amendment Adopted - House (234 - 191)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/10 H Amdt 685 Land Conservation-Land Acquisition Funding Amendment Rejected - House (109 - 315)
5/10 H Amdt 687 Social Security and Medicare Solvency Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (216 - 208)
10/27 HR 2260 Pain Relief Promotion Act of 1999 Bill Passed - House (271 - 156)
10/07 H Amdt 514 Patient Protection Substitute Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (193 - 238)
10/07 HR 2723 Patient Protection bill Bill Passed - House (275 - 151)
10/06 HR 2990 Patients' Bill of Rights bill Bill Passed - House (227 - 205)
9/30 H Amdt 509 Substitute Amendment to Unborn Victims of Violence Act Amendment Rejected - House (201 - 224)
9/30 HR 2436 Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 1999 Bill Passed - House (254 - 172)
9/21 HR 2116 Veterans' Millennium Health Care Act Bill Passed - House (369 - 46)
7/29 H Amdt 360 Abortion Funding Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (221 - 208)
10/08 H Amdt 923 Contraceptive Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (224 - 200)
9/16 H Amdt 887 Illegal Drug Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (291 - 133)
8/07 H Amdt 869 Illegal Drug Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (250 - 169)
7/24 H Amdt 776 Patients' Bill of Rights Act Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (212 - 217)
7/24 H Amdt 776 Patients' Bill of Rights Act Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (212 - 217)
7/24 HR 4250 Patient Protection bill Bill Passed - House (216 - 210)
7/24 HR 4250 Patient Protection bill Bill Passed - House (216 - 210)
7/16 H Amdt 728 Federal Health Plan Contraceptive Coverage Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (224 - 198)
7/16 H Amdt 728 Federal Health Plan Contraceptive Coverage Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (224 - 198)
3/27 H Amdt 542 Road Construction Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (200 - 187)
3/27 HR 2515 Forest Recovery and Protection bill Bill Failed - House (181 - 201)
11/07 HR 2264 Appropriations bill FY98, Labor, HHS, Education Conference Report Adopted - House (352 - 65)
9/11 H Amdt 347 Needle Exchange Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (266 - 158)
9/09 H Amdt 335 Family Planning Parental Notification Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (220 - 201)
9/04 H Amdt 318 International Family Planning amendment Amendment Adopted - House (234 - 191)

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