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 15, 2020 PA SB 613 Requires the Governor's Office to Follow Federal Guidelines to Reopen Businesses During COVID-19 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 21)
April 14, 2020 PA SB 613 Requires the Governor's Office to Follow Federal Guidelines to Reopen Businesses During COVID-19 Bill Passed - House (107 - 95)
April 14, 2020 PA HB 2376 Authorizes Certain Retail Operations and Construction Sites to Reopen Bill Passed - House (112 - 90)
March 11, 2020 KY HB 432 Reduces the Governor's Role Over the State Investment Commission Bill Passed - House (74 - 23)
Feb. 5, 2020 National H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Failed - Senate (47 - 53)
Feb. 5, 2020 National H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Failed - Senate (48 - 52)
Jan. 31, 2020 National S Amdt 1298 Requires the US Chief Justice to rule on motions to subpoena witnesses and documents and issues of privilege Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47)
Jan. 31, 2020 National S Res 488 A resolution to provide for related procedures concerning the articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, President of the United States Bill Passed - Senate (51 - 49)
Jan. 22, 2020 National S Res 483 A resolution to provide for related procedures concerning the articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, President of the United States Bill Passed - Senate (53 - 47)
Dec. 18, 2019 National H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Passed - House (229 - 198)
Dec. 18, 2019 National H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Passed - House (230 - 197)
Dec. 2, 2019 National PN 1268 Nomination of Dan Brouillette as the Secretary of Energy Nomination Confirmed - Senate (70 - 15)
Nov. 21, 2019 National PN 1268 Nomination of Dan Brouillette as the Secretary of Energy Cloture Invoked - Senate (74 - 18)
Nov. 13, 2019 National PN 410 Nomination of Chad Wolf to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans for the Department of Homeland Security (54 - 41)
Nov. 12, 2019 National PN 410 Nomination of Chad Wolf to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans for the Department of Homeland Security Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 40)
Nov. 5, 2019 WI SJR 59 Prohibits the Governor from Using Partial Veto to Increase State Expenditures Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14)
Oct. 31, 2019 National H Res 660 Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes Bill Passed - House (232 - 196)
Oct. 22, 2019 National PN 110 Nomination of Andrew Bremberg to be the Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations (50 - 44)
Oct. 22, 2019 National PN 110 Nomination of Andrew Bremberg to be the Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 43)
Sept. 27, 2019 National SJ Res 54 Rescinds a National Emergency Declared by the President on February 15, 2019 Bill Passed - House (236 - 174)
Sept. 26, 2019 National PN 1099 Nomination of Eugene Scalia as the Secretary of Labor (53 - 44)
Sept. 26, 2019 National SJ Res 54 Rescinds a National Emergency Declared by the President on February 15, 2019 Bill Passed - Senate (54 - 41)
Sept. 25, 2019 National PN 1099 Nomination of Eugene Scalia as the Secretary of Labor Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 42)
Sept. 25, 2019 National H Res 576 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the whistleblower complaint of August 12, 2019, made to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Bill Passed - House (421 - 0)
July 23, 2019 National PN 934 Nomination of Mark Esper as the Secretary of Defense (90 - 8)
Date No. Title Outcome
4/15 SB 613 Requires the Governor's Office to Follow Federal Guidelines to Reopen Businesses During COVID-19 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 21)
4/14 SB 613 Requires the Governor's Office to Follow Federal Guidelines to Reopen Businesses During COVID-19 Bill Passed - House (107 - 95)
4/14 HB 2376 Authorizes Certain Retail Operations and Construction Sites to Reopen Bill Passed - House (112 - 90)
3/11 HB 432 Reduces the Governor's Role Over the State Investment Commission Bill Passed - House (74 - 23)
2/05 H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Failed - Senate (47 - 53)
2/05 H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Failed - Senate (48 - 52)
1/31 S Amdt 1298 Requires the US Chief Justice to rule on motions to subpoena witnesses and documents and issues of privilege Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47)
1/31 S Res 488 A resolution to provide for related procedures concerning the articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, President of the United States Bill Passed - Senate (51 - 49)
1/22 S Res 483 A resolution to provide for related procedures concerning the articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, President of the United States Bill Passed - Senate (53 - 47)
12/18 H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Passed - House (229 - 198)
12/18 H Res 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors Bill Passed - House (230 - 197)
12/02 PN 1268 Nomination of Dan Brouillette as the Secretary of Energy Nomination Confirmed - Senate (70 - 15)
11/21 PN 1268 Nomination of Dan Brouillette as the Secretary of Energy Cloture Invoked - Senate (74 - 18)
11/13 PN 410 Nomination of Chad Wolf to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans for the Department of Homeland Security (54 - 41)
11/12 PN 410 Nomination of Chad Wolf to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans for the Department of Homeland Security Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 40)
11/05 SJR 59 Prohibits the Governor from Using Partial Veto to Increase State Expenditures Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14)
10/31 H Res 660 Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes Bill Passed - House (232 - 196)
10/22 PN 110 Nomination of Andrew Bremberg to be the Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations (50 - 44)
10/22 PN 110 Nomination of Andrew Bremberg to be the Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 43)
9/27 SJ Res 54 Rescinds a National Emergency Declared by the President on February 15, 2019 Bill Passed - House (236 - 174)
9/26 PN 1099 Nomination of Eugene Scalia as the Secretary of Labor (53 - 44)
9/26 SJ Res 54 Rescinds a National Emergency Declared by the President on February 15, 2019 Bill Passed - Senate (54 - 41)
9/25 PN 1099 Nomination of Eugene Scalia as the Secretary of Labor Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 42)
9/25 H Res 576 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the whistleblower complaint of August 12, 2019, made to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Bill Passed - House (421 - 0)
7/23 PN 934 Nomination of Mark Esper as the Secretary of Defense (90 - 8)

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