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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 11, 1996 | National | H Amdt 1264 | Education and Training Programs Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (198 - 227) |
| June 26, 1996 | National | HR 3666 | Veterans Affairs, HUD FY97 Appropriations bill | Bill Passed - House (269 - 147) |
| June 20, 1996 | National | H Amdt 1190 | Tribal Land Trust Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (212 - 206) |
| June 13, 1996 | National | H Amdt 1167 | Spaced-based Weapons Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (190 - 208) |
| June 13, 1996 | National | H Amdt 1164 | Department of Defense Appropriations Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (194 - 219) |
| May 15, 1996 | National | H Amdt 1057 | Cooperative Threat Reduction Program Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (202 - 220) |
| May 15, 1996 | National | H Amdt 1058 | Former Soviet Union Defense Conversion Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (249 - 171) |
| May 15, 1996 | National | HR 3230 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 | Bill Passed - House (272 - 153) |
| May 1, 1996 | National | S 641 | Ryan White CARE reauthorization Act of 1995 | Conference Report Adopted - House (402 - 4) |
| April 18, 1996 | National | S Amdt 3677 | Deletion of Medical Savings Accounts Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (52 - 46) |
| April 17, 1996 | National | HR 842 | Truth in Budgeting Act | Bill Passed - House (284 - 143) |
| March 29, 1996 | National | HR 2854 | Agricultural Market Transition Act | Conference Report Adopted - House (318 - 89) |
| March 28, 1996 | National | HR 2854 | Agricultural Market Transition Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (74 - 26) |
| March 21, 1996 | National | S 1459 | Public Rangelands Management Act of 1996 | Bill Passed - Senate (50 - 47) |
| March 21, 1996 | National | S 1459 | Public Rangelands Management Act of 1996 | Bill Passed - Senate (50 - 47) |
| Feb. 29, 1996 | National | H Amdt 936 | Agricultural Conservation Programs Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (372 - 37) |
| Feb. 29, 1996 | National | HR 2854 | Agricultural Market Transition Act | Bill Passed - House (270 - 155) |
| Feb. 28, 1996 | National | H Amdt 935 | Dairy Program Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (258 - 164) |
| Feb. 28, 1996 | National | H Amdt 934 | Sugar Program Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (208 - 217) |
| Feb. 28, 1996 | National | H Amdt 933 | Peanut Program Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (209 - 212) |
| Feb. 7, 1996 | National | S 1541 | Farm Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32) |
| Feb. 1, 1996 | National | S 652 | Telecommunications Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (91 - 5) |
| Feb. 1, 1996 | National | S 652 | Telecommunications Bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (414 - 16) |
| Jan. 26, 1996 | National | S 1124 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (56 - 34) |
| Jan. 26, 1996 | National | Treaty Doc. 103-1 | The START II Treaty | Treaty Ratification Passed - Senate (87 - 4) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/11 | H Amdt 1264 | Education and Training Programs Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (198 - 227) |
| 6/26 | HR 3666 | Veterans Affairs, HUD FY97 Appropriations bill | Bill Passed - House (269 - 147) |
| 6/20 | H Amdt 1190 | Tribal Land Trust Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (212 - 206) |
| 6/13 | H Amdt 1167 | Spaced-based Weapons Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (190 - 208) |
| 6/13 | H Amdt 1164 | Department of Defense Appropriations Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (194 - 219) |
| 5/15 | H Amdt 1057 | Cooperative Threat Reduction Program Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (202 - 220) |
| 5/15 | H Amdt 1058 | Former Soviet Union Defense Conversion Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (249 - 171) |
| 5/15 | HR 3230 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 | Bill Passed - House (272 - 153) |
| 5/01 | S 641 | Ryan White CARE reauthorization Act of 1995 | Conference Report Adopted - House (402 - 4) |
| 4/18 | S Amdt 3677 | Deletion of Medical Savings Accounts Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (52 - 46) |
| 4/17 | HR 842 | Truth in Budgeting Act | Bill Passed - House (284 - 143) |
| 3/29 | HR 2854 | Agricultural Market Transition Act | Conference Report Adopted - House (318 - 89) |
| 3/28 | HR 2854 | Agricultural Market Transition Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (74 - 26) |
| 3/21 | S 1459 | Public Rangelands Management Act of 1996 | Bill Passed - Senate (50 - 47) |
| 3/21 | S 1459 | Public Rangelands Management Act of 1996 | Bill Passed - Senate (50 - 47) |
| 2/29 | H Amdt 936 | Agricultural Conservation Programs Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (372 - 37) |
| 2/29 | HR 2854 | Agricultural Market Transition Act | Bill Passed - House (270 - 155) |
| 2/28 | H Amdt 935 | Dairy Program Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (258 - 164) |
| 2/28 | H Amdt 934 | Sugar Program Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (208 - 217) |
| 2/28 | H Amdt 933 | Peanut Program Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (209 - 212) |
| 2/07 | S 1541 | Farm Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32) |
| 2/01 | S 652 | Telecommunications Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (91 - 5) |
| 2/01 | S 652 | Telecommunications Bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (414 - 16) |
| 1/26 | S 1124 | Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (56 - 34) |
| 1/26 | Treaty Doc. 103-1 | The START II Treaty | Treaty Ratification Passed - Senate (87 - 4) |