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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 13, 1998 | National | S 1260 | Securities Litigation | Conference Report Adopted - House (319 - 82) |
| Oct. 8, 1998 | National | HR 4194 | FY 1999 VA-HUD Appropriations | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (96 - 1) |
| Oct. 6, 1998 | National | HR 4194 | FY 1999 VA-HUD Appropriations | Conference Report Adopted - House (409 - 14) |
| Oct. 6, 1998 | National | HR 4101 | Agriculture FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (55 - 43) |
| Oct. 5, 1998 | National | HR 4655 | Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998 | Bill Passed - House (360 - 38) |
| Oct. 2, 1998 | National | HR 4101 | Agriculture FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (333 - 53) |
| Oct. 1, 1998 | National | HR 3616 | Defense Department FY99 Authorization bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (96 - 2) |
| Sept. 29, 1998 | National | HR 4103 | Defense Department FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (94 - 2) |
| Sept. 28, 1998 | National | HR 4060 | Energy FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (389 - 25) |
| Sept. 28, 1998 | National | HR 4103 | Defense Department FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (369 - 43) |
| Sept. 24, 1998 | National | HR 3616 | Defense Department FY99 Authorization bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (373 - 50) |
| Sept. 17, 1998 | National | H Amdt 907 | US Army School of the Americas Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (201 - 212) |
| Sept. 17, 1998 | National | HR 4569 | Appropriations Bill FY99, Foreign Operations | Bill Passed - House (255 - 161) |
| Sept. 9, 1998 | National | S 1873 | American Missile Protection bill | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (59 - 41) |
| Sept. 1, 1998 | National | S Amdt 3506 | Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 44) |
| Sept. 1, 1998 | National | S Amdt 3506 | Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 44) |
| July 29, 1998 | National | HR 4194 | Appropriations bill FY99, Veterans Affairs, HUD | Bill Passed - House (259 - 164) |
| 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 23, 1998 | National | S Amdt 3258 | Temporary Farm Workers Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 31) |
| July 23, 1998 | National | S Amdt 3266 | Internet Gambling Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (90 - 10) |
| July 21, 1998 | National | H Amdt 753 | National Endowment for the Arts Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (253 - 173) |
| July 15, 1998 | National | HR 3682 | Child Custody Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (276 - 150) |
| June 25, 1998 | National | S Amdt 2981 | Military Closure Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (48 - 45) |
| June 25, 1998 | National | S Amdt 3011 | Separate Housing Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (39 - 53) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/13 | S 1260 | Securities Litigation | Conference Report Adopted - House (319 - 82) |
| 10/08 | HR 4194 | FY 1999 VA-HUD Appropriations | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (96 - 1) |
| 10/06 | HR 4194 | FY 1999 VA-HUD Appropriations | Conference Report Adopted - House (409 - 14) |
| 10/06 | HR 4101 | Agriculture FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (55 - 43) |
| 10/05 | HR 4655 | Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998 | Bill Passed - House (360 - 38) |
| 10/02 | HR 4101 | Agriculture FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (333 - 53) |
| 10/01 | HR 3616 | Defense Department FY99 Authorization bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (96 - 2) |
| 9/29 | HR 4103 | Defense Department FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (94 - 2) |
| 9/28 | HR 4060 | Energy FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (389 - 25) |
| 9/28 | HR 4103 | Defense Department FY99 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (369 - 43) |
| 9/24 | HR 3616 | Defense Department FY99 Authorization bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (373 - 50) |
| 9/17 | H Amdt 907 | US Army School of the Americas Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (201 - 212) |
| 9/17 | HR 4569 | Appropriations Bill FY99, Foreign Operations | Bill Passed - House (255 - 161) |
| 9/09 | S 1873 | American Missile Protection bill | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (59 - 41) |
| 9/01 | S Amdt 3506 | Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 44) |
| 9/01 | S Amdt 3506 | Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 44) |
| 7/29 | HR 4194 | Appropriations bill FY99, Veterans Affairs, HUD | Bill Passed - House (259 - 164) |
| 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) |
| 7/23 | S Amdt 3258 | Temporary Farm Workers Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 31) |
| 7/23 | S Amdt 3266 | Internet Gambling Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (90 - 10) |
| 7/21 | H Amdt 753 | National Endowment for the Arts Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (253 - 173) |
| 7/15 | HR 3682 | Child Custody Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (276 - 150) |
| 6/25 | S Amdt 2981 | Military Closure Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (48 - 45) |
| 6/25 | S Amdt 3011 | Separate Housing Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (39 - 53) |