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. 1, 2007 | National | HR 1585 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) |
| Oct. 1, 2007 | MI | H Sub for Sub SB 547 | Public School Employee Retirement Plan | Bill Passed - House (56 - 53) |
| Oct. 1, 2007 | MI | H Sub for S Sub SB 546 | Public School Employee Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - House (65 - 44) |
| Oct. 1, 2007 | MI | H Sub for S Sub SB 546 | Public School Employee Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - House (65 - 44) |
| Sept. 30, 2007 | MI | S Sub for Sub HB 5194 | Income Tax Increase | Conference Report Adopted - House (57 - 52) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | MA | Koutoujian Amendment | Expanding Pension Fund Divestment to Any State with a History of Genocide | Amendment Rejected - House (53 - 101) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | MA | Jones Amendment | Expanding Pension Fund Divestments to Any State Sponsor of Terrorism | Amendment Rejected - House (32 - 124) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | MI | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | MI | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | MA | S 2255 | State Pension Fund Divestment from Sudan | Bill Passed - House (154 - 2) |
| Sept. 26, 2007 | MI | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Bill Passed - House (57 - 52) |
| Sept. 26, 2007 | MI | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Bill Passed - House (57 - 52) |
| Sept. 25, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| Sept. 25, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| Sept. 25, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| Sept. 20, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2947 | Expressing Support for All Men and Women in the U.S. Armed Forces | Amendment Rejected - Senate (50 - 47) |
| Sept. 20, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2934 | Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces | Amendment Adopted - Senate (72 - 25) |
| Sept. 19, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2909 | Time Between Troop Deployments | Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 44) |
| Sept. 18, 2007 | National | S 1257 | District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 42) |
| Aug. 30, 2007 | CA | SB 924 | Iraq Withdrawal Ballot Question | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Aug. 30, 2007 | MI | Sub SB 689 | State Employees' Retirement Act | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| Aug. 30, 2007 | MI | Sub SB 689 | State Employees' Retirement Act | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/01 | HR 1585 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) |
| 10/01 | H Sub for Sub SB 547 | Public School Employee Retirement Plan | Bill Passed - House (56 - 53) |
| 10/01 | H Sub for S Sub SB 546 | Public School Employee Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - House (65 - 44) |
| 10/01 | H Sub for S Sub SB 546 | Public School Employee Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - House (65 - 44) |
| 9/30 | S Sub for Sub HB 5194 | Income Tax Increase | Conference Report Adopted - House (57 - 52) |
| 9/27 | Koutoujian Amendment | Expanding Pension Fund Divestment to Any State with a History of Genocide | Amendment Rejected - House (53 - 101) |
| 9/27 | Jones Amendment | Expanding Pension Fund Divestments to Any State Sponsor of Terrorism | Amendment Rejected - House (32 - 124) |
| 9/27 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| 9/27 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| 9/27 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| 9/27 | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| 9/27 | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| 9/27 | S 2255 | State Pension Fund Divestment from Sudan | Bill Passed - House (154 - 2) |
| 9/26 | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Bill Passed - House (57 - 52) |
| 9/26 | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Bill Passed - House (57 - 52) |
| 9/25 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| 9/25 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| 9/25 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| 9/20 | S Amdt 2947 | Expressing Support for All Men and Women in the U.S. Armed Forces | Amendment Rejected - Senate (50 - 47) |
| 9/20 | S Amdt 2934 | Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces | Amendment Adopted - Senate (72 - 25) |
| 9/19 | S Amdt 2909 | Time Between Troop Deployments | Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 44) |
| 9/18 | S 1257 | District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 42) |
| 8/30 | SB 924 | Iraq Withdrawal Ballot Question | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 8/30 | Sub SB 689 | State Employees' Retirement Act | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| 8/30 | Sub SB 689 | State Employees' Retirement Act | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |