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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 24, 2009 | National | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 23, 2009 | National | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 23, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 22, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 22, 2009 | National | S Amdt 3276 | Senate Health Care Bill Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 17, 2009 | OH | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| Dec. 17, 2009 | OH | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| Dec. 16, 2009 | OH | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| Dec. 16, 2009 | OH | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| Dec. 15, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2793 | Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs | Amendment Rejected - Senate (51 - 48) |
| Dec. 10, 2009 | CA | ABx5 8 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (48 - 25) |
| Dec. 10, 2009 | NJ | A 2762 | Authorizing Reduction of Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Drug Offenses in School Zones | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| Dec. 10, 2009 | NJ | S 2905 | Requiring Chain Restaurants to Post Nutrition Information | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| Dec. 8, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2962 | Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services | Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45) |
| Dec. 3, 2009 | National | HR 4154 | Estate Tax Law Amendments and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (225 - 200) |
| Dec. 3, 2009 | MI | SB 638 | "Consistent Ineffectiveness" as Grounds for Discharging or Demoting Tenured Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| Nov. 19, 2009 | National | HR 3961 | Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (243 - 183) |
| Nov. 18, 2009 | MA | S 2210 | Sentencing Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| Nov. 17, 2009 | MA | S 2205 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| Nov. 7, 2009 | National | H Amdt 510 | Substitute Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Rejected - House (176 - 258) |
| Nov. 7, 2009 | National | HR 3962 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (220 - 215) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 223 | University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Geographic Composition Requirements | Bill Passed - House (59 - 34) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - House (73 - 20) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | National | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/24 | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/23 | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/23 | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/22 | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/22 | S Amdt 3276 | Senate Health Care Bill Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/17 | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| 12/17 | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| 12/16 | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| 12/16 | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| 12/15 | S Amdt 2793 | Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs | Amendment Rejected - Senate (51 - 48) |
| 12/10 | ABx5 8 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (48 - 25) |
| 12/10 | A 2762 | Authorizing Reduction of Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Drug Offenses in School Zones | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| 12/10 | S 2905 | Requiring Chain Restaurants to Post Nutrition Information | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| 12/08 | S Amdt 2962 | Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services | Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45) |
| 12/03 | HR 4154 | Estate Tax Law Amendments and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (225 - 200) |
| 12/03 | SB 638 | "Consistent Ineffectiveness" as Grounds for Discharging or Demoting Tenured Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| 11/19 | HR 3961 | Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (243 - 183) |
| 11/18 | S 2210 | Sentencing Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| 11/17 | S 2205 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| 11/07 | H Amdt 510 | Substitute Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Rejected - House (176 - 258) |
| 11/07 | HR 3962 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (220 - 215) |
| 11/05 | SB 223 | University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Geographic Composition Requirements | Bill Passed - House (59 - 34) |
| 11/05 | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - House (73 - 20) |
| 11/05 | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| 11/05 | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12) |