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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 24, 2015 | National | S Amdt 2669 | Rescinds Funds from Planned Parenthood | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (47 - 52) |
| July 30, 2015 | National | HR 22 | Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act | Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 34) |
| May 5, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 48) |
| March 27, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 46) |
| Sept. 18, 2014 | National | H J Res 124 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (78 - 22) |
| July 31, 2014 | National | HR 5021 | Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 | (81 - 13) |
| July 30, 2014 | National | S 2569 | Bring Jobs Home Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 42) |
| July 29, 2014 | National | HR 5021 | Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 | Bill Passed - Senate (79 - 18) |
| July 29, 2014 | National | S Amdt 3583 | Appropriates Funds to the Highway Trust Fund | Amendment Adopted - Senate (66 - 31) |
| July 29, 2014 | National | S Amdt 3583 | Appropriates Funds to the Highway Trust Fund | Amendment Adopted - Senate (66 - 31) |
| July 29, 2014 | National | S Amdt 3584 | Transportation Empowerment Act | Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 69) |
| July 29, 2014 | National | S Amdt 3584 | Transportation Empowerment Act | Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 69) |
| July 29, 2014 | National | S Amdt 3585 | Exempts Infrastructure Damaged by Natural Disasters from Environmental Reviews | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 50) |
| June 11, 2014 | National | S 2432 | Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 38) |
| Feb. 12, 2014 | National | S 540 | Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (55 - 43) |
| Feb. 12, 2014 | National | S 540 | Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (67 - 31) |
| Jan. 16, 2014 | National | HR 3547 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (72 - 26) |
| Dec. 18, 2013 | National | H J Res 59 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (64 - 36) |
| Dec. 18, 2013 | National | H J Res 59 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (64 - 36) |
| Oct. 29, 2013 | National | S J Res 26 | A Joint Resolution Relating to the Disapproval of the President's Exercise of Authority to Suspend the Debt Limit, as Submitted Under Section 1002(b) of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 on October 17, 2013 | Motion Rejected - Senate (45 - 54) |
| Oct. 16, 2013 | National | HR 2775 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18) |
| Oct. 12, 2013 | National | S 1569 | Default Prevention Act of 2013 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45) |
| Sept. 30, 2013 | National | H J Res 59 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46) |
| Sept. 30, 2013 | National | H J Res 59 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46) |
| Sept. 30, 2013 | National | H J Res 59 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46) |
| Sept. 27, 2013 | National | H J Res 59 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Bill Passed - Senate (54 - 44) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | S Amdt 1778 | Limits Interest Rates for Certain Federal Student Loans | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| June 10, 2013 | National | S 954 | Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 27) |
| May 23, 2013 | National | S Amdt 923 | Prohibits the Payment of the Premium for an Insurance Policy For Tobacco | Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 52) |
| May 6, 2013 | National | S 743 | Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 27) |
| April 25, 2013 | National | S 743 | Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 | Cloture Invoked - Senate (63 - 30) |
| March 23, 2013 | National | S Con Res 8 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2014, Revising the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Year 2013, and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2015 Through 2023 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 49) |
| March 23, 2013 | National | S Con Res 8 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2014, Revising the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Year 2013, and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2015 Through 2023 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 49) |
| March 20, 2013 | National | HR 933 | Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 26) |
| March 13, 2013 | National | S Amdt 30 | To Prohibit the Use of Funds to Carry Out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 52) |
| Jan. 31, 2013 | National | HR 325 | No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 34) |
| Jan. 28, 2013 | National | HR 152 | Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (62 - 36) |
| Jan. 1, 2013 | National | HR 8 | Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 8) |
| Sept. 22, 2012 | National | H J Res 117 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (62 - 30) |
| July 25, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2573 | Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2012 | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 54) |
| July 25, 2012 | National | S 3412 | Middle Class Tax Cut Act | Bill Passed - Senate (51 - 48) |
| July 19, 2012 | National | S 3364 | Bring Jobs Home Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42) |
| July 12, 2012 | National | S 2237 | Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 44) |
| April 16, 2012 | National | S 2230 | Establishes a Minimum 30 Percent Tax Rate for High-Income Taxpayers | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 45) |
| March 29, 2012 | National | S 2204 | Amends Energy-Related Tax Credits | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 47) |
| Feb. 17, 2012 | National | HR 3630 | Extends Payroll Tax Cut | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (60 - 36) |
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S Amdt 1472 | Prohibits Consideration of Bills Containing Earmarks | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 59) |
| Jan. 26, 2012 | National | H J Res 98 | Disapproval of President's Authority to Raise the Debt Limit | Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
| Dec. 17, 2011 | National | S Amdt 1465 | Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Extension | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 10) |
| Dec. 14, 2011 | National | S J Res 10 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Hatch Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |