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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 26, 2015 | National | S Amdt 798 | Deficit-Neutral Reserve Fund for Legislation to Allow Americans to Earn Paid Sick Time | Amendment Adopted - Senate (61 - 39) |
| Feb. 13, 2015 | National | HR 636 | America's Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - House (272 - 142) |
| Feb. 5, 2015 | National | HR 527 | Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - House (260 - 163) |
| Jan. 14, 2015 | National | HR 37 | Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act | Bill Passed - House (271 - 154) |
| Jan. 14, 2015 | National | HR 37 | Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act | Bill Passed - House (271 - 154) |
| Sept. 18, 2014 | National | H J Res 124 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (78 - 22) |
| Sept. 17, 2014 | National | H J Res 124 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 | Joint Resolution Passed - House (319 - 108) |
| July 30, 2014 | National | S 2569 | Bring Jobs Home Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 42) |
| July 16, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1086 | Prohibits States from Penalizing a Bank for Providing Financial Services to Marijuana Businesses | Amendment Adopted - House (231 - 192) |
| July 16, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1098 | Prohibits District of Columbia from Implementing Certain Firearm Laws | Amendment Adopted - House (241 - 181) |
| July 16, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1093 | Prohibits Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from Preventing States from Implementing Broadband Internet Access Service Laws | Amendment Adopted - House (223 - 200) |
| July 16, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1083 | Prohibits Federal Agencies from Paying Federal Employees Certain Pay Rates | Amendment Rejected - House (193 - 230) |
| July 16, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1079 | Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from Providing Bonuses to Employees | Amendment Adopted - House (282 - 138) |
| July 16, 2014 | National | HR 5016 | Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015 | Bill Passed - House (228 - 195) |
| July 10, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1012 | Prohibits Federal Agencies from Contracting with Businesses Chartered in Bermuda or in the Cayman Islands | Amendment Adopted - House (221 - 200) |
| June 11, 2014 | National | S 2432 | Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 38) |
| Dec. 5, 2013 | National | H Amdt 524 | Limits Covered Customers to Businesses With Less Than $25 Million in Revenue | Amendment Rejected - House (144 - 266) |
| Dec. 5, 2013 | National | H Amdt 521 | Authorizes Judicial Discretion in Awarding Legal Fees in Patent Lawsuits | Amendment Rejected - House (199 - 213) |
| Dec. 5, 2013 | National | HR 3309 | Innovation Act | Bill Passed - House (325 - 91) |
| Dec. 4, 2013 | National | HR 1105 | Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act | Bill Passed - House (254 - 159) |
| Nov. 7, 2013 | National | S 815 | Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32) |
| Nov. 7, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2013 | Exempts Religiously Affiliated Employers from the Prohibition on Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) |
| Nov. 4, 2013 | National | S 815 | Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 | Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 30) |
| Oct. 30, 2013 | National | HR 992 | Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act | Bill Passed - House (292 - 122) |
| Oct. 30, 2013 | National | HR 992 | Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act | Bill Passed - House (292 - 122) |
| Oct. 29, 2013 | National | HR 2374 | Retail Investor Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (254 - 166) |
| Oct. 29, 2013 | National | HR 2374 | Retail Investor Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (254 - 166) |
| July 25, 2013 | National | HR 2218 | Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (265 - 155) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | HR 1911 | Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | S Amdt 1778 | Limits Interest Rates for Certain Federal Student Loans | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| May 23, 2013 | National | HR 1911 | Smarter Solutions for Students Act | Bill Passed - House (221 - 198) |
| May 22, 2013 | National | H Amdt 67 | Requires a Finding be Added Concerning Oil Sand Crudes | Amendment Rejected - House (146 - 269) |
| May 22, 2013 | National | H Amdt 71 | Repeals Requirement that Secretary of the Army Approve All Keystone XL Pipeline Permit Applications | Amendment Rejected - House (182 - 234) |
| May 22, 2013 | National | H Amdt 75 | Requires All Oil and Refined Fuels Transported Through the Keystone XL Pipeline to be Used Only in The United States | Amendment Rejected - House (162 - 255) |
| May 17, 2013 | National | HR 1062 | SEC Regulatory Accountability Act | Bill Passed - House (235 - 161) |
| May 8, 2013 | National | HR 1406 | Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (223 - 204) |
| 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 Amdt 139 | Prohibits the United States From Entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty | Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 46) |
| Nov. 16, 2012 | National | HR 6156 | Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (365 - 43) |
| July 26, 2012 | National | HR 4078 | Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act | Bill Passed - House (245 - 172) |
| July 25, 2012 | National | HR 459 | Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (327 - 98) |
| 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) |
| May 24, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2107 | Authorizes Import of FDA-Approved Drugs from Canada | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 54) |
| May 15, 2012 | National | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 20) |
| May 15, 2012 | National | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 20) |
| May 9, 2012 | National | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (330 - 93) |
| May 9, 2012 | National | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (330 - 93) |
| April 26, 2012 | National | HR 3523 | Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (248 - 168) |