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. 28, 2010 | National | S 3816 | Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45) |
| Sept. 23, 2010 | National | HR 5297 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (237 - 187) |
| Sept. 16, 2010 | National | HR 5297 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 38) |
| July 30, 2010 | National | HR 5982 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Failed - House (241 - 154) |
| July 29, 2010 | National | S Amdt 4519 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 42) |
| July 22, 2010 | National | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (272 - 152) |
| July 21, 2010 | National | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (59 - 39) |
| July 20, 2010 | National | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 40) |
| June 17, 2010 | National | HR 5297 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (241 - 182) |
| May 28, 2010 | National | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension and Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (215 - 204) |
| March 25, 2010 | National | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (220 - 207) |
| March 25, 2010 | National | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 43) |
| March 21, 2010 | National | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (219 - 212) |
| March 21, 2010 | National | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - House (220 - 211) |
| March 17, 2010 | National | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (68 - 29) |
| March 4, 2010 | National | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (217 - 201) |
| Feb. 22, 2010 | National | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") | Cloture Invoked - Senate (62 - 30) |
| 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. 16, 2009 | National | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (217 - 212) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | National | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12) |
| Oct. 27, 2009 | National | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits | Cloture Invoked - Senate (87 - 13) |
| Sept. 22, 2009 | National | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - House (331 - 83) |
| March 19, 2009 | National | HR 1586 | TARP Recipient Bonuses Tax | Bill Passed - House (328 - 93) |
| Feb. 13, 2009 | National | HR 1 | Appropriations, Tax Law Amendments, and Unemployment Benefit Amendments ("Stimulus Bill") | Conference Report Adopted - House (246 - 183) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/28 | S 3816 | Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45) |
| 9/23 | HR 5297 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (237 - 187) |
| 9/16 | HR 5297 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 38) |
| 7/30 | HR 5982 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Failed - House (241 - 154) |
| 7/29 | S Amdt 4519 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 42) |
| 7/22 | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (272 - 152) |
| 7/21 | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (59 - 39) |
| 7/20 | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 40) |
| 6/17 | HR 5297 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (241 - 182) |
| 5/28 | HR 4213 | Unemployment Benefits Extension and Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (215 - 204) |
| 3/25 | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (220 - 207) |
| 3/25 | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 43) |
| 3/21 | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (219 - 212) |
| 3/21 | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - House (220 - 211) |
| 3/17 | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (68 - 29) |
| 3/04 | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (217 - 201) |
| 2/22 | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") | Cloture Invoked - Senate (62 - 30) |
| 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) |
| 12/16 | HR 2847 | Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (217 - 212) |
| 11/05 | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12) |
| 10/27 | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits | Cloture Invoked - Senate (87 - 13) |
| 9/22 | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - House (331 - 83) |
| 3/19 | HR 1586 | TARP Recipient Bonuses Tax | Bill Passed - House (328 - 93) |
| 2/13 | HR 1 | Appropriations, Tax Law Amendments, and Unemployment Benefit Amendments ("Stimulus Bill") | Conference Report Adopted - House (246 - 183) |