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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2016 | National | H Amdt 1079 | Prohibits Use of Funds for Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity | Amendment Rejected - House (212 - 213) |
| Nov. 5, 2015 | National | HR 2685 | Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 44) |
| Oct. 27, 2015 | National | S 754 | Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) of 2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (74 - 21) |
| Oct. 7, 2015 | National | HR 1735 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (70 - 27) |
| Oct. 1, 2015 | National | HR 1735 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 | Conference Report Adopted - House (270 - 156) |
| June 16, 2015 | National | HR 2596 | Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 | Bill Passed - House (247 - 178) |
| June 11, 2015 | National | HR 2685 | Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016 | Bill Passed - House (278 - 149) |
| May 15, 2015 | National | H Amdt 226 | Limits Use of Funds to Implement New START Treaty | Amendment Adopted - House (235 - 182) |
| May 15, 2015 | National | HR 1735 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 | Bill Passed - House (269 - 151) |
| Sept. 18, 2014 | National | H J Res 124 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (78 - 22) |
| Sept. 17, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1141 | Authorizes Aid to Syrian Opposition | Amendment Adopted - House (273 - 156) |
| Sept. 17, 2014 | National | H J Res 124 | Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 | Joint Resolution Passed - House (319 - 108) |
| June 19, 2014 | National | H Amdt 912 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used Pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 | Amendment Rejected - House (182 - 231) |
| June 19, 2014 | National | H Amdt 907 | Repeals Prohibition on Guantanamo Bay Detainee Transfers and Facility Construction | Amendment Rejected - House (163 - 249) |
| June 19, 2014 | National | H Amdt 901 | Prohibits Transfer of Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Yemen | Amendment Adopted - House (238 - 179) |
| June 19, 2014 | National | H Amdt 908 | Prohibits United States Combat Operations in Iraq | Amendment Rejected - House (165 - 250) |
| June 19, 2014 | National | H Amdt 905 | Prohibits Transfer of Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Any Foreign Country | Amendment Adopted - House (230 - 184) |
| May 30, 2014 | National | H Amdt 738 | Authorizes Funds to be Used for Guantanamo Bay Operations | Amendment Rejected - House (169 - 230) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 675 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Guantanmo Bay Operations | Amendment Rejected - House (177 - 247) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 676 | Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions | Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 230) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 679 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used to Implement the New START Treaty | Amendment Adopted - House (233 - 191) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 671 | Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Certain Climate Change Reports | Amendment Adopted - House (231 - 192) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | H Amdt 680 | Repeals Military Force Authorization | Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 233) |
| May 22, 2014 | National | HR 4435 | Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 | Bill Passed - House (325 - 98) |
| May 21, 2014 | National | H Amdt 669 | Amends Intercontinental-Range Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) Laws | Amendment Adopted - House (222 - 196) |
| Nov. 21, 2013 | National | S 1197 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 44) |
| Sept. 18, 2013 | National | H Amdt 466 | Requires Mine Operators to Include the Cost of Cleanup in Financial Insurance | Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 235) |
| Sept. 18, 2013 | National | H Amdt 463 | Amends the Definition of "Strategic and Critical Minerals" | Amendment Rejected - House (187 - 241) |
| Sept. 18, 2013 | National | HR 761 | National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (246 - 178) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | H Amdt 413 | Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the PATRIOT Act | Amendment Rejected - House (205 - 217) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | HR 2397 | Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014 | Bill Passed - House (315 - 109) |
| July 23, 2013 | National | H Amdt 375 | Prohibits the Use of Funds to Appoint Chaplains Without an Endorsing Agency | Amendment Adopted - House (253 - 173) |
| June 14, 2013 | National | HR 1960 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Bill Passed - House (315 - 108) |
| June 14, 2013 | National | H Amdt 167 | Prohibits the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Guantanamo Detainees to Yemen | Amendment Adopted - House (236 - 188) |
| June 14, 2013 | National | H Amdt 168 | Establishes Framework for the Closing of the Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by December 1, 2014 | Amendment Rejected - House (174 - 249) |
| June 6, 2013 | National | HR 2217 | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2014 | Bill Passed - House (245 - 182) |
| June 4, 2013 | National | H Amdt 84 | Authorizes Funds for the Construction of United States Prison for Prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba | Amendment Rejected - House (170 - 254) |
| April 18, 2013 | National | HR 624 | Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (288 - 127) |
| March 21, 2013 | National | HR 933 | Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (318 - 109) |
| March 20, 2013 | National | HR 933 | Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 26) |
| March 7, 2013 | National | PN 48 | Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 34) |
| March 6, 2013 | National | HR 933 | Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 | Bill Passed - House (267 - 151) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | National | PN 34 | Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 41) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | National | PN 34 | Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense | Cloture Invoked - Senate (71 - 27) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | National | PN 34 | Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 40) |
| Dec. 28, 2012 | National | HR 5949 | FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 23) |
| Dec. 21, 2012 | National | HR 4310 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (81 - 14) |
| Dec. 20, 2012 | National | HR 4310 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 | Conference Report Adopted - House (315 - 107) |
| Nov. 30, 2012 | National | S Amdt 3025 | Requires Sufficient Sizing of Civilian and Contract Services Workforces | Amendment Rejected - Senate (41 - 53) |
| Nov. 29, 2012 | National | S Amdt 3096 | Accelerated Transition of US Military Operations to the Government of Afghanistan | Amendment Adopted - Senate (62 - 33) |