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 27, 1996 | National | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (69 - 31) |
| March 21, 1996 | National | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (59 - 40) |
| Dec. 22, 1995 | National | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 47) |
| Dec. 12, 1995 | National | S J Res 31 | Flag Desecration | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (63 - 36) |
| Nov. 15, 1995 | National | HR 2020 | Appropriations bill FY96, Treasury, Postal Service | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (63 - 35) |
| Sept. 19, 1995 | National | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (87 - 12) |
| July 11, 1995 | National | S Amdt 1497 | Small Business Impact Analysis | Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 45) |
| July 10, 1995 | National | S Amdt 1491 | Small Business Impact Analyses | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 36) |
| June 22, 1995 | National | PN 245 | Henry W. Foster Jr., Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 43) |
| June 21, 1995 | National | S Amdt 1446 | Drinking and Driving Minors Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 36) |
| May 10, 1995 | National | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 37) |
| March 23, 1995 | National | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 29) |
| March 2, 1995 | National | H J Res 1 | Balanced Budget Proposed Constitutional Amendment | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (65 - 35) |
| Jan. 5, 1995 | National | S Amdt 1 | Filibuster Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (76 - 19) |
| Sept. 21, 1994 | National | HR 4649 | District of Columbia FY95 Appropriations Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (71 - 27) |
| July 29, 1994 | National | PN 1399 | Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (87 - 9) |
| July 27, 1994 | National | S Amdt 2416 | Voluntary Prayer Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |
| July 21, 1994 | National | HR 4649 | District of Columbia FY95 Appropriations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 32) |
| July 1, 1994 | National | HR 4454 | Legislative Branch FY95 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (73 - 27) |
| June 29, 1994 | National | S Amdt 2117 | Military Operations in Haiti Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (34 - 65) |
| March 1, 1994 | National | S J Res 41 | Balanced Budget amendment | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (63 - 37) |
| Sept. 10, 1993 | National | S Amdt 816 | Postponement of Base Closures Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (18 - 79) |
| Sept. 9, 1993 | National | S Amdt 785 | Ballistic Missile Defense Funding Reducation Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (50 - 48) |
| Aug. 3, 1993 | National | PN 422 | Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| July 27, 1993 | National | HR 2492 | District of Columbia Fiscal Year 1994 Appropriations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (70 - 29) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/27 | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (69 - 31) |
| 3/21 | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (59 - 40) |
| 12/22 | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 47) |
| 12/12 | S J Res 31 | Flag Desecration | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (63 - 36) |
| 11/15 | HR 2020 | Appropriations bill FY96, Treasury, Postal Service | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (63 - 35) |
| 9/19 | HR 4 | Welfare Reform Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (87 - 12) |
| 7/11 | S Amdt 1497 | Small Business Impact Analysis | Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 45) |
| 7/10 | S Amdt 1491 | Small Business Impact Analyses | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 36) |
| 6/22 | PN 245 | Henry W. Foster Jr., Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 43) |
| 6/21 | S Amdt 1446 | Drinking and Driving Minors Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 36) |
| 5/10 | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 37) |
| 3/23 | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 29) |
| 3/02 | H J Res 1 | Balanced Budget Proposed Constitutional Amendment | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (65 - 35) |
| 1/05 | S Amdt 1 | Filibuster Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (76 - 19) |
| 9/21 | HR 4649 | District of Columbia FY95 Appropriations Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (71 - 27) |
| 7/29 | PN 1399 | Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (87 - 9) |
| 7/27 | S Amdt 2416 | Voluntary Prayer Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |
| 7/21 | HR 4649 | District of Columbia FY95 Appropriations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 32) |
| 7/01 | HR 4454 | Legislative Branch FY95 Appropriations bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (73 - 27) |
| 6/29 | S Amdt 2117 | Military Operations in Haiti Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (34 - 65) |
| 3/01 | S J Res 41 | Balanced Budget amendment | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (63 - 37) |
| 9/10 | S Amdt 816 | Postponement of Base Closures Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (18 - 79) |
| 9/09 | S Amdt 785 | Ballistic Missile Defense Funding Reducation Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (50 - 48) |
| 8/03 | PN 422 | Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| 7/27 | HR 2492 | District of Columbia Fiscal Year 1994 Appropriations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (70 - 29) |