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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 16, 2026 | National | S J Res 190 | A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Executive Office for Immigration Review relating to "Appellate Procedures for the Board of Immigration Appeals" | Motion Rejected - Senate (46 - 48) |
| June 10, 2026 | National | HR 7892 | No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026 | Bill Passed - House (249 - 172) |
| June 9, 2026 | National | S 2 | Secure America Act | Bill Passed - House (214 - 212) |
| June 5, 2026 | National | S 2 | Secure America Act | Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 47) |
| June 3, 2026 | National | S 2 | Secure America Act | Motion Agreed - Senate (53 - 46) |
| May 14, 2026 | National | HR 6260 | Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act of 2025 | Bill Passed - House (243 - 179) |
| April 29, 2026 | National | S J Res 99 | A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services relating to "Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents" | Motion Agreed - Senate (47 - 50) |
| April 16, 2026 | National | HR 1689 | To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status. | Bill Passed - House (224 - 204) |
| March 26, 2026 | National | HR 8029 | Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act | Bill Passed - House (218 - 206) |
| March 25, 2026 | National | HR 5103 | Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2026 | Bill Passed - House (218 - 206) |
| March 19, 2026 | National | HR 4638 | Federal Working Animal Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (228 - 190) |
| March 18, 2026 | National | HR 1958 | Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026 | Bill Passed - House (231 - 186) |
| March 5, 2026 | National | HR 7744 | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 | Bill Passed - House (221 - 209) |
| Dec. 16, 2025 | National | HR 4371 | To amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance efforts to combat the trafficking of children | Bill Passed - House (225 - 201) |
| Sept. 11, 2025 | National | HR 3486 | Stop Illegal Entry Act of 2025 | Bill Passed - House (226 - 197) |
| July 15, 2025 | National | PN 26-15 | Nomination of Joseph Edlow to be Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47) |
| July 15, 2025 | National | PN 26-15 | Nomination of Joseph Edlow to be Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security | Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 46) |
| June 26, 2025 | National | HR 275 | Special Interest Alien Reporting Act | Bill Passed - House (231 - 182) |
| June 26, 2025 | National | HR 875 | Jeremy and Angel Seay and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act | Bill Passed - House (246 - 160) |
| June 18, 2025 | National | PN 12-40 | Nomination of Rodney Scott to be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 46) |
| June 18, 2025 | National | PN 12-40 | Nomination of Rodney Scott to be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security | Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 46) |
| June 12, 2025 | National | HR 2056 | District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act | Bill Passed - House (224 - 194) |
| June 5, 2025 | National | HR 2931 | Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act | Bill Passed - House (211 - 199) |
| May 7, 2025 | National | HR 1503 | Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025 | Bill Passed - House (406 - 1) |
| March 10, 2025 | National | HR 993 | Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act | Bill Passed - House (406 - 9) |
| March 10, 2025 | National | HR 495 | Subterranean Border Defense Act | Bill Passed - House (402 - 1) |
| Feb. 13, 2025 | National | HR 35 | Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act | Bill Passed - House (264 - 155) |
| Jan. 22, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Bill Passed - House (263 - 156) |
| Jan. 20, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35) |
| Jan. 17, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 35) |
| Jan. 16, 2025 | National | HR 30 | Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act | Bill Passed - House (274 - 145) |
| Jan. 13, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Motion Agreed - Senate (82 - 10) |
| Jan. 8, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (84 - 9) |
| Jan. 7, 2025 | National | HR 29 | Laken Riley Act | Bill Passed - House (264 - 159) |
| Sept. 20, 2024 | National | HR 5717 | No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act | Bill Passed - House (219 - 186) |
| Sept. 18, 2024 | National | HR 7909 | Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act | Bill Passed - House (266 - 158) |
| July 25, 2024 | National | H Res 1371 | Strongly condemning the Biden Administration and its Border Czar, Kamala Harris's, failure to secure the United States border. | Resolution Passed - House (220 - 196) |
| June 25, 2024 | National | HR 2789 | American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act | Bill Passed - House (368 - 19) |
| May 23, 2024 | National | S 4361 | Border Act of 2024 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (43 - 50) |
| May 23, 2024 | National | HR 192 | To prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia | Bill Passed - House (262 - 143) |
| May 16, 2024 | National | HR 8146 | Police Our Border Act | Bill Passed - House (254 - 157) |
| May 15, 2024 | National | H Res 1210 | Condemning the Biden border crisis and the tremendous burdens law enforcement officers face as a result. | Resolution Passed - House (223 - 185) |
| May 15, 2024 | National | HR 7343 | Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act | Bill Passed - House (265 - 148) |
| May 8, 2024 | National | HR 7109 | Equal Representation Act | Bill Passed - House (206 - 202) |
| May 1, 2024 | National | H Res 1112 | Denouncing the Biden administration's immigration policies. | Resolution Passed - House (223 - 191) |
| April 20, 2024 | National | HR 3602 | End the Border Catastrophe Act | Bill Failed - House (215 - 199) |
| March 12, 2024 | National | H Res 1065 | Denouncing the Biden administration's immigration policies. | Resolution Passed - House (226 - 193) |
| Feb. 1, 2024 | National | HR 6976 | Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act | Bill Passed - House (274 - 150) |
| Jan. 31, 2024 | National | HR 6679 | No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act | Bill Passed - House (422 - 2) |
| Jan. 31, 2024 | National | HR 6678 | Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act | Bill Passed - House (272 - 155) |