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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 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 17, 2013 | National | HR 1062 | SEC Regulatory Accountability Act | Bill Passed - House (235 - 161) |
| July 25, 2012 | National | HR 459 | Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (327 - 98) |
| 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) |
| March 20, 2012 | National | S Amdt 1836 | Reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank of the United States | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 44) |
| Feb. 9, 2012 | National | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - House (417 - 2) |
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| Nov. 10, 2011 | National | S Amdt 928 | American Jobs and Economic Growth | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 56) |
| Nov. 3, 2011 | National | H Amdt 849 | Requires Public Disclosure of Bonuses and Golden Parachute Arrangements | Amendment Rejected - House (190 - 234) |
| July 21, 2011 | National | HR 1315 | Oversight of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Bill Passed - House (241 - 173) |
| June 8, 2011 | National | S Amdt 392 | Debit Card Transactions | Amendment Rejected - Senate (54 - 45) |
| March 11, 2011 | National | HR 836 | Terminating the Emergency Mortgage Relief Program | Bill Passed - House (242 - 177) |
| March 10, 2011 | National | HR 830 | Terminating the Federal Housing Administration Refinance Program | Bill Passed - House (256 - 171) |
| Feb. 2, 2011 | National | S Amdt 28 | Repealing the IRS 1099 Provision from the Health Care Law | Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
| 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) |
| Sept. 16, 2010 | National | HR 4785 | Authorizing Loans for Energy Efficiency Purposes | Bill Passed - House (240 - 172) |
| July 29, 2010 | National | S Amdt 4519 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 42) |
| July 15, 2010 | National | HR 4173 | Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| June 30, 2010 | National | HR 4173 | Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act | Conference Report Adopted - House (237 - 192) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/30 | HR 992 | Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act | Bill Passed - House (292 - 122) |
| 10/29 | HR 2374 | Retail Investor Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (254 - 166) |
| 7/24 | HR 1911 | Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18) |
| 7/24 | S Amdt 1778 | Limits Interest Rates for Certain Federal Student Loans | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| 5/23 | HR 1911 | Smarter Solutions for Students Act | Bill Passed - House (221 - 198) |
| 5/17 | HR 1062 | SEC Regulatory Accountability Act | Bill Passed - House (235 - 161) |
| 7/25 | HR 459 | Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (327 - 98) |
| 5/15 | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 20) |
| 5/09 | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (330 - 93) |
| 3/20 | S Amdt 1836 | Reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank of the United States | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 44) |
| 2/09 | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - House (417 - 2) |
| 2/02 | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| 11/10 | S Amdt 928 | American Jobs and Economic Growth | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 56) |
| 11/03 | H Amdt 849 | Requires Public Disclosure of Bonuses and Golden Parachute Arrangements | Amendment Rejected - House (190 - 234) |
| 7/21 | HR 1315 | Oversight of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Bill Passed - House (241 - 173) |
| 6/08 | S Amdt 392 | Debit Card Transactions | Amendment Rejected - Senate (54 - 45) |
| 3/11 | HR 836 | Terminating the Emergency Mortgage Relief Program | Bill Passed - House (242 - 177) |
| 3/10 | HR 830 | Terminating the Federal Housing Administration Refinance Program | Bill Passed - House (256 - 171) |
| 2/02 | S Amdt 28 | Repealing the IRS 1099 Provision from the Health Care Law | Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
| 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) |
| 9/16 | HR 4785 | Authorizing Loans for Energy Efficiency Purposes | Bill Passed - House (240 - 172) |
| 7/29 | S Amdt 4519 | Small Business Lending Fund and Tax Law Amendments | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 42) |
| 7/15 | HR 4173 | Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 6/30 | HR 4173 | Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act | Conference Report Adopted - House (237 - 192) |