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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 25, 2025 | National | PN 11-1 | Nomination of Scott Bessent to be Secretary of the Treasury | Cloture Invoked - Senate (67 - 23) |
| Jan. 24, 2025 | National | PN 11-7 | Nomination of Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 50) |
| Jan. 23, 2025 | National | PN 11-7 | Nomination of Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense | Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 49) |
| Jan. 21, 2025 | National | PN 11-7 | Nomination of Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense | Motion Agreed - Senate (53 - 47) |
| Jan. 15, 2025 | National | HR 164 | Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience (POWER) Act of 2025 | Bill Passed - House (419 - 2) |
| Jan. 13, 2025 | National | HR 192 | Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act | Bill Passed - House (407 - 0) |
| Dec. 18, 2024 | National | S 4367 | Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (97 - 1) |
| Dec. 18, 2024 | National | S 759 | Beagle Brigade Act | Bill Passed - House (381 - 20) |
| Dec. 18, 2024 | National | S 759 | Beagle Brigade Act | Bill Passed - House (381 - 20) |
| Dec. 17, 2024 | National | S 3448 | Never Again Education Reauthorization Act of 2023 | Bill Passed - House (402 - 12) |
| Dec. 16, 2024 | National | HR 7213 | Autism CARES Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (374 - 15) |
| Dec. 16, 2024 | National | HR 7213 | Autism CARES Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (374 - 15) |
| Dec. 16, 2024 | National | S 141 | Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act | Bill Passed - House (382 - 12) |
| Dec. 12, 2024 | National | PN 1980 | Nomination of Matthew James Marzano, of Illinois, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the term of five years expiring June 30, 2028 | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 45) |
| Dec. 10, 2024 | National | S 4367 | Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 | Bill Passed - House (399 - 18) |
| Dec. 10, 2024 | National | HR 7673 | Liberty in Laundry Act | Bill Passed - House (215 - 200) |
| Dec. 6, 2024 | National | HR 5349 | Crucial Communism Teaching Act | Bill Passed - House (327 - 62) |
| Nov. 19, 2024 | National | HR 1449 | Committing Leases for Energy Access Now (CLEAN) Act | Bill Passed - House (244 - 171) |
| Nov. 18, 2024 | National | HR 8371 | Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act | Bill Passed - House (389 - 9) |
| Nov. 15, 2024 | National | HR 8932 | FAFSA Deadline Act | Bill Passed - House (381 - 1) |
| Nov. 14, 2024 | National | HR 7409 | Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources (HEATS) Act | Bill Passed - House (225 - 181) |
| Nov. 14, 2024 | National | HR 8446 | Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2024 | Bill Passed - House (245 - 155) |
| Sept. 25, 2024 | National | H Res 1469 | Ensuring accountability for key officials in the Biden- Harris administration responsible for decision-making and execution failures throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan. | Resolution Passed - House (219 - 194) |
| Sept. 24, 2024 | National | HR 7073 | Next Generation Pipelines Research and Development Act | Bill Passed - House (373 - 41) |
| Sept. 20, 2024 | National | H J Res 136 | Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles". | Joint Resolution Passed - House (215 - 191) |