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 23, 1997 | National | S Amdt 357 | Violent Crime Victims Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (51 - 49) |
| May 23, 1997 | National | H Con Res 84 | Budget Resolution FY1999-2000 | Resolution Passed - Senate (78 - 22) |
| May 22, 1997 | National | S Amdt 301 | Budget Deficit Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 47) |
| May 21, 1997 | National | H Con Res 84 | Budget Resolution FY1999-2000 | Resolution Passed - House (333 - 99) |
| May 20, 1997 | National | HR 1122 | Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion bill | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 36) |
| May 16, 1997 | National | HR 1385 | Training Programs bill | Bill Passed - House (343 - 60) |
| May 15, 1997 | National | HR 1469 | Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill | Bill Passed - House (244 - 178) |
| May 14, 1997 | National | HR 2 | Public Housing bill | Bill Passed - House (293 - 132) |
| May 8, 1997 | National | HR 3 | Juvenile Crime bill | Bill Passed - House (286 - 132) |
| May 7, 1997 | National | H Amdt 71 | Endangered Species Act Exemption Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (227 - 196) |
| April 30, 1997 | National | PN 82 | Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13) |
| April 24, 1997 | National | S Res 75 | Chemical Weapons Convention bill | Resolution Passed - Senate (74 - 26) |
| April 17, 1997 | National | S 495 | Chemical and Biological Weapons Threat Reduction Act | Bill Passed - Senate (53 - 44) |
| April 16, 1997 | National | HR 1003 | Assisted Suicide Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (99 - 0) |
| April 15, 1997 | National | S Amdt 31 | Yucca Mountain Alternate Sites amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (59 - 39) |
| April 15, 1997 | National | S 104 | Nuclear Waste Disposal bill | Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 34) |
| April 10, 1997 | National | HR 1003 | Assisted Suicide Bill | Bill Passed - House (398 - 16) |
| March 20, 1997 | National | S Amdt 25 | U.S.- Mexico Drug Trafficking Prevention Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (94 - 5) |
| March 20, 1997 | National | HR 1122 | Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion bill | Bill Passed - House (295 - 136) |
| March 19, 1997 | National | HR 1 | Compensatory Time Bill | Bill Passed - House (222 - 210) |
| March 12, 1997 | National | H Res 89 | Balanced Budget Request resolution | Resolution Passed - House (231 - 197) |
| March 5, 1997 | National | H Con Res 31 | Display of the Ten Commandments | Resolution Passed - House (295 - 125) |
| March 4, 1997 | National | S J Res 1 | Balanced Budget amendment | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (66 - 34) |
| Feb. 13, 1997 | National | HR 581 | Population Planning Bill | Bill Passed - House (231 - 194) |
| Feb. 12, 1997 | National | H J Res 2 | Term Limits Resolution | Joint Resolution Failed - House (217 - 211) |
| Jan. 21, 1997 | National | H Res 31 | Ethics Report on Newt Gingrich | Resolution Passed - House (395 - 28) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/23 | S Amdt 357 | Violent Crime Victims Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (51 - 49) |
| 5/23 | H Con Res 84 | Budget Resolution FY1999-2000 | Resolution Passed - Senate (78 - 22) |
| 5/22 | S Amdt 301 | Budget Deficit Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 47) |
| 5/21 | H Con Res 84 | Budget Resolution FY1999-2000 | Resolution Passed - House (333 - 99) |
| 5/20 | HR 1122 | Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion bill | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 36) |
| 5/16 | HR 1385 | Training Programs bill | Bill Passed - House (343 - 60) |
| 5/15 | HR 1469 | Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill | Bill Passed - House (244 - 178) |
| 5/14 | HR 2 | Public Housing bill | Bill Passed - House (293 - 132) |
| 5/08 | HR 3 | Juvenile Crime bill | Bill Passed - House (286 - 132) |
| 5/07 | H Amdt 71 | Endangered Species Act Exemption Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (227 - 196) |
| 4/30 | PN 82 | Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13) |
| 4/24 | S Res 75 | Chemical Weapons Convention bill | Resolution Passed - Senate (74 - 26) |
| 4/17 | S 495 | Chemical and Biological Weapons Threat Reduction Act | Bill Passed - Senate (53 - 44) |
| 4/16 | HR 1003 | Assisted Suicide Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (99 - 0) |
| 4/15 | S Amdt 31 | Yucca Mountain Alternate Sites amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (59 - 39) |
| 4/15 | S 104 | Nuclear Waste Disposal bill | Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 34) |
| 4/10 | HR 1003 | Assisted Suicide Bill | Bill Passed - House (398 - 16) |
| 3/20 | S Amdt 25 | U.S.- Mexico Drug Trafficking Prevention Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (94 - 5) |
| 3/20 | HR 1122 | Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion bill | Bill Passed - House (295 - 136) |
| 3/19 | HR 1 | Compensatory Time Bill | Bill Passed - House (222 - 210) |
| 3/12 | H Res 89 | Balanced Budget Request resolution | Resolution Passed - House (231 - 197) |
| 3/05 | H Con Res 31 | Display of the Ten Commandments | Resolution Passed - House (295 - 125) |
| 3/04 | S J Res 1 | Balanced Budget amendment | Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (66 - 34) |
| 2/13 | HR 581 | Population Planning Bill | Bill Passed - House (231 - 194) |
| 2/12 | H J Res 2 | Term Limits Resolution | Joint Resolution Failed - House (217 - 211) |
| 1/21 | H Res 31 | Ethics Report on Newt Gingrich | Resolution Passed - House (395 - 28) |