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 13, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2393 | Repeals Sugar Subsidies | Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 46) |
| June 7, 2012 | National | HR 436 | Repeals Excise Tax on Medical Devices | Bill Passed - House (270 - 146) |
| May 24, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2107 | Authorizes Import of FDA-Approved Drugs from Canada | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 54) |
| May 24, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2111 | Prohibits Pharmaceutical Companies from Delaying the Release of Generic Drugs | Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 67) |
| May 18, 2012 | National | HR 4310 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 | Bill Passed - House (299 - 120) |
| May 18, 2012 | National | H Amdt 1140 | Prohibits Reductions to Strategic Nuclear Arms Required by New START | Amendment Adopted - House (238 - 162) |
| May 18, 2012 | National | H Amdt 1127 | Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions | Amendment Rejected - House (182 - 238) |
| May 17, 2012 | National | H Amdt 1103 | Limits Funding for War in Afghanistan to the Withdrawal of U.S. Forces | Amendment Rejected - House (113 - 303) |
| May 15, 2012 | National | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 20) |
| May 10, 2012 | National | HR 5652 | Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (218 - 199) |
| May 9, 2012 | National | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (330 - 93) |
| April 26, 2012 | National | HR 3523 | Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (248 - 168) |
| April 18, 2012 | National | HR 4348 | Extension of Surface Transportation Funding and Approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline | Bill Passed - House (293 - 127) |
| March 29, 2012 | National | S 2204 | Amends Energy-Related Tax Credits | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 47) |
| 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. 6, 2012 | National | HR 658 | Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (75 - 20) |
| Feb. 3, 2012 | National | HR 658 | Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - House (248 - 169) |
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| Feb. 1, 2012 | National | HR 1173 | Repeals the CLASS Act | Bill Passed - House (267 - 159) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/13 | S Amdt 2393 | Repeals Sugar Subsidies | Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 46) |
| 6/07 | HR 436 | Repeals Excise Tax on Medical Devices | Bill Passed - House (270 - 146) |
| 5/24 | S Amdt 2107 | Authorizes Import of FDA-Approved Drugs from Canada | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 54) |
| 5/24 | S Amdt 2111 | Prohibits Pharmaceutical Companies from Delaying the Release of Generic Drugs | Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 67) |
| 5/18 | HR 4310 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 | Bill Passed - House (299 - 120) |
| 5/18 | H Amdt 1140 | Prohibits Reductions to Strategic Nuclear Arms Required by New START | Amendment Adopted - House (238 - 162) |
| 5/18 | H Amdt 1127 | Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions | Amendment Rejected - House (182 - 238) |
| 5/17 | H Amdt 1103 | Limits Funding for War in Afghanistan to the Withdrawal of U.S. Forces | Amendment Rejected - House (113 - 303) |
| 5/15 | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 20) |
| 5/10 | HR 5652 | Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (218 - 199) |
| 5/09 | HR 2072 | Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (330 - 93) |
| 4/26 | HR 3523 | Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (248 - 168) |
| 4/18 | HR 4348 | Extension of Surface Transportation Funding and Approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline | Bill Passed - House (293 - 127) |
| 3/29 | S 2204 | Amends Energy-Related Tax Credits | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 47) |
| 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) |
| 2/06 | HR 658 | Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (75 - 20) |
| 2/03 | HR 658 | Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - House (248 - 169) |
| 2/02 | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| 2/01 | HR 1173 | Repeals the CLASS Act | Bill Passed - House (267 - 159) |