Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
May 30, 2014 National H Amdt 748 Prohibits Federal Agencies from Preventing States from Authorizing the Use of Medical Marijuana Amendment Adopted - House (219 - 189)
May 30, 2014 National H Amdt 763 Prohibits Funds from Being Used to Require Journalists to Disclose Sources Amendment Adopted - House (225 - 183)
May 30, 2014 National H Amdt 750 Prohibits Funds from Being Used for the Transfer of Clemency Application Screening Personnel Amendment Adopted - House (219 - 189)
May 22, 2014 National H Amdt 671 Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Certain Climate Change Reports Amendment Adopted - House (231 - 192)
May 22, 2014 National H Amdt 679 Prohibits Funds from Being Used to Implement the New START Treaty Amendment Adopted - House (233 - 191)
May 22, 2014 National H Amdt 675 Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Guantanmo Bay Operations Amendment Rejected - House (177 - 247)
May 22, 2014 National H Amdt 676 Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 230)
May 22, 2014 National H Amdt 680 Repeals Military Force Authorization Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 233)
May 22, 2014 National HR 4435 Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 Bill Passed - House (325 - 98)
May 22, 2014 National HR 3361 USA FREEDOM Act Bill Passed - House (303 - 121)
May 21, 2014 National H Amdt 669 Amends Intercontinental-Range Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) Laws Amendment Adopted - House (222 - 196)
May 9, 2014 National HR 4438 American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (274 - 131)
May 7, 2014 National H Res 574 Recommends that the House of Representatives Find Lois G. Lerner in Contempt of Congress Resolution Passed - House (231 - 187)
April 30, 2014 National S 2223 Minimum Wage Fairness Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 42)
April 10, 2014 National H Con Res 96 Establishing the Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2015 and Setting Forth Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2016 Through 2024 Joint Resolution Passed - House (219 - 205)
April 9, 2014 National S 2199 Paycheck Fairness Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 44)
April 8, 2014 National HR 1871 Baseline Reform Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (230 - 185)
April 4, 2014 National HR 1874 Pro-Growth Budgeting Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (224 - 182)
April 3, 2014 National HR 2575 Save American Workers Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (248 - 179)
March 31, 2014 National HR 4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35)
March 26, 2014 National HR 1459 Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act Bill Passed - House (222 - 201)
March 25, 2014 National HR 2824 Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Bill Passed - House (229 - 192)
March 14, 2014 National HR 4015 SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (238 - 181)
March 13, 2014 National HR 3370 Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (72 - 22)
March 13, 2014 National HR 3189 Water Rights Protection Act Bill Passed - House (238 - 174)
March 13, 2014 National HR 3973 Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (244 - 171)
March 12, 2014 National HR 4138 Executive Needs to Faithfully Observe and Respect Congressional Enactments of (ENFORCE) the Law Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (233 - 181)
March 6, 2014 National S 1752 Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 45)
March 6, 2014 National H Amdt 585 Prohibits the Social Cost of Carbon from Being Included in Agency Determinations Amendment Adopted - House (222 - 188)
March 6, 2014 National H Amdt 587 Exempts Certain Nuclear Facility Construction Projects from Environmental Review Time Frame Requirements Amendment Rejected - House (187 - 220)
March 6, 2014 National HR 2641 Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development (RAPID) Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (229 - 179)
March 6, 2014 National HR 3826 Electricity Security and Affordability Act Bill Passed - House (229 - 183)
March 5, 2014 National HR 4118 Suspending the Individual Mandate Penalty Law Equals (SIMPLE) Fairness Act Bill Passed - House (250 - 160)
March 4, 2014 National HR 3370 Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (306 - 91)
Feb. 27, 2014 National H Amdt 561 Requires Agency Heads to File Negative-Impact Reports Amendment Adopted - House (249 - 162)
Feb. 27, 2014 National HR 2804 Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (236 - 179)
Feb. 27, 2014 National HR 3193 Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (232 - 182)
Feb. 26, 2014 National HR 3865 Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (243 - 176)
Feb. 25, 2014 National HR 1123 Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act Bill Passed - House (295 - 114)
Feb. 12, 2014 National S 540 Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (55 - 43)
Feb. 12, 2014 National S 540 Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (67 - 31)
Feb. 11, 2014 National S 540 Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act Bill Passed - House (221 - 201)
Feb. 4, 2014 National HR 2642 Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (68 - 32)
Jan. 30, 2014 National S 1926 Delays the Implementation of Certain Provisions of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 and Amends the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 32)
Jan. 29, 2014 National HR 2642 Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 Conference Report Adopted - House (251 - 166)
Jan. 28, 2014 National HR 7 No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act Bill Passed - House (227 - 188)
Jan. 16, 2014 National HR 3547 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (72 - 26)
Jan. 16, 2014 National HR 3362 Exchange Information Disclosure Act Bill Passed - House (259 - 154)
Jan. 15, 2014 National HR 3547 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 Concurrence Vote Passed - House (359 - 67)
Jan. 14, 2014 National S 1845 Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 45)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/30 H Amdt 748 Prohibits Federal Agencies from Preventing States from Authorizing the Use of Medical Marijuana Amendment Adopted - House (219 - 189)
5/30 H Amdt 763 Prohibits Funds from Being Used to Require Journalists to Disclose Sources Amendment Adopted - House (225 - 183)
5/30 H Amdt 750 Prohibits Funds from Being Used for the Transfer of Clemency Application Screening Personnel Amendment Adopted - House (219 - 189)
5/22 H Amdt 671 Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Certain Climate Change Reports Amendment Adopted - House (231 - 192)
5/22 H Amdt 679 Prohibits Funds from Being Used to Implement the New START Treaty Amendment Adopted - House (233 - 191)
5/22 H Amdt 675 Prohibits Funds from Being Used for Guantanmo Bay Operations Amendment Rejected - House (177 - 247)
5/22 H Amdt 676 Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 230)
5/22 H Amdt 680 Repeals Military Force Authorization Amendment Rejected - House (191 - 233)
5/22 HR 4435 Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 Bill Passed - House (325 - 98)
5/22 HR 3361 USA FREEDOM Act Bill Passed - House (303 - 121)
5/21 H Amdt 669 Amends Intercontinental-Range Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) Laws Amendment Adopted - House (222 - 196)
5/09 HR 4438 American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (274 - 131)
5/07 H Res 574 Recommends that the House of Representatives Find Lois G. Lerner in Contempt of Congress Resolution Passed - House (231 - 187)
4/30 S 2223 Minimum Wage Fairness Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 42)
4/10 H Con Res 96 Establishing the Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2015 and Setting Forth Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2016 Through 2024 Joint Resolution Passed - House (219 - 205)
4/09 S 2199 Paycheck Fairness Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 44)
4/08 HR 1871 Baseline Reform Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (230 - 185)
4/04 HR 1874 Pro-Growth Budgeting Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (224 - 182)
4/03 HR 2575 Save American Workers Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (248 - 179)
3/31 HR 4302 Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35)
3/26 HR 1459 Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act Bill Passed - House (222 - 201)
3/25 HR 2824 Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Bill Passed - House (229 - 192)
3/14 HR 4015 SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (238 - 181)
3/13 HR 3370 Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (72 - 22)
3/13 HR 3189 Water Rights Protection Act Bill Passed - House (238 - 174)
3/13 HR 3973 Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (244 - 171)
3/12 HR 4138 Executive Needs to Faithfully Observe and Respect Congressional Enactments of (ENFORCE) the Law Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (233 - 181)
3/06 S 1752 Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 45)
3/06 H Amdt 585 Prohibits the Social Cost of Carbon from Being Included in Agency Determinations Amendment Adopted - House (222 - 188)
3/06 H Amdt 587 Exempts Certain Nuclear Facility Construction Projects from Environmental Review Time Frame Requirements Amendment Rejected - House (187 - 220)
3/06 HR 2641 Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development (RAPID) Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (229 - 179)
3/06 HR 3826 Electricity Security and Affordability Act Bill Passed - House (229 - 183)
3/05 HR 4118 Suspending the Individual Mandate Penalty Law Equals (SIMPLE) Fairness Act Bill Passed - House (250 - 160)
3/04 HR 3370 Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (306 - 91)
2/27 H Amdt 561 Requires Agency Heads to File Negative-Impact Reports Amendment Adopted - House (249 - 162)
2/27 HR 2804 Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (236 - 179)
2/27 HR 3193 Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (232 - 182)
2/26 HR 3865 Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014 Bill Passed - House (243 - 176)
2/25 HR 1123 Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act Bill Passed - House (295 - 114)
2/12 S 540 Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (55 - 43)
2/12 S 540 Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (67 - 31)
2/11 S 540 Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act Bill Passed - House (221 - 201)
2/04 HR 2642 Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (68 - 32)
1/30 S 1926 Delays the Implementation of Certain Provisions of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 and Amends the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 32)
1/29 HR 2642 Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 Conference Report Adopted - House (251 - 166)
1/28 HR 7 No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act Bill Passed - House (227 - 188)
1/16 HR 3547 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (72 - 26)
1/16 HR 3362 Exchange Information Disclosure Act Bill Passed - House (259 - 154)
1/15 HR 3547 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 Concurrence Vote Passed - House (359 - 67)
1/14 S 1845 Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 45)

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