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.


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Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
April 6, 2017 National PN 55 Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Cloture Invoked - Senate (55 - 45)
March 30, 2017 National H J Res 43 Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services Relating to Compliance with Title X Requirements by Project Recipients in Selecting Subrecipients Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 50)
March 23, 2017 National PN 53 Nomination of David Friedman to be Ambassador of the United States of America to Israel Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 46)
March 23, 2017 National PN 53 Nomination of David Friedman to be Ambassador of the United States of America to Israel Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 46)
March 23, 2017 National S J Res 34 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and other Telecommunications Services Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 48)
March 21, 2017 National H J Res 69 Providing for congressional disapproval of the final rule of the Department of the Interior relating to Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures, on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 47)
Feb. 17, 2017 National PN 44 Nomination of Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 46)
Feb. 16, 2017 National PN 44 Nomination of Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 46)
Feb. 15, 2017 National H J Res 40 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (57 - 43)
Feb. 13, 2017 National PN 26 Nomination of Steven T. Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 47)
Feb. 10, 2017 National PN 33 Nomination of Thomas Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47)
Feb. 10, 2017 National PN 26 Nomination of Steven T. Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury Cloture Invoked - Senate (53 - 46)
Feb. 8, 2017 National PN 30 Nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47)
Feb. 8, 2017 National PN 33 Nomination of Thomas Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
Feb. 7, 2017 National PN 37 Nomination of Elisabeth Prince DeVos to be Secretary of Education Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 50)
Feb. 7, 2017 National PN 30 Nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
Feb. 3, 2017 National PN 37 Nomination of Elisabeth Prince DeVos to be Secretary of Education Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 48)
Feb. 2, 2017 National H J Res 38 Disapproving the Rule Submitted by the Department of the Interior Known as the Stream Protection Rule Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (54 - 45)
Feb. 1, 2017 National PN 25 Nomination of Rex W. Tillerson to be Secretary of State Nomination Confirmed - Senate (56 - 43)
Jan. 30, 2017 National PN 25 Nomination of Rex W. Tillerson to be Secretary of State Cloture Invoked - Senate (56 - 43)
Jan. 12, 2017 National S Con Res 3 A Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2017 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2018 Through 2026 Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 48)
Date No. Title Outcome
4/06 PN 55 Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Cloture Invoked - Senate (55 - 45)
3/30 H J Res 43 Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services Relating to Compliance with Title X Requirements by Project Recipients in Selecting Subrecipients Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 50)
3/23 PN 53 Nomination of David Friedman to be Ambassador of the United States of America to Israel Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 46)
3/23 PN 53 Nomination of David Friedman to be Ambassador of the United States of America to Israel Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 46)
3/23 S J Res 34 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and other Telecommunications Services Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 48)
3/21 H J Res 69 Providing for congressional disapproval of the final rule of the Department of the Interior relating to Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures, on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 47)
2/17 PN 44 Nomination of Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 46)
2/16 PN 44 Nomination of Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 46)
2/15 H J Res 40 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (57 - 43)
2/13 PN 26 Nomination of Steven T. Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 47)
2/10 PN 33 Nomination of Thomas Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47)
2/10 PN 26 Nomination of Steven T. Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury Cloture Invoked - Senate (53 - 46)
2/08 PN 30 Nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47)
2/08 PN 33 Nomination of Thomas Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
2/07 PN 37 Nomination of Elisabeth Prince DeVos to be Secretary of Education Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 50)
2/07 PN 30 Nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
2/03 PN 37 Nomination of Elisabeth Prince DeVos to be Secretary of Education Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 48)
2/02 H J Res 38 Disapproving the Rule Submitted by the Department of the Interior Known as the Stream Protection Rule Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (54 - 45)
2/01 PN 25 Nomination of Rex W. Tillerson to be Secretary of State Nomination Confirmed - Senate (56 - 43)
1/30 PN 25 Nomination of Rex W. Tillerson to be Secretary of State Cloture Invoked - Senate (56 - 43)
1/12 S Con Res 3 A Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2017 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2018 Through 2026 Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 48)

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