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 15, 2017 | National | S 722 | Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 2) |
| June 7, 2017 | National | HR 2213 | Anti-Border Corruption Reauthorization Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (282 - 137) |
| May 22, 2017 | National | PN 52 | Nomination of Terry Branstad to be Ambassador of the United States to the People's Republic of China | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (82 - 13) |
| May 18, 2017 | National | PN 52 | Nomination of Terry Branstad to be Ambassador of the United States to the People's Republic of China | Cloture Invoked - Senate (86 - 12) |
| May 18, 2017 | National | HR 115 | Thin Blue Line Act | Bill Passed - House (271 - 143) |
| May 2, 2017 | National | HR 1180 | Working Families Flexibility Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (229 - 197) |
| April 27, 2017 | National | PN 88 | Nomination of Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (60 - 38) |
| April 26, 2017 | National | PN 88 | Nomination of Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor | Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 39) |
| 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) |
| 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 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. 3, 2017 | National | PN 37 | Nomination of Elisabeth Prince DeVos to be Secretary of Education | Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 48) |
| 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) |