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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14, 2007 | National | HR 1429 | Head Start Act of 2007 | Conference Report Adopted - House (381 - 36) |
| Nov. 1, 2007 | National | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 30) |
| Oct. 25, 2007 | National | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - House (265 - 142) |
| Oct. 18, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Veto Override Failed - House (273 - 156) |
| Oct. 10, 2007 | National | HR 2895 | National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (264 - 148) |
| Oct. 4, 2007 | National | HR 3648 | Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (386 - 27) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| Sept. 25, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| Aug. 4, 2007 | National | HR 3221 | Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (241 - 172) |
| Aug. 2, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31) |
| Aug. 1, 2007 | National | HR 3162 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization | Bill Passed - House (225 - 204) |
| July 27, 2007 | National | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Bill Passed - House (231 - 191) |
| July 12, 2007 | National | HR 1851 | Section 8 Voucher Adjustments Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (333 - 83) |
| Sept. 21, 2006 | National | S 2832 | Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 2006 | Bill Failed - House (215 - 204) |
| Aug. 3, 2006 | National | HR 5970 | Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42) |
| July 29, 2006 | National | HR 5970 | Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill | Bill Passed - House (230 - 180) |
| June 21, 2006 | National | S Amdt 4376 | Increasing Minimum Wage Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 53) |
| June 21, 2006 | National | S Amdt 4322 | Minimum Wage Adjustment Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (52 - 46) |
| May 23, 2006 | National | HR 5384 | Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA Appropriations Act | Bill Passed - House (378 - 46) |
| March 30, 2006 | National | H Amdt 772 | Reverse the Raid on Student Aid Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (200 - 220) |
| March 16, 2006 | National | S Amdt 3074 | LIHEAP Funding Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (51 - 49) |
| Feb. 1, 2006 | National | H Res 653 | Budget Reconciliation Adoption | Resolution Passed - House (216 - 214) |
| Dec. 21, 2005 | National | S Con Res 74 | Removal of ANWR Provision from HR 2863 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (48 - 45) |
| Dec. 14, 2005 | National | HR 3010 | Labor, HHS and Education FY 2006 Appropriations Bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (215 - 213) |
| Nov. 17, 2005 | National | HR 3010 | Labor, HHS and Education FY 2006 Appropriations Bill | Conference Report Rejected - House (209 - 224) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/14 | HR 1429 | Head Start Act of 2007 | Conference Report Adopted - House (381 - 36) |
| 11/01 | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 30) |
| 10/25 | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - House (265 - 142) |
| 10/18 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Veto Override Failed - House (273 - 156) |
| 10/10 | HR 2895 | National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (264 - 148) |
| 10/04 | HR 3648 | Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (386 - 27) |
| 9/27 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| 9/25 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (265 - 159) |
| 8/04 | HR 3221 | Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (241 - 172) |
| 8/02 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31) |
| 8/01 | HR 3162 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization | Bill Passed - House (225 - 204) |
| 7/27 | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Bill Passed - House (231 - 191) |
| 7/12 | HR 1851 | Section 8 Voucher Adjustments Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (333 - 83) |
| 9/21 | S 2832 | Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 2006 | Bill Failed - House (215 - 204) |
| 8/03 | HR 5970 | Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42) |
| 7/29 | HR 5970 | Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill | Bill Passed - House (230 - 180) |
| 6/21 | S Amdt 4376 | Increasing Minimum Wage Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 53) |
| 6/21 | S Amdt 4322 | Minimum Wage Adjustment Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (52 - 46) |
| 5/23 | HR 5384 | Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA Appropriations Act | Bill Passed - House (378 - 46) |
| 3/30 | H Amdt 772 | Reverse the Raid on Student Aid Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (200 - 220) |
| 3/16 | S Amdt 3074 | LIHEAP Funding Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (51 - 49) |
| 2/01 | H Res 653 | Budget Reconciliation Adoption | Resolution Passed - House (216 - 214) |
| 12/21 | S Con Res 74 | Removal of ANWR Provision from HR 2863 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (48 - 45) |
| 12/14 | HR 3010 | Labor, HHS and Education FY 2006 Appropriations Bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (215 - 213) |
| 11/17 | HR 3010 | Labor, HHS and Education FY 2006 Appropriations Bill | Conference Report Rejected - House (209 - 224) |