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
Dec. 24, 2009 National HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 39)
Dec. 23, 2009 National HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
Dec. 23, 2009 National S Amdt 2786 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39)
Dec. 22, 2009 National S Amdt 2786 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
Dec. 22, 2009 National S Amdt 3276 Senate Health Care Bill Amendments Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39)
Dec. 15, 2009 National S Amdt 2793 Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs Amendment Rejected - Senate (51 - 48)
Dec. 8, 2009 National S Amdt 2962 Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45)
Dec. 3, 2009 National HR 4154 Estate Tax Law Amendments and Reinstatement of PAYGO Bill Passed - House (225 - 200)
Nov. 19, 2009 National HR 3961 Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO Bill Passed - House (243 - 183)
Nov. 7, 2009 National H Amdt 510 Substitute Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Amendment Rejected - House (176 - 258)
Nov. 7, 2009 National HR 3962 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (220 - 215)
Nov. 5, 2009 National HR 3548 Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12)
Oct. 6, 2009 National S Amdt 2588 Prohibiting Federal Funding of Mandatory Arbitration Contracts Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 30)
July 8, 2009 National S Amdt 1399 Requiring Completion of Reinforced Border Fencing Amendment Adopted - Senate (54 - 44)
April 29, 2009 National HR 1913 Hate Crimes Expansion Bill Passed - House (249 - 175)
April 28, 2009 National PN 188 Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination Confirmed - Senate (65 - 31)
March 5, 2009 National HR 1106 Mortgage Restructuring In Bankruptcy Bill Passed - House (234 - 191)
Jan. 21, 2009 National HR 384 Oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program Bill Passed - House (260 - 166)
Date No. Title Outcome
12/24 HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 39)
12/23 HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
12/23 S Amdt 2786 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39)
12/22 S Amdt 2786 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
12/22 S Amdt 3276 Senate Health Care Bill Amendments Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39)
12/15 S Amdt 2793 Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs Amendment Rejected - Senate (51 - 48)
12/08 S Amdt 2962 Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45)
12/03 HR 4154 Estate Tax Law Amendments and Reinstatement of PAYGO Bill Passed - House (225 - 200)
11/19 HR 3961 Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO Bill Passed - House (243 - 183)
11/07 H Amdt 510 Substitute Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Amendment Rejected - House (176 - 258)
11/07 HR 3962 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (220 - 215)
11/05 HR 3548 Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12)
10/06 S Amdt 2588 Prohibiting Federal Funding of Mandatory Arbitration Contracts Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 30)
7/08 S Amdt 1399 Requiring Completion of Reinforced Border Fencing Amendment Adopted - Senate (54 - 44)
4/29 HR 1913 Hate Crimes Expansion Bill Passed - House (249 - 175)
4/28 PN 188 Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination Confirmed - Senate (65 - 31)
3/05 HR 1106 Mortgage Restructuring In Bankruptcy Bill Passed - House (234 - 191)
1/21 HR 384 Oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program Bill Passed - House (260 - 166)

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