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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
May 29, 2008 | SC | H 4400 | Immigration Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (94 - 16) |
April 4, 2008 | GA | HB 978 | Vehicle Seizures for Unlicensed Drivers | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (115 - 44) |
April 4, 2008 | GA | HB 978 | Vehicle Seizures for Unlicensed Drivers | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 18) |
May 13, 2008 | LA | HB 1357 | Harboring of Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - House (77 - 18) |
May 13, 2008 | LA | HB 25 | Verification of Citizenship or Immigration Status | Bill Passed - House (83 - 11) |
May 13, 2008 | LA | HB 1358 | Transporting Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - House (70 - 17) |
March 3, 2008 | MN | Seifert Amendment: Restriction of State Aid Based on Compliance with Immigration Laws | Amendment Rejected - House (66 - 67) | |
June 10, 2008 | National | HR 6028 | Assistance for Mexico and Central America for Anti-Drug Programs (Merida Program) | Bill Passed - House (311 - 106) |
July 9, 2008 | National | HR 6304 | Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 28) |
June 20, 2008 | National | HR 6304 | Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments | Bill Passed - House (293 - 129) |
June 19, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | GI Bill, Funding for Midwest Flood Cleanup, Extension of Unemployment Benefits, and Other Provisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (268 - 155) |
June 19, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | GI Bill, Funding for Midwest Flood Cleanup, Extension of Unemployment Benefits, and Other Provisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (268 - 155) |
June 19, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | GI Bill, Funding for Midwest Flood Cleanup, Extension of Unemployment Benefits, and Other Provisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (416 - 12) |
June 19, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | GI Bill, Funding for Midwest Flood Cleanup, Extension of Unemployment Benefits, and Other Provisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (416 - 12) |
June 26, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding, Unemployment Benefits Extension, and GI Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (92 - 6) |
June 26, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding, Unemployment Benefits Extension, and GI Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (92 - 6) |
May 29, 2008 | CA | AB 2076 | Prohibiting E-verify | Bill Passed - House (43 - 31) |
July 9, 2008 | National | S Amdt 5064 | Striking Telecom Immunity from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (32 - 66) |
July 10, 2008 | National | PN 1641 | Nomination of General Petraeus as Military Leader of the Middle East | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2) |
July 10, 2008 | National | PN 1641 | Nomination of General Petraeus as Military Leader of the Middle East | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2) |
July 15, 2008 | National | S Amdt 5078 | Limiting Countries for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (70 - 24) |
July 16, 2008 | National | H Amdt 1114 | Allowing the Use of Certain Terms in Within the Intelligence Community | Amendment Adopted - House (249 - 180) |
Aug. 5, 2008 | CA | SB 974 | Shipping Fee | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 10) |
July 15, 2008 | CA | SB 974 | Shipping Fee | Bill Passed - House (46 - 24) |
July 16, 2008 | National | S Amdt 5077 | Funding Amendment to AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 64) |
May 7, 2008 | SC | Amendment No. 8A | Requiring Employers to Verify Immigration the Status of Their Employees | Amendment Adopted - House (80 - 33) |
July 26, 2008 | National | HR 3221 | Housing Bill with Energy Tax Credit Extensions | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (72 - 13) |
July 23, 2008 | National | HR 3221 | Housing Bill with Energy Tax Credit Extensions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (272 - 152) |
May 12, 2008 | CA | SB 1301 | Extending Student Financial Aid Eligibility | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
Aug. 31, 2008 | CA | SB 1301 | Extending Student Financial Aid Eligibility | Bill Passed - House (46 - 29) |
Sept. 24, 2008 | National | S 3001 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - House (392 - 39) |
Sept. 24, 2008 | National | S 3001 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - House (392 - 39) |
Sept. 17, 2008 | National | S 3001 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (88 - 8) |
Sept. 17, 2008 | National | S 3001 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (88 - 8) |
Sept. 24, 2008 | National | HR 2638 | Continuing Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (370 - 58) |
Sept. 24, 2008 | National | HR 2638 | Continuing Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (370 - 58) |
Oct. 1, 2008 | National | HR 7081 | United States - India Nuclear Agreement | Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 13) |
Sept. 27, 2008 | National | HR 7081 | United States - India Nuclear Agreement | Bill Passed - House (298 - 117) |