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
Dec. 21, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 44)
Dec. 21, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 44)
Dec. 21, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - Senate (93 - 0)
Dec. 21, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - Senate (93 - 0)
Dec. 19, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - House (308 - 106)
Dec. 19, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - House (308 - 106)
Dec. 16, 2005 National HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
Dec. 16, 2005 National HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
Dec. 16, 2005 National HR 4437 Border Security Bill Bill Passed - House (239 - 182)
Dec. 14, 2005 National HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Conference Report Adopted - House (251 - 174)
Dec. 14, 2005 National HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Conference Report Adopted - House (251 - 174)
Nov. 16, 2005 National HR 2862 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill, FY 2006 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (94 - 5)
Nov. 15, 2005 National S Amdt 2524 Guantanamo Bay Detainees Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (84 - 14)
Nov. 15, 2005 National S Amdt 2523 Judicial Review of Detainees Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 54)
Nov. 10, 2005 National S Amdt 2516 Detainees at Guantanamo Bay Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 42)
Nov. 9, 2005 National HR 2862 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill, FY 2006 Conference Report Adopted - House (397 - 19)
Nov. 3, 2005 National S Amdt 2409 Targeted Case Management Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 52)
Nov. 3, 2005 National S Amdt 2400 Alaska Judicial Review of Oil Revenue Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 51)
Nov. 2, 2005 National HR 1606 Online Freedom of Speech Act Bill Failed - House (225 - 182)
Oct. 27, 2005 National HR 420 Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005 Bill Passed - House (228 - 184)
Oct. 20, 2005 National S 397 Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill Bill Passed - House (283 - 144)
Oct. 19, 2005 National HR 554 Food Industry Obesity Lawsuits Bill Passed - House (306 - 120)
Oct. 7, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - Senate (97 - 0)
Oct. 7, 2005 National HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - Senate (97 - 0)
Sept. 15, 2005 National H Res 437 Bipartisan Committee to Investigate Hurricane Katrina Resolution Passed - House (224 - 188)
Date No. Title Outcome
12/21 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 44)
12/21 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 44)
12/21 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - Senate (93 - 0)
12/21 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - Senate (93 - 0)
12/19 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - House (308 - 106)
12/19 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - House (308 - 106)
12/16 HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
12/16 HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
12/16 HR 4437 Border Security Bill Bill Passed - House (239 - 182)
12/14 HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Conference Report Adopted - House (251 - 174)
12/14 HR 3199 PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Conference Report Adopted - House (251 - 174)
11/16 HR 2862 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill, FY 2006 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (94 - 5)
11/15 S Amdt 2524 Guantanamo Bay Detainees Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (84 - 14)
11/15 S Amdt 2523 Judicial Review of Detainees Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 54)
11/10 S Amdt 2516 Detainees at Guantanamo Bay Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 42)
11/09 HR 2862 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill, FY 2006 Conference Report Adopted - House (397 - 19)
11/03 S Amdt 2409 Targeted Case Management Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 52)
11/03 S Amdt 2400 Alaska Judicial Review of Oil Revenue Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 51)
11/02 HR 1606 Online Freedom of Speech Act Bill Failed - House (225 - 182)
10/27 HR 420 Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005 Bill Passed - House (228 - 184)
10/20 S 397 Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill Bill Passed - House (283 - 144)
10/19 HR 554 Food Industry Obesity Lawsuits Bill Passed - House (306 - 120)
10/07 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - Senate (97 - 0)
10/07 HR 2863 Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - Senate (97 - 0)
9/15 H Res 437 Bipartisan Committee to Investigate Hurricane Katrina Resolution Passed - House (224 - 188)

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