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
Aug. 3, 2006 National HR 5970 Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42)
Feb. 2, 2006 National S Amdt 2735 Tax Rate Extension Amendment Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 53)
March 16, 2006 National S Amdt 3103 Natural Resources and Environment Funding Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 49)
March 16, 2006 National S Amdt 3074 LIHEAP Funding Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (51 - 49)
Feb. 2, 2006 National S Amdt 2737 Military Funding and Tax Cuts Amendment Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 53)
May 10, 2006 National HR 4297 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 Conference Report Adopted - House (244 - 185)
May 11, 2006 National HR 4297 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (54 - 44)
Feb. 2, 2006 National HR 4297 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 31)
June 22, 2006 National HR 5638 Death/Estate Tax Amendment Bill Passed - House (269 - 156)
July 29, 2006 National HR 5970 Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill Bill Passed - House (230 - 180)
Date No. Title Outcome
8/03 HR 5970 Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42)
2/02 S Amdt 2735 Tax Rate Extension Amendment Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 53)
3/16 S Amdt 3103 Natural Resources and Environment Funding Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 49)
3/16 S Amdt 3074 LIHEAP Funding Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (51 - 49)
2/02 S Amdt 2737 Military Funding and Tax Cuts Amendment Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 53)
5/10 HR 4297 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 Conference Report Adopted - House (244 - 185)
5/11 HR 4297 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (54 - 44)
2/02 HR 4297 Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005 Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 31)
6/22 HR 5638 Death/Estate Tax Amendment Bill Passed - House (269 - 156)
7/29 HR 5970 Death/Estate Tax and Minimum Wage Bill Bill Passed - House (230 - 180)

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