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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
June 24, 2008 | National | HR 6331 | Medicare Bill | Bill Passed - House (355 - 59) |
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 (416 - 12) |
June 18, 2008 | National | HR 6124 | Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Veto Override Passed - Senate (80 - 14) |
June 18, 2008 | National | HR 6124 | Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Veto Override Passed - House (317 - 109) |
June 17, 2008 | National | HR 6049 | Alternative Energy Tax Incentives | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 44) |
June 12, 2008 | National | HR 5749 | Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008 | Bill Passed - House (274 - 137) |
June 11, 2008 | National | HR 6003 | Amtrak Reauthorization | Bill Passed - House (311 - 104) |
June 10, 2008 | National | S 3044 | Increasing Taxes on Profits, Rescinding Certain Tax Deductions, and Increasing Tax Incentives for Alternative Energy Programs for Oil Companies | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 43) |
June 10, 2008 | National | HR 6028 | Assistance for Mexico and Central America for Anti-Drug Programs (Merida Program) | Bill Passed - House (311 - 106) |
June 6, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4825 | Carbon Emissions Cap and Trade Plan | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (48 - 36) |
May 22, 2008 | National | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Veto Override Passed - Senate (82 - 13) |
May 22, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4803 | GI Bill and Other Domestic Provisions | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 22) |
May 22, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4818 | Funding for Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan | Amendment Adopted - Senate (70 - 26) |
May 22, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4817 | Iraq Provisions Including a Troop Withdrawal | Amendment Rejected - Senate (34 - 63) |
May 21, 2008 | National | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Veto Override Passed - House (316 - 108) |
May 21, 2008 | National | HR 6049 | Alternative Energy Tax Incentives | Bill Passed - House (263 - 160) |
May 20, 2008 | National | HR 6074 | Prohibiting Foreign States or Associations from Forming a Group to Control Oil | Bill Passed - House (324 - 84) |
May 15, 2008 | National | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (81 - 15) |
May 15, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | Iraq Related Provisions such as a Troop Withdrawal, a Permanent Base Ban, and Limiting Interrogation Techniques | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (141 - 149) |
May 15, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | Iraq Related Provisions such as a Troop Withdrawal, a Permanent Base Ban, and Limiting Interrogation Techniques | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (256 - 166) |
May 15, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | Iraq Related Provisions such as a Troop Withdrawal, a Permanent Base Ban, and Limiting Interrogation Techniques | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (227 - 196) |
May 14, 2008 | National | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Conference Report Adopted - House (318 - 106) |
May 13, 2008 | National | HR 6022 | Suspending Acquisition of Petroleum for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve | Bill Passed - House (385 - 25) |
May 8, 2008 | National | HR 3221 | Housing-Related Tax Provision Amendments | Amendment Adopted - House (322 - 94) |
May 8, 2008 | National | H Amdt 1045 | Undocumented Immigrants' Ineligibility for Certain Financial Assistance | Amendment Adopted - House (391 - 33) |
May 8, 2008 | National | HR 3221 | Housing-Related Tax Provision Amendments | Amendment Adopted - House (266 - 154) |
May 8, 2008 | National | HR 5818 | Assistance to States for Purchasing Foreclosed Homes | Bill Passed - House (239 - 188) |
May 7, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4719 | Optional Wind Damage Insurance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (19 - 74) |
May 1, 2008 | National | HR 5715 | Student Loan Provision Changes | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (388 - 21) |
April 30, 2008 | National | HR 5522 | Requiring OSHA to Establish Combustible Dust Safety Standards | Bill Passed - House (247 - 165) |
April 29, 2008 | National | S 2739 | Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 | Bill Passed - House (291 - 117) |
April 23, 2008 | National | HR 2831 | Equal Pay Bill | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 42) |
April 23, 2008 | National | HR 5613 | Medicaid Extensions and Changes | Bill Passed - House (349 - 62) |
April 17, 2008 | National | HR 5715 | Student Loan Provision Changes | Bill Passed - House (383 - 27) |
April 16, 2008 | National | HR 2634 | Expanding the List of Countries Eligible for Debt Forgiveness | Bill Passed - House (285 - 132) |
April 15, 2008 | National | HR 5036 | Federal Funding for Voting System Changes | Bill Passed - House (239 - 178) |
April 15, 2008 | National | HR 5719 | Amending Tax Code Provisions and IRS Practices | Bill Passed - House (238 - 179) |
April 10, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4419 to S Amdt 4387 | Energy Tax Credits Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (88 - 8) |
April 10, 2008 | National | HR 3221 | Housing Bill with Energy Tax Credit Extensions | Bill Passed - Senate (84 - 12) |
April 10, 2008 | National | H Res 1092 | Postponing the Consideration of the Trade Agreement with Colombia | Resolution Passed - House (224 - 195) |
April 2, 2008 | National | HR 5501 | Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis | Bill Passed - House (308 - 116) |
March 14, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4299 | Expressing the Sense of the Senate on the Legalization of Importing Certain Prescription Drugs | Amendment Adopted - Senate (73 - 23) |
March 14, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4233 | Codifying the Definition of a Child Eligible for SCHIP | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 52) |
March 14, 2008 | National | HR 3773 | Electronic Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Review Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (213 - 197) |
March 14, 2008 | National | S Con Res 70 | Concurrent Budget Resolution | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 44) |
March 13, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4309 | Restriction of Federal Assistance Based on Compliance with Federal Immigration Laws | Amendment Tabled - Senate (58 - 40) |
March 13, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4259 | Immigration Enforcement and Employer Sanctions Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 45) |
March 13, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4231 | Immigration Enforcement and Border Fence Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (61 - 37) |