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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oct. 1, 2008 | National | HR 2095 | Amtrak Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (74 - 24) |
Oct. 1, 2008 | National | HR 1424 | Financial Asset Purchase Authority and Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (74 - 25) |
Oct. 1, 2008 | National | HR 7081 | United States - India Nuclear Agreement | Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 13) |
Sept. 27, 2008 | National | HR 2638 | Continuing Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (78 - 12) |
Sept. 17, 2008 | National | S 3001 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (88 - 8) |
July 31, 2008 | National | HR 4040 | Consumer Product Safety Commission Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (89 - 3) |
July 31, 2008 | National | HR 4137 | Higher Education Act Amendments and Extensions | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (83 - 8) |
July 26, 2008 | National | S 3186 | Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Funding | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 35) |
July 26, 2008 | National | HR 3221 | Housing Bill with Energy Tax Credit Extensions | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (72 - 13) |
July 16, 2008 | National | S Amdt 5077 | Funding Amendment to AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 64) |
July 16, 2008 | National | HR 5501 | Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis | Bill Passed - Senate (80 - 16) |
July 15, 2008 | National | HR 6331 | Medicare Bill | Veto Override Passed - Senate (70 - 26) |
July 15, 2008 | National | S Amdt 5078 | Limiting Countries for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (70 - 24) |
July 10, 2008 | National | PN 1641 | Nomination of General Petraeus as Military Leader of the Middle East | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2) |
July 9, 2008 | National | HR 6331 | Medicare Bill | Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30) |
July 9, 2008 | National | S Amdt 5064 | Striking Telecom Immunity from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (32 - 66) |
July 9, 2008 | National | HR 6304 | Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 28) |
June 26, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding, Unemployment Benefits Extension, and GI Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (92 - 6) |
June 25, 2008 | National | S Amdt 4983 | Housing Foreclosure Assistance Programs | Amendment Adopted - Senate (79 - 16) |
June 18, 2008 | National | HR 6124 | Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Veto Override Passed - Senate (80 - 14) |
June 17, 2008 | National | HR 6049 | Alternative Energy Tax Incentives | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 44) |
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 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) |
Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
10/01 | HR 2095 | Amtrak Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (74 - 24) |
10/01 | HR 1424 | Financial Asset Purchase Authority and Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (74 - 25) |
10/01 | HR 7081 | United States - India Nuclear Agreement | Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 13) |
9/27 | HR 2638 | Continuing Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (78 - 12) |
9/17 | S 3001 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (88 - 8) |
7/31 | HR 4040 | Consumer Product Safety Commission Bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (89 - 3) |
7/31 | HR 4137 | Higher Education Act Amendments and Extensions | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (83 - 8) |
7/26 | S 3186 | Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Funding | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 35) |
7/26 | HR 3221 | Housing Bill with Energy Tax Credit Extensions | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (72 - 13) |
7/16 | S Amdt 5077 | Funding Amendment to AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 64) |
7/16 | HR 5501 | Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis | Bill Passed - Senate (80 - 16) |
7/15 | HR 6331 | Medicare Bill | Veto Override Passed - Senate (70 - 26) |
7/15 | S Amdt 5078 | Limiting Countries for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (70 - 24) |
7/10 | PN 1641 | Nomination of General Petraeus as Military Leader of the Middle East | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2) |
7/09 | HR 6331 | Medicare Bill | Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30) |
7/09 | S Amdt 5064 | Striking Telecom Immunity from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (32 - 66) |
7/09 | HR 6304 | Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 28) |
6/26 | HR 2642 | Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding, Unemployment Benefits Extension, and GI Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (92 - 6) |
6/25 | S Amdt 4983 | Housing Foreclosure Assistance Programs | Amendment Adopted - Senate (79 - 16) |
6/18 | HR 6124 | Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Veto Override Passed - Senate (80 - 14) |
6/17 | HR 6049 | Alternative Energy Tax Incentives | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 44) |
6/10 | 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) |
6/06 | S Amdt 4825 | Carbon Emissions Cap and Trade Plan | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (48 - 36) |
5/22 | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Veto Override Passed - Senate (82 - 13) |
5/22 | S Amdt 4803 | GI Bill and Other Domestic Provisions | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 22) |