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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 17, 2011 | National | S Amdt 1465 | Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Extension | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 10) |
Dec. 14, 2011 | National | S J Res 10 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Hatch Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |
Dec. 14, 2011 | National | S J Res 10 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Hatch Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |
Dec. 14, 2011 | National | S J Res 24 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Udall Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (21 - 79) |
Dec. 14, 2011 | National | S J Res 24 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Udall Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (21 - 79) |
Dec. 1, 2011 | National | S 1931 | Reduces Payroll Tax Rate | Motion Rejected - Senate (20 - 78) |
Dec. 1, 2011 | National | S 1917 | Extends Payroll Tax Cut and Establishes Tax on Income Over $1 Million | Motion Rejected - Senate (51 - 49) |
Nov. 10, 2011 | National | S Amdt 928 | American Jobs and Economic Growth | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 56) |
Nov. 3, 2011 | National | S 1769 | Transportation Infrastructure Appropriations and Tax on Income Over $1 Million | Motion Rejected - Senate (51 - 49) |
Oct. 11, 2011 | National | S 1660 | American Jobs Act of 2011 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
Sept. 26, 2011 | National | HR 2608 | Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (79 - 12) |
Sept. 23, 2011 | National | S Amdt 655 | Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 | Amendment Tabled - Senate (59 - 36) |
Aug. 2, 2011 | National | S 365 | Budget Control Act of 2011 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (74 - 26) |
July 31, 2011 | National | S 627 | Increasing the Debt Ceiling (Reid Bill) | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
July 29, 2011 | National | S 627 | Increasing the Debt Ceiling (Boehner Bill) | Bill Tabled - Senate (59 - 41) |
July 22, 2011 | National | HR 2560 | Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011 | Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 46) |
June 21, 2011 | National | S 782 | Economic Development Revitalization Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (49 - 51) |
June 14, 2011 | National | S Amdt 436 | Repeals the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (40 - 59) |
May 25, 2011 | National | H Con Res 34 | 2011-2012 Budget | Motion Rejected - Senate (40 - 57) |
May 25, 2011 | National | S Con Res 21 | 2012 Budget | Motion Rejected - Senate (42 - 55) |
May 17, 2011 | National | S 940 | Amending Oil Company Tax Laws | Motion Rejected - Senate (52 - 48) |
April 14, 2011 | National | HR 1473 | 2011 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 19) |
March 17, 2011 | National | H J Res 48 | Additional Continuing Appropriations | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (87 - 13) |
March 9, 2011 | National | HR 1 | Continuing Appropriations | Bill Failed - Senate (44 - 56) |
March 9, 2011 | National | S Amdt 149 | Department of Defense funding and Continuing Appropriations | Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 58) |
March 2, 2011 | National | H J Res 44 | Continuing Appropriations Amendments | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (91 - 9) |
March 2, 2011 | National | S Amdt 115 | Calling for a Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (58 - 40) |
March 1, 2011 | National | S Amdt 112 | Prioritizing Payment of Public Debt | Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 47) |
Feb. 2, 2011 | National | S Amdt 28 | Repealing the IRS 1099 Provision from the Health Care Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
Feb. 2, 2011 | National | S Amdt 9 | Repealing the IRS 1099 Provision from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Motion Agreed - Senate (81 - 17) |
Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
12/17 | S Amdt 1465 | Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Extension | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 10) |
12/14 | S J Res 10 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Hatch Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |
12/14 | S J Res 10 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Hatch Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 53) |
12/14 | S J Res 24 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Udall Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (21 - 79) |
12/14 | S J Res 24 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Udall Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (21 - 79) |
12/01 | S 1931 | Reduces Payroll Tax Rate | Motion Rejected - Senate (20 - 78) |
12/01 | S 1917 | Extends Payroll Tax Cut and Establishes Tax on Income Over $1 Million | Motion Rejected - Senate (51 - 49) |
11/10 | S Amdt 928 | American Jobs and Economic Growth | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 56) |
11/03 | S 1769 | Transportation Infrastructure Appropriations and Tax on Income Over $1 Million | Motion Rejected - Senate (51 - 49) |
10/11 | S 1660 | American Jobs Act of 2011 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
9/26 | HR 2608 | Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (79 - 12) |
9/23 | S Amdt 655 | Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 | Amendment Tabled - Senate (59 - 36) |
8/02 | S 365 | Budget Control Act of 2011 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (74 - 26) |
7/31 | S 627 | Increasing the Debt Ceiling (Reid Bill) | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
7/29 | S 627 | Increasing the Debt Ceiling (Boehner Bill) | Bill Tabled - Senate (59 - 41) |
7/22 | HR 2560 | Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011 | Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 46) |
6/21 | S 782 | Economic Development Revitalization Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (49 - 51) |
6/14 | S Amdt 436 | Repeals the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (40 - 59) |
5/25 | H Con Res 34 | 2011-2012 Budget | Motion Rejected - Senate (40 - 57) |
5/25 | S Con Res 21 | 2012 Budget | Motion Rejected - Senate (42 - 55) |
5/17 | S 940 | Amending Oil Company Tax Laws | Motion Rejected - Senate (52 - 48) |
4/14 | HR 1473 | 2011 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 19) |
3/17 | H J Res 48 | Additional Continuing Appropriations | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (87 - 13) |
3/09 | HR 1 | Continuing Appropriations | Bill Failed - Senate (44 - 56) |
3/09 | S Amdt 149 | Department of Defense funding and Continuing Appropriations | Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 58) |
3/02 | H J Res 44 | Continuing Appropriations Amendments | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (91 - 9) |
3/02 | S Amdt 115 | Calling for a Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (58 - 40) |
3/01 | S Amdt 112 | Prioritizing Payment of Public Debt | Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 47) |
2/02 | S Amdt 28 | Repealing the IRS 1099 Provision from the Health Care Bill | Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
2/02 | S Amdt 9 | Repealing the IRS 1099 Provision from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Motion Agreed - Senate (81 - 17) |