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
Jan. 1, 2013 National HR 8 Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 Concurrence Vote Passed - House (257 - 167)
Jan. 1, 2013 National HR 8 Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 8)
Jan. 1, 2013 National HR 6726 Congressional Pay Freeze and Fiscal Responsibility Act Bill Passed - House (287 - 129)
Jan. 28, 2013 National HR 152 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (62 - 36)
Jan. 15, 2013 National HR 152 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - House (241 - 180)
Jan. 15, 2013 National H Amdt 4 Offsets Cost of Disaster Relief Appropriations Through Discretionary Budget Cuts Amendment Rejected - House (162 - 258)
Jan. 31, 2013 National HR 325 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 34)
Jan. 23, 2013 National HR 325 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (285 - 144)
Feb. 28, 2013 National S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (286 - 138)
Feb. 12, 2013 National S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 22)
Feb. 15, 2013 National HR 273 Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees Bill Passed - House (261 - 154)
Feb. 26, 2013 National PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 41)
Feb. 26, 2013 National PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Invoked - Senate (71 - 27)
Feb. 14, 2013 National PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 40)
Feb. 28, 2013 National H Amdt 23 Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act Amendment Rejected - House (166 - 257)
March 6, 2013 National HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - House (267 - 151)
March 15, 2013 National HR 803 Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act (SKILLS Act) Bill Passed - House (215 - 202)
March 7, 2013 National PN 48 Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 34)
March 13, 2013 National HR 890 Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (246 - 181)
March 13, 2013 National S Amdt 30 To Prohibit the Use of Funds to Carry Out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 52)
March 14, 2013 National S Amdt 66 Temporarily Prohibits the Hiring of Nonessential Federal Employees Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 54)
March 21, 2013 National HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Concurrence Vote Passed - House (318 - 109)
March 20, 2013 National HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 26)
March 21, 2013 National H Con Res 25 Establishing the Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2014 and Setting Forth Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2015 Through 2023 Joint Resolution Passed - House (221 - 207)
March 23, 2013 National S Con Res 8 An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2014, Revising the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Year 2013, and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2015 Through 2023 Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 49)
Date No. Title Outcome
1/01 HR 8 Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 Concurrence Vote Passed - House (257 - 167)
1/01 HR 8 Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 8)
1/01 HR 6726 Congressional Pay Freeze and Fiscal Responsibility Act Bill Passed - House (287 - 129)
1/28 HR 152 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (62 - 36)
1/15 HR 152 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - House (241 - 180)
1/15 H Amdt 4 Offsets Cost of Disaster Relief Appropriations Through Discretionary Budget Cuts Amendment Rejected - House (162 - 258)
1/31 HR 325 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 34)
1/23 HR 325 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (285 - 144)
2/28 S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (286 - 138)
2/12 S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 22)
2/15 HR 273 Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees Bill Passed - House (261 - 154)
2/26 PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 41)
2/26 PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Invoked - Senate (71 - 27)
2/14 PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 40)
2/28 H Amdt 23 Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act Amendment Rejected - House (166 - 257)
3/06 HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - House (267 - 151)
3/15 HR 803 Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act (SKILLS Act) Bill Passed - House (215 - 202)
3/07 PN 48 Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 34)
3/13 HR 890 Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (246 - 181)
3/13 S Amdt 30 To Prohibit the Use of Funds to Carry Out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 52)
3/14 S Amdt 66 Temporarily Prohibits the Hiring of Nonessential Federal Employees Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 54)
3/21 HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Concurrence Vote Passed - House (318 - 109)
3/20 HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 26)
3/21 H Con Res 25 Establishing the Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2014 and Setting Forth Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2015 Through 2023 Joint Resolution Passed - House (221 - 207)
3/23 S Con Res 8 An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2014, Revising the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Year 2013, and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2015 Through 2023 Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 49)

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