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
Dec. 18, 2013 National H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (64 - 36)
Sept. 30, 2013 National H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46)
Sept. 30, 2013 National H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46)
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)
March 20, 2013 National HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 26)
Jan. 1, 2013 National HR 8 Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 8)
July 24, 2013 National HR 1911 Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18)
Sept. 27, 2013 National H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (54 - 44)
Oct. 16, 2013 National HR 2775 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18)
May 6, 2013 National S 743 Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 27)
Jan. 31, 2013 National HR 325 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 34)
Jan. 28, 2013 National HR 152 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (62 - 36)
Nov. 7, 2013 National S 815 Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32)
June 27, 2013 National S 744 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 32)
March 7, 2013 National PN 48 Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 34)
June 11, 2013 National S 744 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (82 - 15)
April 25, 2013 National S 743 Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 Cloture Invoked - Senate (63 - 30)
Nov. 4, 2013 National S 815 Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 30)
March 23, 2013 National S Amdt 139 Prohibits the United States From Entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 46)
May 23, 2013 National S Amdt 953 Limits Subsidy Payments for Individuals with Incomes More Than $750,000 Amendment Adopted - Senate (59 - 33)
June 10, 2013 National S 954 Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 27)
Feb. 12, 2013 National S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 22)
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)
Oct. 12, 2013 National S 1569 Default Prevention Act of 2013 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45)
Date No. Title Outcome
12/18 H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (64 - 36)
9/30 H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46)
9/30 H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46)
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)
3/20 HR 933 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 26)
1/01 HR 8 Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 8)
7/24 HR 1911 Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18)
9/27 H J Res 59 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (54 - 44)
10/16 HR 2775 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18)
5/06 S 743 Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 27)
1/31 HR 325 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 34)
1/28 HR 152 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (62 - 36)
11/07 S 815 Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32)
6/27 S 744 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 32)
3/07 PN 48 Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 34)
6/11 S 744 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (82 - 15)
4/25 S 743 Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 Cloture Invoked - Senate (63 - 30)
11/04 S 815 Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 30)
3/23 S Amdt 139 Prohibits the United States From Entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 46)
5/23 S Amdt 953 Limits Subsidy Payments for Individuals with Incomes More Than $750,000 Amendment Adopted - Senate (59 - 33)
6/10 S 954 Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 27)
2/12 S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 22)
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)
10/12 S 1569 Default Prevention Act of 2013 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45)

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