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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
Sept. 4, 2018 National HR 6439 Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program Authorization Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (272 - 119)
Aug. 23, 2018 National HR 6157 Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 Bill Passed - Senate (85 - 7)
Aug. 23, 2018 National S Amdt 3967 Senator Rand Paul's Amendment to H.R. 6157 Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 48)
Aug. 1, 2018 National HR 5515 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (87 - 10)
Aug. 1, 2018 National HR 6147 Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019 Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 6)
July 26, 2018 National HR 5515 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Conference Report Adopted - House (359 - 54)
July 25, 2018 National HR 6199 Restoring Access to Medication and Modernizing Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (277 - 142)
July 25, 2018 National HR 6311 Increasing Access to Lower Premium Plans and Expanding Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (242 - 176)
July 19, 2018 National S Res 584 A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate against the making available of current and former diplomats, officials, and members of the Armed Forces of the United States for questioning by the government of Vladimir Putin. Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 0)
July 19, 2018 National H Con Res 119 Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy. Bill Passed - House (229 - 180)
July 19, 2018 National HR 6147 Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019 Bill Passed - House (217 - 199)
July 18, 2018 National PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit (50 - 49)
July 17, 2018 National PN 1391 Nomination of James Blew to Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development for the Department of Education (50 - 49)
July 17, 2018 National PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
July 13, 2018 National HR 50 Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2017 Bill Passed - House (230 - 168)
July 12, 2018 National HR 3281 Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act Bill Passed - House (233 - 184)
July 11, 2018 National PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General (51 - 48)
July 11, 2018 National HR 200 Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act Bill Passed - House (222 - 193)
July 10, 2018 National PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
June 28, 2018 National HR 2 Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 11)
June 27, 2018 National HR 6136 Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (121 - 301)
June 26, 2018 National HR 2083 Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act Bill Passed - House (288 - 116)
June 22, 2018 National HR 6 Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (396 - 14)
June 21, 2018 National HR 4760 Securing America's Future Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (193 - 231)
June 21, 2018 National HR 2 Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (213 - 211)
Date No. Title Outcome
9/04 HR 6439 Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program Authorization Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (272 - 119)
8/23 HR 6157 Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 Bill Passed - Senate (85 - 7)
8/23 S Amdt 3967 Senator Rand Paul's Amendment to H.R. 6157 Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 48)
8/01 HR 5515 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Conference Report Adopted - Senate (87 - 10)
8/01 HR 6147 Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019 Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 6)
7/26 HR 5515 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Conference Report Adopted - House (359 - 54)
7/25 HR 6199 Restoring Access to Medication and Modernizing Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (277 - 142)
7/25 HR 6311 Increasing Access to Lower Premium Plans and Expanding Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (242 - 176)
7/19 S Res 584 A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate against the making available of current and former diplomats, officials, and members of the Armed Forces of the United States for questioning by the government of Vladimir Putin. Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 0)
7/19 H Con Res 119 Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy. Bill Passed - House (229 - 180)
7/19 HR 6147 Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019 Bill Passed - House (217 - 199)
7/18 PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit (50 - 49)
7/17 PN 1391 Nomination of James Blew to Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development for the Department of Education (50 - 49)
7/17 PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
7/13 HR 50 Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2017 Bill Passed - House (230 - 168)
7/12 HR 3281 Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act Bill Passed - House (233 - 184)
7/11 PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General (51 - 48)
7/11 HR 200 Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act Bill Passed - House (222 - 193)
7/10 PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
6/28 HR 2 Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 11)
6/27 HR 6136 Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (121 - 301)
6/26 HR 2083 Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act Bill Passed - House (288 - 116)
6/22 HR 6 Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (396 - 14)
6/21 HR 4760 Securing America's Future Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (193 - 231)
6/21 HR 2 Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (213 - 211)

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