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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
July 23, 1998 National HR 1122 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion bill Veto Override Passed - House (296 - 132)
May 21, 2008 National HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - House (316 - 108)
July 15, 2008 National HR 6331 Medicare Bill Veto Override Passed - House (383 - 41)
Nov. 6, 2007 National HR 1495 Water Resources Development Act of 2007 Veto Override Passed - House (361 - 54)
July 15, 2008 National HR 6331 Medicare Bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (70 - 26)
Nov. 8, 2007 National HR 1495 Water Resources Development Act of 2007 Veto Override Passed - Senate (79 - 14)
Sept. 19, 1996 National HR 1833 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Ban Veto Override Passed - House (285 - 137)
June 18, 2008 National HR 6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - House (317 - 109)
Feb. 25, 1998 National HR 2631 Line Item Veto Cancellation bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (78 - 20)
May 22, 2008 National HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (82 - 13)
Feb. 5, 1998 National HR 2631 Line Item Veto Cancellation bill Veto Override Passed - House (347 - 69)
June 18, 2008 National HR 6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (80 - 14)
Dec. 20, 1995 National HR 1058 Legal Reform bill Veto Override Passed - House (319 - 100)
Dec. 22, 1995 National HR 1058 Legal Reform bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (68 - 30)
Jan. 3, 1996 National HR 1530 Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department Veto Override Passed - House (240 - 156)
Sept. 30, 1992 National HR 5318 Conditional Extension of Most-Favored-Nation Trade Status to China Veto Override Passed - House (345 - 74)
April 28, 2009 National PN 188 Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination Confirmed - Senate (65 - 31)
Dec. 7, 2006 National PN 1396 Andrew von Eschenbach, Commissioner of Food and Drugs Nomination Confirmed - Senate (80 - 11)
Feb. 3, 2005 National PN 12 Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (60 - 36)
Feb. 3, 2000 National PN 729 Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate (89 - 4)
Jan. 30, 2001 National PN 96 Gale Ann Norton, Secretary of the Interior Nomination Confirmed - Senate (75 - 24)
June 9, 2005 National PN 200 William H. Pryor, Jr., Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 45)
Oct. 28, 2003 National PN 884 Michael Leavitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (88 - 8)
April 30, 1997 National PN 82 Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13)
Feb. 1, 2001 National PN 107 John Ashcroft, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 42)
June 8, 2005 National PN 201 Janice R Brown, Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate (56 - 43)
May 25, 2005 National PN 194 Priscilla R. Owen, Fifth Circuit Judge Nomination Confirmed - Senate (55 - 43)
April 19, 1994 National PN 1210 Adm. Frank B. Kelso II, Retiring Nomination Confirmed - Senate (54 - 43)
Aug. 3, 1993 National PN 422 Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (96 - 3)
Jan. 31, 2006 National PN 1059 Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 42)
June 14, 2005 National PN 202 Thomas B. Griffith, Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate (73 - 24)
Jan. 26, 2009 National PN 64-6 Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury Nomination Confirmed - Senate (60 - 34)
Dec. 6, 2006 National PN 2191 Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2)
Jan. 26, 2005 National PN 8 Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13)
June 20, 1996 National PN 951 Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate (91 - 7)
June 20, 1996 National PN 953 Alice M. Rivlin, Federal Reserve Vice-Chair Nomination Confirmed - Senate (57 - 41)
Sept. 7, 1993 National PN 452 M. Joycelyn Elders, United States Surgeon General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (65 - 34)
Sept. 29, 2005 National PN 801 Judge John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (78 - 22)
Aug. 6, 2009 National PN 506 Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (68 - 31)
Aug. 5, 1999 National PN 100 Richard Holbrooke, Representative to the United Nations Nomination Confirmed - Senate (81 - 16)
Jan. 28, 2010 National PN 959 Ben S. Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate (70 - 30)
Nov. 8, 2007 National PN 958 Michael B. Mukasey, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 40)
Feb. 10, 1998 National PN 623 David Satcher, Surgeon General of the Public Health Service Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 35)
May 26, 2006 National PN 1552 Michael Hayden, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (78 - 15)
July 29, 1994 National PN 1399 Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (87 - 9)
Sept. 7, 2006 National S Amdt 4909 Media in the Middle East Amendment Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 44)
June 30, 1994 National S Amdt 2127 Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor Termination Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 46)
June 20, 2000 National S Amdt 3252 Military Abortions Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 49)
July 9, 2008 National HR 6331 Medicare Bill Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30)
July 26, 2007 National S Amdt 2405 REAL ID Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44)
Sept. 22, 1993 National S Amdt 910 Advanced Solid Rocket Motor Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47)
June 28, 2000 National S Amdt 3655 Funding for Special Education Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (51 - 47)
April 6, 2000 National S Amdt 2955 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drilling amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (51 - 49)
July 15, 2008 National S Amdt 5078 Limiting Countries for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (70 - 24)
June 27, 1996 National H Res 468 Investigation of Speaker Newt Gingrich Resolution Tabled - House (229 - 170)
Dec. 23, 2009 National HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
Aug. 3, 1994 National S Amdt 2446 Ethanol Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (51 - 50)
April 15, 1997 National S Amdt 31 Yucca Mountain Alternate Sites amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (59 - 39)
June 24, 1998 National S Amdt 2912 Bosnia and Herzegovina Withdrawal Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (65 - 31)
March 25, 1999 National S Amdt 178 Agricultural Appropriations Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 45)
May 22, 1997 National S Amdt 301 Budget Deficit Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 47)
Sept. 13, 2000 National S Amdt 4132 China Nonproliferation Act Amendment Tabled - Senate (65 - 32)
March 23, 1995 National S Amdt 350 Pay-As-You-Go Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (49 - 48)
Aug. 10, 1995 National S Amdt 2401 Space-Based Laser Program Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (57 - 41)
March 6, 1998 National S Amdt 1708 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (58 - 37)
Nov. 9, 1999 National S Amdt 2751 Two Year Minimum Wage Increase Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 48)
June 22, 1999 National S Amdt 702 Patients' Bill of Rights Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47)
May 24, 2005 National PN 194 Priscilla R. Owen, Fifth Circuit Judge Cloture Invoked - Senate (81 - 18)
July 25, 1994 National S Amdt 2396 Prohibition of Funds to National Endowments for the Arts for Certain Projects Amendment Tabled - Senate (49 - 42)
Feb. 4, 1993 National S Amdt 19 Homosexual Discrimination in the Military Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (62 - 37)
July 22, 1993 National S Amdt 608 National Service Educational Awards Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (55 - 44)
Dec. 22, 2009 National S Amdt 2786 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
Dec. 8, 2009 National S Amdt 2962 Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45)
Feb. 22, 2010 National HR 2847 Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") Cloture Invoked - Senate (62 - 30)
Oct. 15, 1993 National S Amdt 1043 Ending Military Operations in Somalia Amendment Tabled - Senate (61 - 38)
Date No. Title Outcome
7/23 HR 1122 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion bill Veto Override Passed - House (296 - 132)
5/21 HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - House (316 - 108)
7/15 HR 6331 Medicare Bill Veto Override Passed - House (383 - 41)
11/06 HR 1495 Water Resources Development Act of 2007 Veto Override Passed - House (361 - 54)
7/15 HR 6331 Medicare Bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (70 - 26)
11/08 HR 1495 Water Resources Development Act of 2007 Veto Override Passed - Senate (79 - 14)
9/19 HR 1833 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Ban Veto Override Passed - House (285 - 137)
6/18 HR 6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - House (317 - 109)
2/25 HR 2631 Line Item Veto Cancellation bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (78 - 20)
5/22 HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (82 - 13)
2/05 HR 2631 Line Item Veto Cancellation bill Veto Override Passed - House (347 - 69)
6/18 HR 6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (80 - 14)
12/20 HR 1058 Legal Reform bill Veto Override Passed - House (319 - 100)
12/22 HR 1058 Legal Reform bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (68 - 30)
1/03 HR 1530 Authorization bill FY96, Defense Department Veto Override Passed - House (240 - 156)
9/30 HR 5318 Conditional Extension of Most-Favored-Nation Trade Status to China Veto Override Passed - House (345 - 74)
4/28 PN 188 Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination Confirmed - Senate (65 - 31)
12/07 PN 1396 Andrew von Eschenbach, Commissioner of Food and Drugs Nomination Confirmed - Senate (80 - 11)
2/03 PN 12 Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (60 - 36)
2/03 PN 729 Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate (89 - 4)
1/30 PN 96 Gale Ann Norton, Secretary of the Interior Nomination Confirmed - Senate (75 - 24)
6/09 PN 200 William H. Pryor, Jr., Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 45)
10/28 PN 884 Michael Leavitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (88 - 8)
4/30 PN 82 Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13)
2/01 PN 107 John Ashcroft, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 42)
6/08 PN 201 Janice R Brown, Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate (56 - 43)
5/25 PN 194 Priscilla R. Owen, Fifth Circuit Judge Nomination Confirmed - Senate (55 - 43)
4/19 PN 1210 Adm. Frank B. Kelso II, Retiring Nomination Confirmed - Senate (54 - 43)
8/03 PN 422 Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (96 - 3)
1/31 PN 1059 Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 42)
6/14 PN 202 Thomas B. Griffith, Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate (73 - 24)
1/26 PN 64-6 Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury Nomination Confirmed - Senate (60 - 34)
12/06 PN 2191 Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2)
1/26 PN 8 Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13)
6/20 PN 951 Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate (91 - 7)
6/20 PN 953 Alice M. Rivlin, Federal Reserve Vice-Chair Nomination Confirmed - Senate (57 - 41)
9/07 PN 452 M. Joycelyn Elders, United States Surgeon General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (65 - 34)
9/29 PN 801 Judge John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (78 - 22)
8/06 PN 506 Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (68 - 31)
8/05 PN 100 Richard Holbrooke, Representative to the United Nations Nomination Confirmed - Senate (81 - 16)
1/28 PN 959 Ben S. Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate (70 - 30)
11/08 PN 958 Michael B. Mukasey, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 40)
2/10 PN 623 David Satcher, Surgeon General of the Public Health Service Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 35)
5/26 PN 1552 Michael Hayden, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (78 - 15)
7/29 PN 1399 Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate (87 - 9)
9/07 S Amdt 4909 Media in the Middle East Amendment Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 44)
6/30 S Amdt 2127 Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor Termination Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 46)
6/20 S Amdt 3252 Military Abortions Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 49)
7/09 HR 6331 Medicare Bill Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30)
7/26 S Amdt 2405 REAL ID Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44)
9/22 S Amdt 910 Advanced Solid Rocket Motor Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47)
6/28 S Amdt 3655 Funding for Special Education Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (51 - 47)
4/06 S Amdt 2955 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drilling amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (51 - 49)
7/15 S Amdt 5078 Limiting Countries for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (70 - 24)
6/27 H Res 468 Investigation of Speaker Newt Gingrich Resolution Tabled - House (229 - 170)
12/23 HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
8/03 S Amdt 2446 Ethanol Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (51 - 50)
4/15 S Amdt 31 Yucca Mountain Alternate Sites amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (59 - 39)
6/24 S Amdt 2912 Bosnia and Herzegovina Withdrawal Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (65 - 31)
3/25 S Amdt 178 Agricultural Appropriations Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 45)
5/22 S Amdt 301 Budget Deficit Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (52 - 47)
9/13 S Amdt 4132 China Nonproliferation Act Amendment Tabled - Senate (65 - 32)
3/23 S Amdt 350 Pay-As-You-Go Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (49 - 48)
8/10 S Amdt 2401 Space-Based Laser Program Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (57 - 41)
3/06 S Amdt 1708 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (58 - 37)
11/09 S Amdt 2751 Two Year Minimum Wage Increase Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 48)
6/22 S Amdt 702 Patients' Bill of Rights Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (53 - 47)
5/24 PN 194 Priscilla R. Owen, Fifth Circuit Judge Cloture Invoked - Senate (81 - 18)
7/25 S Amdt 2396 Prohibition of Funds to National Endowments for the Arts for Certain Projects Amendment Tabled - Senate (49 - 42)
2/04 S Amdt 19 Homosexual Discrimination in the Military Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (62 - 37)
7/22 S Amdt 608 National Service Educational Awards Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (55 - 44)
12/22 S Amdt 2786 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39)
12/08 S Amdt 2962 Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45)
2/22 HR 2847 Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits ("Senate Jobs Bill") Cloture Invoked - Senate (62 - 30)
10/15 S Amdt 1043 Ending Military Operations in Somalia Amendment Tabled - Senate (61 - 38)
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