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
Dec. 16, 2009 National HR 2847 Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - House (217 - 212)
Dec. 11, 2009 National HR 4173 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act Bill Passed - House (223 - 202)
Nov. 19, 2009 National HR 3961 Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO Bill Passed - House (243 - 183)
Oct. 6, 2009 National S Amdt 2588 Prohibiting Federal Funding of Mandatory Arbitration Contracts Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 30)
June 26, 2009 National HR 2454 Energy and Environmental Law Amendments ("Cap and Trade") Bill Passed - House (219 - 212)
Feb. 4, 2009 National S Amdt 279 Removing the Buy American Clause Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 65)
Jan. 27, 2009 National S 181 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 Bill Passed - House (250 - 177)
Jan. 22, 2009 National S 181 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 36)
Jan. 9, 2009 National HR 11 Employment Discrimination Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (247 - 171)
Jan. 9, 2009 National HR 12 Employment Discrimination Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (256 - 163)
Date No. Title Outcome
12/16 HR 2847 Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - House (217 - 212)
12/11 HR 4173 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act Bill Passed - House (223 - 202)
11/19 HR 3961 Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO Bill Passed - House (243 - 183)
10/06 S Amdt 2588 Prohibiting Federal Funding of Mandatory Arbitration Contracts Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 30)
6/26 HR 2454 Energy and Environmental Law Amendments ("Cap and Trade") Bill Passed - House (219 - 212)
2/04 S Amdt 279 Removing the Buy American Clause Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 65)
1/27 S 181 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 Bill Passed - House (250 - 177)
1/22 S 181 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 36)
1/09 HR 11 Employment Discrimination Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (247 - 171)
1/09 HR 12 Employment Discrimination Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (256 - 163)

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