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National Key Votes

Date Bill No. Bill Title Outcome Vote
Dec. 28, 2012 HR 5949 FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 Bill Passed - Senate
(73 - 23)
Yea
Nov. 29, 2012 S Amdt 3245 Prohibits the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Individuals Detained at Guantanamo Bay Amendment Adopted - Senate
(54 - 41)
Nay
Nov. 29, 2012 S Amdt 3096 Accelerated Transition of US Military Operations to the Government of Afghanistan Amendment Adopted - Senate
(62 - 33)
Yea
Aug. 2, 2012 S 3414 Cybersecurity Act of 2012 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(52 - 46)
Yea
Oct. 21, 2011 S Amdt 753 Prohibits the Use of Funds for Prosecution of Enemy Combatants in Civilian Courts Amendment Rejected - Senate
(47 - 52)
Nay
May 26, 2011 S 990 Patriot Act Extension Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate
(72 - 23)
Yea
May 23, 2011 S 1038 Patriot Act Extension Cloture Invoked - Senate
(74 - 8)
Yea
Feb. 15, 2011 HR 514 Extension of Various Patriot Act Provisions Bill Passed - Senate
(86 - 12)
Yea
May 27, 2010 S Amdt 4214 National Guard Deployment on Southern U.S. Land Border Motion Rejected - Senate
(51 - 46)
Nay
May 27, 2010 S Amdt 4204 Requiring Afghanistan Troop Redeployment Plan and Timetable Amendment Rejected - Senate
(18 - 80)
Nay
Oct. 22, 2009 HR 2647 2009-2010 Defense Appropriations Conference Report Adopted - Senate
(68 - 29)
Yea
Oct. 20, 2009 HR 2892 2009-2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Authorizations Conference Report Adopted - Senate
(79 - 19)
Yea
July 8, 2009 S Amdt 1399 Requiring Completion of Reinforced Border Fencing Amendment Adopted - Senate
(54 - 44)
Nay
Oct. 1, 2008 HR 7081 United States - India Nuclear Agreement Bill Passed - Senate
(86 - 13)
Yea
Sept. 27, 2008 HR 2638 Continuing Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate
(78 - 12)
Yea
July 9, 2008 HR 6304 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Bill Passed - Senate
(69 - 28)
Yea
July 9, 2008 S Amdt 5064 Striking Telecom Immunity from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Bill Amendment Rejected - Senate
(32 - 66)
Nay
Feb. 13, 2008 HR 2082 Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 Conference Report Adopted - Senate
(51 - 45)
Yea
Feb. 12, 2008 S Amdt 3907 Striking Telecommunications Companies' Civil Immunity for Surveillance Amendment Rejected - Senate
(31 - 67)
Nay
Feb. 12, 2008 S 2248 FISA Amendments Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate
(68 - 29)
Yea
Feb. 12, 2008 S Amdt 3910 FISA as Exclusive Means for Conducting Electronic Surveillance Amendment Rejected - Senate
(57 - 41)
Yea
Dec. 18, 2007 HR 2764 Inclusion of Consolidated Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate
(76 - 17)
Yea
Nov. 16, 2007 S 2340 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(45 - 53)
Nay
Nov. 16, 2007 HR 4156 Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense and Timeline for Withdrawal from Iraq Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(53 - 45)
Yea
Oct. 16, 2007 HR 3093 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 Bill Passed - Senate
(75 - 19)
Yea
Oct. 3, 2007 S Amdt 3117 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate
(95 - 1)
Yea
Sept. 26, 2007 S Amdt 3017 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Amendment Adopted - Senate
(76 - 22)
Yea
Sept. 26, 2007 S Amdt 2997 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq Amendment Adopted - Senate
(75 - 23)
Yea
Sept. 19, 2007 S Amdt 2022 Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(56 - 43)
Yea
Sept. 11, 2007 S Amdt 2797 Limiting Mexican Trucks to Commercial Zones Near the Border Between the U.S. and Mexico Amendment Adopted - Senate
(75 - 23)
Yea
Aug. 3, 2007 S 1927 Foreign Intelligence Acquisition Bill Passed - Senate
(60 - 28)
Yea
July 26, 2007 S Amdt 2405 REAL ID Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate
(50 - 44)
Yea
July 26, 2007 HR 2638 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Passed - Senate
(89 - 4)
Yea
July 26, 2007 S Amdt 2480 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate
(89 - 1)
Yea
July 26, 2007 HR 1 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Conference Report Adopted - Senate
(85 - 8)
Yea
July 19, 2007 S Amdt 2351 Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees Amendment Adopted - Senate
(94 - 3)
Yea
June 6, 2007 S Amdt 1250 Law Enforcement Review of Z Visa Applications Amendment Adopted - Senate
(57 - 39)
Nay
March 13, 2007 S 4 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Bill Passed - Senate
(60 - 38)
Yea
Dec. 6, 2006 PN 2191 Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(95 - 2)
Yea
Sept. 29, 2006 HR 6061 Secure Fence Act of 2006 Bill Passed - Senate
(80 - 19)
Yea
Sept. 28, 2006 S 3930 Military Commissions Act of 2006 Bill Passed - Senate
(65 - 34)
Nay
Sept. 28, 2006 S Amdt 5095 Oversight of CIA Interrogation and Detention Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate
(46 - 53)
Yea
Sept. 28, 2006 S Amdt 5104 Military Commissions Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate
(47 - 52)
Yea
Sept. 13, 2006 S Amdt 4999 Security of Cargo Containers Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate
(43 - 55)
Yea
Sept. 13, 2006 S Amdt 4936 National Security Amendment Motion Rejected - Senate
(41 - 57)
Yea
Sept. 7, 2006 S Amdt 4909 Media in the Middle East Amendment Bill Tabled - Senate
(51 - 44)
Nay
July 12, 2006 S AMDT 4553 Rail and Transit Security Amendment Motion Rejected - Senate
(50 - 50)
Yea
July 12, 2006 S AMDT 4587 Transit Security Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate
(50 - 50)
Yea
July 11, 2006 S AMDT 4560 USEMA Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate
(87 - 11)
Yea
July 11, 2006 S AMDT 4563 FEMA Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate
(32 - 66)
Yea

About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes

Project Vote Smart provides easy access to Congressional and State voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Key votes typically include the initial passage of legislation and final conference report vote versions (the compromised versions of bills passed in separate House and Senate versions). 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

Descriptions of the votes are written by Vote Smart staff and based on information included in the Congressional Record, State House Journals, or Senate Journals, with additional background information from newspapers, magazines, etc. Vote Smart provides summaries for each selected key vote. The summary does not necessarily reflect the final version of the bill.

The Key Votes Program follows Project Vote Smart's strict policies, procedures and structure that guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. In order to ensure that all Key Votes are non-partisan in their selection and language, each is approved by a group of over 160 political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.

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