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National Key Votes

Date Bill No. Bill Title Outcome Vote
Feb. 12, 2013 S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate
(78 - 22)
Yea
Dec. 6, 2011 PN 5 Nomination of Caitlin Joan Halligan to the District of Columbia Circuit Court Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(54 - 45)
Yea
Dec. 1, 2011 S Amdt 1125 Limits New Detention Rules to Prisoners Captured Outside the U.S. Amendment Rejected - Senate
(45 - 55)
Yea
Dec. 1, 2011 S Amdt 1274 Authorizes Further Detention After Trial During Wartime Amendment Rejected - Senate
(41 - 59)
Nay
Dec. 1, 2011 S Amdt 1126 Prohibits Detention of U.S. Citizens Without Trial Amendment Rejected - Senate
(45 - 55)
Yea
Nov. 29, 2011 S Amdt 1107 Removes Provisions Requiring Military Custody of al-Qaeda Suspects Amendment Rejected - Senate
(38 - 60)
Yea
Sept. 8, 2011 HR 1249 Patent Law Amendments Bill Passed - Senate
(89 - 9)
Yea
Aug. 5, 2010 PN 1768 Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(63 - 37)
Yea
Nov. 19, 2009 PN 187-111 David F. Hamilton, Seventh Circuit Judge Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(59 - 39)
Yea
Oct. 6, 2009 S Amdt 2588 Prohibiting Federal Funding of Mandatory Arbitration Contracts Amendment Adopted - Senate
(68 - 30)
Yea
Aug. 6, 2009 PN 506-111 Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(68 - 31)
Yea
June 20, 2008 HR 6304 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Bill Passed - House
(293 - 129)
Yea
May 20, 2008 HR 6074 Prohibiting Foreign States or Associations from Forming a Group to Control Oil Bill Passed - House
(324 - 84)
Did Not Vote
April 15, 2008 HR 5719 Amending Tax Code Provisions and IRS Practices Bill Passed - House
(238 - 179)
Yea
March 14, 2008 HR 3773 Electronic Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Review Act Concurrence Vote Passed - House
(213 - 197)
Yea
March 11, 2008 HR 2082 Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 Veto Override Failed - House
(225 - 188)
Yea
Feb. 14, 2008 H Res 982 Contempt Charges Resolution Passed - House
(223 - 32)
Yea
Dec. 13, 2007 HR 2082 Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 Conference Report Adopted - House
(222 - 199)
Yea
Nov. 15, 2007 HR 3773 Electronic Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Review Act Bill Passed - House
(227 - 189)
Yea
Oct. 16, 2007 HR 2102 Reporter's Source Confidentiality Guidelines Bill Passed - House
(398 - 21)
Yea
Oct. 4, 2007 HR 2740 Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) Expansion and Enforcement Act of 2007 Bill Passed - House
(389 - 30)
Yea
May 22, 2007 HR 2264 Preventing the Organization of Petroleum Export Groups Bill Passed - House
(345 - 72)
Yea
May 22, 2007 S 214 United States Attorneys Act of 2007 Bill Passed - House
(306 - 114)
Yea
May 3, 2007 HR 1592 Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 Bill Passed - House
(237 - 180)
Yea
March 14, 2007 HR 985 Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007 Bill Passed - House
(331 - 94)
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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