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National Key Votes

Date Bill No. Bill Title Outcome Vote
Dec. 21, 2010 HR 2751 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Concurrence Vote Passed - House
(215 - 144)
Yea
Nov. 18, 2010 HR 6419 Extension of Certain Unemployment Benefits Bill Failed - House
(258 - 154)
Yea
July 30, 2010 HR 5982 Tax Law Amendments Bill Failed - House
(241 - 154)
Yea
July 22, 2010 HR 4213 Unemployment Benefits Extension Concurrence Vote Passed - House
(272 - 152)
Yea
July 15, 2010 HR 5114 Flood Insurance Program Extension Bill Passed - House
(329 - 90)
Yea
June 30, 2010 HR 4173 Regulation and Oversight of the United States Financial System Conference Report Adopted - House
(237 - 192)
Yea
April 15, 2010 HR 4851 Unemployment Benefits Extension Concurrence Vote Passed - House
(289 - 112)
Yea
March 21, 2010 HR 3590 Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments ("Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act") Concurrence Vote Passed - House
(219 - 212)
Yea
Dec. 11, 2009 HR 4173 Regulation and Oversight of the United States Financial System Bill Passed - House
(223 - 202)
Nay
Nov. 19, 2009 HR 3961 Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO Bill Passed - House
(243 - 183)
Yea
Nov. 5, 2009 HR 3548 Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits Concurrence Vote Passed - House
(403 - 12)
Yea
Oct. 7, 2009 HR 2997 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Conference Report Adopted - House
(263 - 162)
Yea
July 31, 2009 HR 3435 Supplemental Appropriations for the "Cash for Clunkers" Program Bill Passed - House
(316 - 109)
Yea
July 30, 2009 HR 2749 Food Safety Regulation Amendments Bill Passed - House
(283 - 142)
Yea
June 26, 2009 HR 2454 Energy and Environmental Law Amendments ("Cap and Trade") Bill Passed - House
(219 - 212)
Yea
June 9, 2009 HR 2751 Trade-in Vouchers for Fuel Efficient Cars Bill Passed - House
(298 - 119)
Yea
April 2, 2009 HR 1256 FDA Oversight of Tobacco Products Bill Passed - House
(298 - 112)
Yea
March 5, 2009 HR 1106 Mortgage Restructuring In Bankruptcy Bill Passed - House
(234 - 191)
Yea
Feb. 13, 2009 HR 1 Appropriations, Tax Law Amendments, and Unemployment Benefit Amendments ("Stimulus Bill") Conference Report Adopted - House
(246 - 183)
Yea
Jan. 28, 2009 HR 1 Appropriations, Tax Law Amendments, and Unemployment Benefit Amendments ("Stimulus Bill") Bill Passed - House
(244 - 188)
Yea
Jan. 27, 2009 S 181 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 Bill Passed - House
(250 - 177)
Yea
Jan. 22, 2009 H J Res 3 Releasing Funds for Economic Stabilization Act Joint Resolution Passed - House
(270 - 155)
Yea
Jan. 21, 2009 HR 384 Oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program Bill Passed - House
(260 - 166)
Yea
Jan. 14, 2009 HR 2 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization and Expansion Bill Passed - House
(289 - 139)
Yea
Jan. 9, 2009 HR 11 Employment Discrimination Law Amendments Bill Passed - House
(247 - 171)
Yea
Jan. 9, 2009 HR 12 Employment Discrimination Law Amendments Bill Passed - House
(256 - 163)
Yea

Illinois Key Votes

Date Bill No. Bill Title Outcome Vote
Aug. 19, 2008 HB 5285 Extending Parental Health Insurance to Unmarried Dependents Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate
(35 - 17)
Yea
April 1, 2008 SB 1997 Interscholastic Event Image Release Bill Passed - Senate
(47 - 5)
Yea
Sept. 18, 2007 HB 2035 Gaming Expansion to Fund Infrastructure and Social Programs Bill Passed - Senate
(37 - 15)
Yea
Aug. 9, 2007 HB 556 Cigarette Tax Increase Bill Passed - Senate
(34 - 24)
Yea
July 26, 2007 SB 1592 Electricity Relief and Regulation Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate
(40 - 13)
Yea
April 20, 2007 SB 1592 Electric Rates Freeze Bill Passed - Senate
(35 - 20)
Did Not Vote
April 20, 2007 S. Amdt. 3: Electric Rates Freeze Amendment Adopted - Senate
(33 - 24)
Nay
March 29, 2007 SB 500 Smoke Free Illinois Act Bill Passed - Senate
(34 - 23)
Yea
May 4, 2006 HB 1918 Support Horseracing Through Riverboat Casinos in Chicago Bill Passed - Senate
(40 - 16)
Yea
March 1, 2006 SB 1991 Minority and Female Investors in Casinos Bill Passed - Senate
(30 - 23)
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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