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:
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.
Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 5, 2013 | National | H Amdt 524 | Limits Covered Customers to Businesses With Less Than $25 Million in Revenue | Amendment Rejected - House (144 - 266) |
Dec. 5, 2013 | National | H Amdt 521 | Authorizes Judicial Discretion in Awarding Legal Fees in Patent Lawsuits | Amendment Rejected - House (199 - 213) |
Dec. 5, 2013 | National | HR 3309 | Innovation Act | Bill Passed - House (325 - 91) |
Nov. 21, 2013 | National | S 1197 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 44) |
Nov. 19, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2255 | Prohibits the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Guantanamo Detainees | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) |
Nov. 19, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2175 | Authorizes the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Guantanamo Detainees to the United States | Amendment Rejected - Senate (52 - 46) |
Nov. 19, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2175 | Authorizes the Use of Funds for the Transfer or Release of Guantanamo Detainees to the United States | Amendment Rejected - Senate (52 - 46) |
Nov. 14, 2013 | National | HR 2655 | Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (228 - 195) |
Nov. 13, 2013 | National | HR 982 | Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (221 - 199) |
Oct. 10, 2013 | National | H J Res 79 | Border Security and Enforcement Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 | Joint Resolution Passed - House (249 - 175) |
Sept. 18, 2013 | National | H Amdt 463 | Amends the Definition of "Strategic and Critical Minerals" | Amendment Rejected - House (187 - 241) |
Sept. 18, 2013 | National | HR 761 | National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (246 - 178) |
June 18, 2013 | National | S Amdt 1197 | Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border | Amendment Rejected - Senate (39 - 54) |
June 14, 2013 | National | HR 1960 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Bill Passed - House (315 - 108) |
June 14, 2013 | National | HR 1960 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Motion Rejected - House (194 - 225) |
June 14, 2013 | National | H Amdt 168 | Establishes Framework for the Closing of the Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by December 1, 2014 | Amendment Rejected - House (174 - 249) |
June 6, 2013 | National | HR 2217 | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2014 | Bill Passed - House (245 - 182) |
June 4, 2013 | National | H Amdt 84 | Authorizes Funds for the Construction of United States Prison for Prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba | Amendment Rejected - House (170 - 254) |
May 22, 2013 | National | H Amdt 72 | Increases Time to File a Claim Under the Northern Route Approval Act from 60 Days to 1 Year | Amendment Rejected - House (182 - 234) |
May 22, 2013 | National | H Amdt 69 | Requires Threat Assessment of Pipeline Vulnerabilities to a Terrorist Attack | Amendment Rejected - House (176 - 239) |
April 18, 2013 | National | HR 624 | Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act | Bill Passed - House (288 - 127) |
April 17, 2013 | National | S Amdt 715 | Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act | Amendment Rejected - Senate (54 - 46) |
April 17, 2013 | National | S Amdt 719 | Authorizes Reciprocity for the Carrying of Certain Concealed Firearms | Amendment Rejected - Senate (57 - 43) |
April 17, 2013 | National | S Amdt 711 | Prohibits the Sale of Assault Weapons | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 60) |
April 17, 2013 | National | S Amdt 714 | Limits Firearm Magazine Capacity | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 54) |
March 23, 2013 | National | S Amdt 139 | Prohibits the United States From Entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty | Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 46) |
March 7, 2013 | National | PN 48 | Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 34) |
Feb. 28, 2013 | National | S 47 | Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (286 - 138) |
Feb. 28, 2013 | National | H Amdt 23 | Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act | Amendment Rejected - House (166 - 257) |
Feb. 12, 2013 | National | S 47 | Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 22) |