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. 18, 2007 National S Amdt 3875 Iraq Withdrawal Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (24 - 71)
Dec. 18, 2007 National HR 2764 Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17)
Dec. 18, 2007 National HR 2764 Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (70 - 25)
Dec. 14, 2007 National HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Bill Passed - Senate (79 - 14)
Dec. 13, 2007 National S Amdt 3810 Income Limit for Subsidies to Farmers Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 47)
Dec. 13, 2007 National S Amdt 3695 Limit on Farm Subsidies Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 43)
Dec. 13, 2007 National HR 6 Energy Act of 2007 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (86 - 8)
Dec. 11, 2007 National S Amdt 3711 Government Sponsored Farm Insurance Policies Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 58)
Dec. 6, 2007 National HR 3996 Temporary Tax Adjustments Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (46 - 48)
Dec. 6, 2007 National HR 3996 Temporary Tax Adjustments Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (88 - 5)
Dec. 4, 2007 National HR 3688 United States-Peru Trade Agreement Bill Passed - Senate (77 - 18)
Nov. 16, 2007 National S 2340 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (45 - 53)
Nov. 16, 2007 National HR 4156 Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense and Timeline for Withdrawal from Iraq Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45)
Nov. 8, 2007 National HR 1495 Water Resources Development Act of 2007 Veto Override Passed - Senate (79 - 14)
Nov. 8, 2007 National PN 958 Michael B. Mukasey, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 40)
Nov. 7, 2007 National HR 3043 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 37)
Nov. 1, 2007 National HR 3963 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 30)
Oct. 30, 2007 National S 294 Amtrak Reauthorization Bill Passed - Senate (70 - 22)
Oct. 25, 2007 National S Amdt 3453 Amtrak Federal Subsidy Limits Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 66)
Oct. 24, 2007 National S 2205 DREAM Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 44)
Oct. 23, 2007 National HR 3043 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill Passed - Senate (75 - 19)
Oct. 18, 2007 National S Amdt 3330 Grants to Organizations Which Perform Abortions Amendment Rejected - Senate (41 - 52)
Oct. 16, 2007 National HR 3093 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 Bill Passed - Senate (75 - 19)
Oct. 3, 2007 National S Amdt 3117 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate (95 - 1)
Oct. 1, 2007 National HR 1585 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3)
Sept. 27, 2007 National HR 976 State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29)
Sept. 26, 2007 National S Amdt 3017 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Amendment Adopted - Senate (76 - 22)
Sept. 26, 2007 National S Amdt 2997 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23)
Sept. 21, 2007 National S Amdt 2898 Iraq Troop Reduction Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 47)
Sept. 20, 2007 National S Amdt 2934 Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces Amendment Adopted - Senate (72 - 25)
Sept. 20, 2007 National S Amdt 2947 Expressing Support for All Men and Women in the U.S. Armed Forces Amendment Rejected - Senate (50 - 47)
Sept. 19, 2007 National S Amdt 2022 Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43)
Sept. 19, 2007 National S Amdt 2909 Time Between Troop Deployments Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 44)
Sept. 18, 2007 National S 1257 District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 42)
Sept. 11, 2007 National S Amdt 2797 Limiting Mexican Trucks to Commercial Zones Near the Border Between the U.S. and Mexico Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23)
Sept. 10, 2007 National S Amdt 2792 Bridge Repair Funding Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 33)
Sept. 7, 2007 National HR 2669 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants Conference Report Adopted - Senate (79 - 12)
Sept. 6, 2007 National S Amdt 2707 Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion Amendment Adopted - Senate (48 - 45)
Aug. 3, 2007 National S 1927 Foreign Intelligence Acquisition Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28)
Aug. 2, 2007 National S 1 Lobbying and Donation Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (83 - 14)
Aug. 2, 2007 National HR 976 State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31)
July 26, 2007 National S Amdt 2405 REAL ID Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44)
July 26, 2007 National S Amdt 2480 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1)
July 26, 2007 National HR 1 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Conference Report Adopted - Senate (85 - 8)
July 26, 2007 National HR 2638 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 4)
July 20, 2007 National HR 2669 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 18)
July 19, 2007 National S Amdt 2351 Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees Amendment Adopted - Senate (94 - 3)
July 18, 2007 National S Amdt 2087 Iraq Troop Reduction Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
June 28, 2007 National S 1639 Second Immigration Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (46 - 53)
June 26, 2007 National HR 800 Union Organization Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
June 21, 2007 National S Amdt 1704 Alternative Energy Subsidies Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 36)
June 21, 2007 National HR 6 Energy Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 27)
June 19, 2007 National S Amdt 1519 Preventing Petroleum Export Organizations (NOPEC Act of 2007) Amendment Adopted - Senate (70 - 23)
June 14, 2007 National S Amdt 1538 Clean Energy Achievement Criteria Amendment Tabled - Senate (56 - 39)
June 14, 2007 National S Amdt 1566 Offshore Drilling in Virginia Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 44)
June 11, 2007 National S J Res 14 Attorney General No Confidence Vote Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 38)
June 7, 2007 National S 1348 Immigration Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (34 - 61)
June 6, 2007 National S Amdt 1384 English as the Common Language Amendment Adopted - Senate (58 - 39)
June 6, 2007 National S Amdt 1184 Denying Legal Status for Immigrants Convicted of Certain Crimes Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 51)
June 6, 2007 National S Amdt 1250 Law Enforcement Review of Z Visa Applications Amendment Adopted - Senate (57 - 39)
June 6, 2007 National S Amdt 1333 Barring Immigrants with Certain Criminal Histories Amendment Adopted - Senate (66 - 32)
June 6, 2007 National S Amdt 1202 Point Based Immigration Expiration Date Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 55)
June 6, 2007 National S Amdt 1151 Declaring English the National Language Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 33)
June 6, 2007 National S Amdt 1316 Five Year Expiration for Guest Worker Program Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 48)
May 24, 2007 National HR 2206 Emergency Departmental Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (80 - 14)
May 23, 2007 National S Amdt 1169 Guest Worker Number Reduction Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (74 - 24)
May 17, 2007 National S Con Res 21 2008 Budget Resolution Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 40)
May 7, 2007 National S Amdt 1010 FDA Drug Import Certification Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 40)
April 26, 2007 National HR 1591 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007 with Iraq Withdrawal Timeline Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 46)
April 11, 2007 National S 5 Stem Cell Research Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (63 - 34)
April 11, 2007 National S 30 Stem Cell Research Hope Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (70 - 28)
March 29, 2007 National HR 1591 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007 with Iraq Withdrawal Timeline Bill Passed - Senate (51 - 47)
March 27, 2007 National S Amdt 643 Iraq Withdrawal Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 50)
March 23, 2007 National S Con Res 21 2008 Budget Resolution Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 47)
March 20, 2007 National S 214 United States Attorneys Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (94 - 2)
March 15, 2007 National S J Res 9 United States Policy in Iraq Resolution of 2007 Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (48 - 50)
March 13, 2007 National S 4 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 38)
Date No. Title Outcome
12/18 S Amdt 3875 Iraq Withdrawal Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (24 - 71)
12/18 HR 2764 Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17)
12/18 HR 2764 Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (70 - 25)
12/14 HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Bill Passed - Senate (79 - 14)
12/13 S Amdt 3810 Income Limit for Subsidies to Farmers Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 47)
12/13 S Amdt 3695 Limit on Farm Subsidies Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 43)
12/13 HR 6 Energy Act of 2007 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (86 - 8)
12/11 S Amdt 3711 Government Sponsored Farm Insurance Policies Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 58)
12/06 HR 3996 Temporary Tax Adjustments Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (46 - 48)
12/06 HR 3996 Temporary Tax Adjustments Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (88 - 5)
12/04 HR 3688 United States-Peru Trade Agreement Bill Passed - Senate (77 - 18)
11/16 S 2340 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (45 - 53)
11/16 HR 4156 Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense and Timeline for Withdrawal from Iraq Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45)
11/08 HR 1495 Water Resources Development Act of 2007 Veto Override Passed - Senate (79 - 14)
11/08 PN 958 Michael B. Mukasey, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 40)
11/07 HR 3043 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 37)
11/01 HR 3963 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 30)
10/30 S 294 Amtrak Reauthorization Bill Passed - Senate (70 - 22)
10/25 S Amdt 3453 Amtrak Federal Subsidy Limits Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 66)
10/24 S 2205 DREAM Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 44)
10/23 HR 3043 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill Passed - Senate (75 - 19)
10/18 S Amdt 3330 Grants to Organizations Which Perform Abortions Amendment Rejected - Senate (41 - 52)
10/16 HR 3093 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 Bill Passed - Senate (75 - 19)
10/03 S Amdt 3117 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate (95 - 1)
10/01 HR 1585 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3)
9/27 HR 976 State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29)
9/26 S Amdt 3017 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Amendment Adopted - Senate (76 - 22)
9/26 S Amdt 2997 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23)
9/21 S Amdt 2898 Iraq Troop Reduction Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 47)
9/20 S Amdt 2934 Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces Amendment Adopted - Senate (72 - 25)
9/20 S Amdt 2947 Expressing Support for All Men and Women in the U.S. Armed Forces Amendment Rejected - Senate (50 - 47)
9/19 S Amdt 2022 Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43)
9/19 S Amdt 2909 Time Between Troop Deployments Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 44)
9/18 S 1257 District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 42)
9/11 S Amdt 2797 Limiting Mexican Trucks to Commercial Zones Near the Border Between the U.S. and Mexico Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23)
9/10 S Amdt 2792 Bridge Repair Funding Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 33)
9/07 HR 2669 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants Conference Report Adopted - Senate (79 - 12)
9/06 S Amdt 2707 Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion Amendment Adopted - Senate (48 - 45)
8/03 S 1927 Foreign Intelligence Acquisition Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28)
8/02 S 1 Lobbying and Donation Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (83 - 14)
8/02 HR 976 State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31)
7/26 S Amdt 2405 REAL ID Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44)
7/26 S Amdt 2480 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1)
7/26 HR 1 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Conference Report Adopted - Senate (85 - 8)
7/26 HR 2638 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 4)
7/20 HR 2669 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 18)
7/19 S Amdt 2351 Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees Amendment Adopted - Senate (94 - 3)
7/18 S Amdt 2087 Iraq Troop Reduction Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
6/28 S 1639 Second Immigration Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (46 - 53)
6/26 HR 800 Union Organization Bill Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
6/21 S Amdt 1704 Alternative Energy Subsidies Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 36)
6/21 HR 6 Energy Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 27)
6/19 S Amdt 1519 Preventing Petroleum Export Organizations (NOPEC Act of 2007) Amendment Adopted - Senate (70 - 23)
6/14 S Amdt 1538 Clean Energy Achievement Criteria Amendment Tabled - Senate (56 - 39)
6/14 S Amdt 1566 Offshore Drilling in Virginia Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 44)
6/11 S J Res 14 Attorney General No Confidence Vote Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 38)
6/07 S 1348 Immigration Act of 2007 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (34 - 61)
6/06 S Amdt 1384 English as the Common Language Amendment Adopted - Senate (58 - 39)
6/06 S Amdt 1184 Denying Legal Status for Immigrants Convicted of Certain Crimes Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 51)
6/06 S Amdt 1250 Law Enforcement Review of Z Visa Applications Amendment Adopted - Senate (57 - 39)
6/06 S Amdt 1333 Barring Immigrants with Certain Criminal Histories Amendment Adopted - Senate (66 - 32)
6/06 S Amdt 1202 Point Based Immigration Expiration Date Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 55)
6/06 S Amdt 1151 Declaring English the National Language Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 33)
6/06 S Amdt 1316 Five Year Expiration for Guest Worker Program Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 48)
5/24 HR 2206 Emergency Departmental Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (80 - 14)
5/23 S Amdt 1169 Guest Worker Number Reduction Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (74 - 24)
5/17 S Con Res 21 2008 Budget Resolution Conference Report Adopted - Senate (52 - 40)
5/07 S Amdt 1010 FDA Drug Import Certification Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (49 - 40)
4/26 HR 1591 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007 with Iraq Withdrawal Timeline Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 46)
4/11 S 5 Stem Cell Research Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (63 - 34)
4/11 S 30 Stem Cell Research Hope Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (70 - 28)
3/29 HR 1591 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007 with Iraq Withdrawal Timeline Bill Passed - Senate (51 - 47)
3/27 S Amdt 643 Iraq Withdrawal Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 50)
3/23 S Con Res 21 2008 Budget Resolution Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 47)
3/20 S 214 United States Attorneys Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate (94 - 2)
3/15 S J Res 9 United States Policy in Iraq Resolution of 2007 Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (48 - 50)
3/13 S 4 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 38)

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