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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sept. 14, 2016 | MO | HB 1870 | Reauthorizes Small Business Tax Deductions | Veto Override Failed - Senate (18 - 12) |
Aug. 31, 2016 | CA | SB 654 | Authorizes Paid Family Leave | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 12) |
Aug. 15, 2016 | CA | AB 1687 | Requires Entertainment Database Websites to Remove Actor's Age Upon Request | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12) |
July 7, 2016 | National | S 764 | Establishes Labeling Standards for Genetically Modified Foods | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (63 - 30) |
June 29, 2016 | National | S 2328 | Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (68 - 30) |
June 17, 2016 | RI | S 2864 | Establishes Regulations for Rideshare Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 6) |
May 25, 2016 | OH | HB 180 | Prohibits Local Hiring Requirement in Labor Contracts | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
May 25, 2016 | OH | SB 331 | Establishes Regulations for Dog Sales | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 11) |
May 24, 2016 | National | H J Res 88 | Disapproving the Rule Submitted by the Department of Labor Relating to the Definition of the Term "Fiduciary" | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (56 - 41) |
May 4, 2016 | AZ | SB 1400 | Amends Review Process for County Water Supply | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (16 - 12) |
May 4, 2016 | OH | SB 152 | Prohibits Local Hiring Requirement in Labor Contracts | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (8 - 25) |
April 20, 2016 | NE | LB 947 | Authorizes Certain Immigrants to Qualify for Professional Licenses | Veto Override Passed - Senate (31 - 13) |
April 13, 2016 | NE | LB 947 | Authorizes Certain Immigrants to Qualify for Professional Licenses | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 11) |
April 12, 2016 | HI | HB 2501 | Authorizes Extension for Water Permits | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 6) |
April 8, 2016 | MD | SB 1112 | Establishes Tax Credit for Certain Aerospace Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 13) |
April 7, 2016 | National | S Amdt 3483 | Establishes Standards for Passenger Space on Airplanes | Amendment Rejected - Senate (42 - 54) |
March 31, 2016 | CA | SB 3 | Increases Minimum Wage | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
March 30, 2016 | AK | SB 1 | Prohibits Smoking in Public | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 5) |
March 23, 2016 | AK | SB 125 | Amends Alaska Gasline Development Corporation Board of Directors | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 7) |
March 15, 2016 | ID | H 372 | Prohibits Local Limitation on Use of Plastic Bags | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
March 15, 2016 | WI | SB 239 | Amends Regulations for High Capacity Wells | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
March 14, 2016 | KY | SB 205 | Establishes Regulations for Nursing Home Advertisements | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
March 10, 2016 | IN | HB 1127 | Establishes Regulations on Lawsuit Funding Practices | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (40 - 10) |
March 10, 2016 | CA | SB 5 | Amends Regulations for E-Cigarettes | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 11) |
March 10, 2016 | CA | SB 7 | Increases Smoking Age to 21 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 10) |
March 10, 2016 | AZ | HB 2131 | Prohibits Local Governments from Taxing Disposable Bags | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 11) |
March 7, 2016 | UT | SB 246 | Authorizes Infrastructure Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 7) |
March 3, 2016 | MO | SB 919 | Authorizes Breweries to Lease Coolers to Stores | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 14) |
Feb. 29, 2016 | TN | SB 2094 | Limits Liquor Retailers to 2 Stores | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 6) |
Feb. 26, 2016 | VA | HB 1371 | Prohibits Cities from Increasing Minimum Wage or Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 19) |
Feb. 25, 2016 | AL | HB 174 | Prohibits Local Governments from Establishing Wage or Employee Benefits Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
Feb. 24, 2016 | SD | SB 159 | Authorizes Education Tax Credit for Insurance Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 11) |
Feb. 16, 2016 | VA | SB 416 | Authorizes Individuals to Rent Out Rooms through Online Platform | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 19) |
Feb. 11, 2016 | OR | SB 1532 | Increases Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 12) |
Jan. 12, 2016 | National | S 2232 | Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 44) |