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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 3, 2021 | National | H Con Res 11 | Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2021 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2022 through 2030 | Joint Resolution Passed - House (218 - 212) |
| Feb. 2, 2021 | IN | SB 2 | Amends the Definition of What Constitutes "Virtual Instruction" | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 6) |
| Jan. 29, 2021 | WY | HB 48 | Limits Funding for Juvenile Justice Programs | Bill Passed - House (54 - 5) |
| Jan. 28, 2021 | ID | S 1022 | Transfers $4 Million from the General Fund to the Legislative Legal Defense Fund | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 7) |
| Jan. 27, 2021 | WA | SB 5061 | Reduces State Unemployment Tax Increases | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 7) |
| Jan. 27, 2021 | PA | SB 109 | Appropriates Funds for COVID-19 Relief | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 0) |
| Jan. 25, 2021 | National | PN 78-24 | Nomination of Janet Yellen as Secretary of the Treasury | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (84 - 15) |
| Jan. 25, 2021 | MN | SF 192 | Extends Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates from 2020 to 2021 | Bill Passed - Senate (66 - 0) |
| Jan. 21, 2021 | CA | SB 85 | Appropriates Funding for the State's Annual Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 2) |
| Jan. 21, 2021 | MT | HB 111 | Exempts Military Pensions from the State Income Tax | Bill Passed - House (61 - 38) |
| Jan. 15, 2021 | CA | AB 80 | Authorizes Businesses to Deduct PPP Loans as Expenses on Their Taxes | Bill Passed - House (48 - 13) |
| Jan. 14, 2021 | CO | HB 21-002 | Extends Income Tax Deductions Under the CARES Act | Bill Passed - House (44 - 20) |
| Dec. 28, 2020 | National | HR 9051 | Caring for Americans with Supplemental Help (CASH) Act of 2020 | Bill Passed - House (275 - 134) |
| Dec. 28, 2020 | National | HR 9051 | Caring for Americans with Supplemental Help (CASH) Act of 2020 | Bill Passed - House (275 - 134) |
| Dec. 21, 2020 | National | HR 133 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (92 - 6) |
| Dec. 21, 2020 | National | HR 133 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (359 - 53) |
| Dec. 21, 2020 | National | HR 133 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (327 - 85) |
| Dec. 18, 2020 | MI | SB 748 | Extends Unemployment Benefits Through March | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 2) |
| Dec. 17, 2020 | NJ | A 1135 | Amends Property Tax Law to Exempt Non-Profit Hospitals | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 14) |
| Dec. 16, 2020 | RI | H 7171 | Establishes Budget for 2021 Fiscal Year | Bill Passed - House (58 - 7) |
| Dec. 11, 2020 | National | HR 6395 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (84 - 13) |
| Dec. 8, 2020 | National | HR 6395 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 | Conference Report Adopted - House (335 - 78) |
| Dec. 2, 2020 | MO | HB 14 | Appropriates Emergency Spending for COVID-19 | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 1) |
| Nov. 20, 2020 | PA | SB 1350 | Appropriates Funds for the 2021 General Budget | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 18) |
| Nov. 20, 2020 | PA | HB 2536 | Appropriates funds for the Emergency COVID-19 Response | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (108 - 92) |