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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 6, 2021 | WA | HB 1443 | Expands the Duties of the Task Force on Social Equity in Cannabis | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 16) |
| March 31, 2021 | GA | SB 195 | Amends Hemp Farming Laws | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (43 - 9) |
| March 30, 2021 | NY | S 854 | Authorizes the Legalization of Adult Recreational Cannabis Use | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 23) |
| March 25, 2021 | NH | SB 60 | Establishes Penalties for Having an Open Marijuana Container in a Vehicle | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 3) |
| Feb. 27, 2021 | VA | HB 2312 | Authorizes the Simple Possession of Marijuana | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 19) |
| Feb. 26, 2021 | CO | SB 21-111 | Establishes a Program to Support Entrepreneurs in the Marijuana Industry | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 15) |
| Feb. 24, 2021 | AL | SB 46 | Authorizes the Legalization and Regulation of Medical Marijuana | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| Feb. 23, 2021 | IN | SB 201 | Amends Cannabis Possession While Driving Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 20) |
| Feb. 5, 2021 | VA | SB 1406 | Expands Adult Cannabis Use and Eliminates Criminal Penalties | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
| Dec. 17, 2020 | NJ | S 2535 | Reduces Fines and Sentences Related to Marijuana Possession | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 2) |
| Dec. 17, 2020 | NJ | A 21 | Rescinds the Classification of Marijuana as a Schedule I Drug. | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 17) |
| Nov. 16, 2020 | NJ | A 1897 | Reduces Criminal Penalty for Marijuana Possession | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 4) |
| Oct. 2, 2020 | VA | SB 5029 | Prohibits Search and Seizure Based Solely on the Odor of Marijuana | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 17) |
| Sept. 23, 2020 | MI | HB 4982 | Authorizes Convicts of Marijuana Misdemeanors to Apply for Expungement | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 2) |
| Sept. 22, 2020 | VT | S 54 | Authorizes the Sale and Regulation of Cannabis | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 6) |
| Aug. 28, 2020 | VA | SB 5029 | Prohibits Search and Seizure Based Solely on the Odor of Marijuana | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14) |
| June 30, 2020 | OH | SB 3 | Amends Drug Penalties | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 4) |
| June 3, 2020 | IA | HF 2589 | Expands the Medical Marijuana Program to Include Severe Autism and PTSD | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| May 27, 2020 | LA | HB 819 | Expands Access to Medical Marijuana | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 6) |
| April 22, 2020 | VA | HB 972 | Establishes Provisions Decriminalizing Marijuana | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 14) |
| March 12, 2020 | AL | SB 165 | Establishes a Medical Marijuana Program | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| March 10, 2020 | CO | HB 20-1080 | Repeals State Residency Requirement for Medical Marijuana Business Licenses | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 9) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 545 | Authorizes the Review of Activities of the Bureau of Cannabis Control | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 0) |
| Sept. 5, 2019 | CA | AB 1291 | Requires Cannabis Businesses to Enter Into Labor Peace Agreements | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 9) |
| Aug. 30, 2019 | CA | SB 223 | Authorizes Medical Cannabis on K-12 Campuses | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 7) |