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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2013 | National | H Amdt 75 | Requires All Oil and Refined Fuels Transported Through the Keystone XL Pipeline to be Used Only in The United States | Amendment Rejected - House (162 - 255) |
| May 22, 2013 | National | HR 3 | Northern Route Approval Act | Bill Passed - House (241 - 175) |
| May 8, 2013 | ME | LD 115 | Prohibits the Sale of Gasoline Containing Corn-Based Ethanol | Bill Passed - House (109 - 32) |
| May 6, 2013 | OK | HB 2005 | Extends Tax Credits for Qualified Clean-Burning Motor Vehicle Property | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (63 - 29) |
| May 1, 2013 | ND | HB 1234 | Reduces Oil Extraction Tax | Conference Report Rejected - House (21 - 71) |
| April 27, 2013 | IN | SB 494 | Establishes New Standards for the Gasification Plant Project | Conference Report Adopted - House (70 - 28) |
| April 14, 2013 | AK | SB 21 | Amends the Oil Industry Tax Rate Structure | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (12 - 8) |
| April 13, 2013 | AK | SB 21 | Amends the Oil Industry Tax Rate Structure | Bill Passed - House (27 - 12) |
| April 13, 2013 | AK | SB 21 | Amends the Oil Industry Tax Rate Structure | Bill Passed - House (24 - 15) |
| April 9, 2013 | CO | HB 1269 | Amends Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Procedures | Bill Passed - House (34 - 29) |
| March 29, 2013 | MD | HB 1515 | Increases the Gas Tax | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |
| March 22, 2013 | MD | HB 1515 | Increases the Gas Tax | Bill Passed - House (76 - 63) |
| March 21, 2013 | AK | SB 21 | Amends the Oil Industry Tax Rate Structure | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 9) |
| March 6, 2013 | NY | A 5424 | Establishes a Two-Year Moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing | Bill Passed - House (103 - 40) |
| Feb. 27, 2013 | NC | SB 76 | Amends Hydraulic Fracturing Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 7) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | ND | SB 2336 | Restructures Oil and Gas Income Tax | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 13) |
| Feb. 23, 2013 | VA | HB 2313 | Repeals the Retail Gas Tax and Establishes a Wholesale Gas Tax | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (25 - 15) |
| Feb. 22, 2013 | VA | HB 2313 | Repeals the Retail Gas Tax and Establishes a Wholesale Gas Tax | Conference Report Adopted - House (60 - 40) |
| Feb. 13, 2013 | VA | HB 2313 | Repeals the Retail Gas Tax and Establishes a Wholesale Gas Tax | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 14) |
| Nov. 28, 2012 | National | S Amdt 3095 | Repeals the Prohibition on Biofuel Refinery Construction | Amendment Adopted - Senate (54 - 41) |
| Sept. 25, 2012 | PA | SB 367 | Authorizes Natural Resource Development | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (136 - 62) |
| July 25, 2012 | National | HR 6168 | President Obama's Proposed 2012-2017 Offshore Drilling Lease Sale Plan Act | Bill Failed - House (164 - 261) |
| July 25, 2012 | National | HR 6082 | Congressional Replacement of President Obama's Offshore Drilling Plan | Bill Passed - House (253 - 170) |
| July 2, 2012 | NC | SB 820 | Authorizes Hydraulic Fracturing | Veto Override Passed - House (72 - 47) |
| July 2, 2012 | NC | SB 820 | Authorizes Hydraulic Fracturing | Veto Override Passed - Senate (29 - 13) |