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. 12, 2008 | National | S Amdt 3907 | Striking Telecommunications Companies' Civil Immunity for Surveillance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 67) |
| Feb. 12, 2008 | National | S Amdt 3910 | FISA as Exclusive Means for Conducting Electronic Surveillance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (57 - 41) |
| Feb. 12, 2008 | NM | HB 37 | Electronic Medical Records | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 23) |
| Feb. 12, 2008 | National | S 2248 | FISA Amendments Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 29) |
| Jan. 29, 2008 | NM | SB 23 | Authorizing Stem Cell Research | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 18) |
| Oct. 16, 2007 | National | HR 3093 | Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (75 - 19) |
| Aug. 30, 2007 | CA | SB 33 | Underage Driver Cellphone Ban | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Aug. 3, 2007 | National | S 1927 | Foreign Intelligence Acquisition | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28) |
| June 21, 2007 | National | HR 6 | Energy Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 27) |
| June 20, 2007 | OR | SB 329 | Oregon Health Fund | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| June 18, 2007 | OR | SB 863 | Regulating Automated Phone Calls | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 8) |
| June 14, 2007 | OR | HB 2637 | Cyberbullying Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| June 4, 2007 | OR | HB 2203 | Expanding Payday and Title Loan Regulation | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| April 27, 2007 | MN | SF 100 | Public Funding for Stem Cell Research | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 26) |
| April 19, 2007 | IA | SF 596 | Electronic Downloads Tax Creation and Regulation Adjustments for Cigarette Retailers | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 20) |
| April 9, 2007 | WA | HB 1528 | Electronic Voter Registration | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 17) |
| March 29, 2007 | DE | SB 5 | Delaware Regenerative Medicine Act | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 7) |
| March 20, 2007 | GA | SB 148 | Umbilical Cord Blood and Stem Cell Banks | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 15) |
| Feb. 23, 2007 | IL | SB 4 | Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 23) |
| Feb. 14, 2007 | IA | SF 162 | Stem Cell Research and Penalties | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| Sept. 7, 2006 | National | S Amdt 4909 | Media in the Middle East Amendment | Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 44) |
| Aug. 31, 2006 | CA | SB 1613 | Prohibition on Wireless Phone Use While Driving | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| May 18, 2006 | NJ | S 1471 | Cigarette Tax Securitization Proceeds Fund; Stem Cell and Biomedical Research Facilities | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 10) |
| May 11, 2006 | NH | SCR 6 | Stem Cell Research Resolution | Nonconcurrence Vote Passed - Senate (13 - 10) |
| April 11, 2006 | AZ | HB 2142 | Human Eggs; Sale; Prohibition | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 11) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/12 | S Amdt 3907 | Striking Telecommunications Companies' Civil Immunity for Surveillance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 67) |
| 2/12 | S Amdt 3910 | FISA as Exclusive Means for Conducting Electronic Surveillance | Amendment Rejected - Senate (57 - 41) |
| 2/12 | HB 37 | Electronic Medical Records | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 23) |
| 2/12 | S 2248 | FISA Amendments Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 29) |
| 1/29 | SB 23 | Authorizing Stem Cell Research | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 18) |
| 10/16 | HR 3093 | Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (75 - 19) |
| 8/30 | SB 33 | Underage Driver Cellphone Ban | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 8/03 | S 1927 | Foreign Intelligence Acquisition | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28) |
| 6/21 | HR 6 | Energy Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 27) |
| 6/20 | SB 329 | Oregon Health Fund | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| 6/18 | SB 863 | Regulating Automated Phone Calls | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 8) |
| 6/14 | HB 2637 | Cyberbullying Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| 6/04 | HB 2203 | Expanding Payday and Title Loan Regulation | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| 4/27 | SF 100 | Public Funding for Stem Cell Research | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 26) |
| 4/19 | SF 596 | Electronic Downloads Tax Creation and Regulation Adjustments for Cigarette Retailers | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 20) |
| 4/09 | HB 1528 | Electronic Voter Registration | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 17) |
| 3/29 | SB 5 | Delaware Regenerative Medicine Act | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 7) |
| 3/20 | SB 148 | Umbilical Cord Blood and Stem Cell Banks | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 15) |
| 2/23 | SB 4 | Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 23) |
| 2/14 | SF 162 | Stem Cell Research and Penalties | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| 9/07 | S Amdt 4909 | Media in the Middle East Amendment | Bill Tabled - Senate (51 - 44) |
| 8/31 | SB 1613 | Prohibition on Wireless Phone Use While Driving | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| 5/18 | S 1471 | Cigarette Tax Securitization Proceeds Fund; Stem Cell and Biomedical Research Facilities | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 10) |
| 5/11 | SCR 6 | Stem Cell Research Resolution | Nonconcurrence Vote Passed - Senate (13 - 10) |
| 4/11 | HB 2142 | Human Eggs; Sale; Prohibition | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 11) |