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 22, 2014 | AZ | HB 2262 | Establishes Regulatory Framework for Rideshare Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 8) |
| April 10, 2014 | DE | HB 265 | Increases Certain Business Taxes | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 7) |
| April 9, 2014 | MN | HF 2091 | Increases the Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 31) |
| April 9, 2014 | CT | SB 443 | Prohibits the Sale of Genetically Modified Seed | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| April 5, 2014 | MD | HB 295 | Increases the Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 13) |
| April 2, 2014 | MD | HB 727 | Expands Prevailing Wage Requirements for Certain School Projects | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
| April 1, 2014 | MO | SB 509 | Reduces State Income Tax Rates | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 9) |
| March 31, 2014 | NE | LB 943 | Increases Minimum Wage | Bill Failed - Senate (20 - 20) |
| March 27, 2014 | NH | SB 329 | Repeals the Prohibition on Alcoholic Beverage Billboard Advertisements | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (13 - 11) |
| March 27, 2014 | KY | HB 407 | Authorizes Framework for Public-Private Partnerships | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 9) |
| March 27, 2014 | IA | HF 2438 | Establishes a Retroactive Heavy Equipment Sales Tax | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 21) |
| March 26, 2014 | CT | SB 32 | Increases Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| March 13, 2014 | IN | HB 1321 | Authorizes Certain School Corporations to Establish Innovation Network Schools | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (30 - 18) |
| March 13, 2014 | OK | SB 1495 | Establishes a Pilot Managed Care System under Medicaid | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 21) |
| March 12, 2014 | IN | SB 91 | Repeals Common Core Standards | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 13) |
| March 12, 2014 | ME | LD 1487 | Expands Medicaid Eligibility | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 13) |
| March 10, 2014 | ID | S 1314 | Amends the Provisions of Payday Loans | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
| March 10, 2014 | ID | S 1314 | Amends the Provisions of Payday Loans | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
| March 10, 2014 | OK | SB 1023 | Prohibits Any Municipality from Establishing a Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 9) |
| March 4, 2014 | HI | SB 2609 | Increases the Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 1) |
| Feb. 28, 2014 | CO | SB 29 | Requires Paint Manufacturers to Establish Recycling Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| Feb. 25, 2014 | KY | SB 116 | Amends Patent Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| Feb. 20, 2014 | MO | SB 694 | Amends Payday Loan Terms and Interest Rates | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| Feb. 20, 2014 | MO | SB 694 | Amends Payday Loan Terms and Interest Rates | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| Feb. 18, 2014 | WV | SB 6 | Prohibits Sale of Medicines Containing Pseudoephedrine without Prescription | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 9) |
| Feb. 14, 2014 | NM | SJR 13 | Increases the Minimum Wage | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (24 - 17) |
| Feb. 11, 2014 | AL | SB 168 | Prohibits Smoking in Public Places | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 8) |
| Feb. 11, 2014 | VA | SB 590 | Increases the Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 20) |
| Feb. 5, 2014 | MD | SB 75 | Prohibits the Sale of Alcoholic Products with Alcohol Content Above 95 Percent | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 10) |
| Feb. 4, 2014 | IN | SB 404 | Establishes Regulations for High-Fence Hunting Preserves | Bill Failed - Senate (25 - 23) |
| Feb. 4, 2014 | IN | SB 91 | Repeals Common Core Standards | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 12) |
| Feb. 3, 2014 | IN | SB 340 | Amends Customer Participation Requirements in Certain Energy Efficiency Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 11) |
| Jan. 30, 2014 | CA | SB 383 | Authorizes Businesses to Collect Certain Cardholder Information in Online Transactions | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
| Dec. 12, 2013 | MI | SB 660 | Authorizes the Growth and Sale of Pharmaceutical-Grade Marijuana | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (20 - 18) |
| Dec. 11, 2013 | MI | HB 4369 | Expands the Education Achievement Authority | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 18) |
| Dec. 11, 2013 | MI | Initiation of Legislation | Requires Abortion Coverage To Be Optional In Health Care Plans | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 11) |
| Nov. 19, 2013 | MA | Amdt 1 | Increases the Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees | Amendment Adopted - Senate (31 - 7) |
| Nov. 19, 2013 | MA | S 1925 | Increases the Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 7) |
| Nov. 13, 2013 | MI | SB 660 | Authorizes the Growth and Sale of Pharmaceutical-Grade Marijuana | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| Nov. 7, 2013 | National | S 815 | Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 32) |
| Nov. 7, 2013 | National | S Amdt 2013 | Exempts Religiously Affiliated Employers from the Prohibition on Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 55) |
| Nov. 4, 2013 | National | S 815 | Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 | Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 30) |
| July 25, 2013 | NC | HB 938 | Amends Wetland Permit Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 15) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | HR 1911 | Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 18) |
| July 24, 2013 | National | S Amdt 1778 | Limits Interest Rates for Certain Federal Student Loans | Amendment Rejected - Senate (46 - 53) |
| July 18, 2013 | NC | SB 81 | Establishes the Charlotte International Airport Authority | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 14) |
| June 27, 2013 | NJ | S 2723 | Amends Firearms Identification Card Requirements | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| June 5, 2013 | CT | HB 5277 | Authorizes Mixed Martial Arts Events | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 9) |
| June 4, 2013 | OR | SB 692 | Requires Certain Electronics to Meet Energy Efficiency Standards | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 9) |
| May 29, 2013 | CA | SB 53 | Requires Ammunition Purchasers to Undergo a Background Check | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |