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 10, 2017 | IL | SB 1351 | Establishes Laws Governing Student Loan Servicers | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 15) |
| May 2, 2017 | National | PN 47 | Nomination of Jay Clayton to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (61 - 37) |
| May 1, 2017 | National | PN 47 | Nomination of Jay Clayton to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 36) |
| May 1, 2017 | OR | SB 95 | Establishes Penalties for Exploiting the Elderly or Disabled | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 9) |
| April 17, 2017 | AZ | SB 1406 | Limits Applicability of Disability Lawsuits | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (18 - 11) |
| April 13, 2017 | MT | SB 299 | Requires Public Disclosure of Fracking Chemicals | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (34 - 16) |
| April 12, 2017 | CO | SB 192 | Authorizes Transfers of Retail Marijuana to Medical Marijuana Licensees | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 7) |
| April 11, 2017 | WA | HB 1493 | Regulates Commercial Use of Biometric Data | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 12) |
| April 7, 2017 | KS | SB 70 | Amends Ride Inspection Laws for Amusement Parks | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 2) |
| March 30, 2017 | NC | HB 142 | Establishes Provisions Related to Gender-Based Bathroom Use | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16) |
| March 30, 2017 | MT | SB 354 | Raises Cigarette Taxes | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 22) |
| March 23, 2017 | ID | H 139 | Reduces the Number of Training Hours Required for Cosmetologists | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 6) |
| March 21, 2017 | IA | SF 489 | Authorizes the Sale of Consumer Fireworks | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 14) |
| March 1, 2017 | AZ | SB 1122 | Authorizes Sale of Firearms without Background Checks | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| Feb. 2, 2017 | KS | SB 30 | Establishes Tax Provisions | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 0) |
| Sept. 14, 2016 | MO | HB 1870 | Reauthorizes Small Business Tax Deductions | Veto Override Failed - Senate (18 - 12) |
| Aug. 31, 2016 | CA | SB 654 | Authorizes Paid Family Leave | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 12) |
| Aug. 15, 2016 | CA | AB 1687 | Requires Entertainment Database Websites to Remove Actor's Age Upon Request | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12) |
| July 7, 2016 | National | S 764 | Establishes Labeling Standards for Genetically Modified Foods | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (63 - 30) |
| June 29, 2016 | National | S 2328 | Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (68 - 30) |
| June 17, 2016 | RI | S 2864 | Establishes Regulations for Rideshare Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 6) |
| May 25, 2016 | OH | HB 180 | Prohibits Local Hiring Requirement in Labor Contracts | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
| May 25, 2016 | OH | SB 331 | Establishes Regulations for Dog Sales | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 11) |
| May 24, 2016 | National | H J Res 88 | Disapproving the Rule Submitted by the Department of Labor Relating to the Definition of the Term "Fiduciary" | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (56 - 41) |
| May 4, 2016 | AZ | SB 1400 | Amends Review Process for County Water Supply | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (16 - 12) |