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. 13, 2020 | National | H J Res 79 | Removing the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment | Bill Passed - House (232 - 183) |
| Feb. 12, 2020 | WA | HB 2602 | Prohibits Race-Based Hairstyle Discrimination | Bill Passed - House (87 - 10) |
| Feb. 11, 2020 | CO | HB 20-1048 | Establishes the CROWN Act | Bill Passed - House (42 - 21) |
| Feb. 11, 2020 | WV | HB 4069 | Prohibits Religious Discrimination in Public Schools | Bill Passed - House (76 - 22) |
| Feb. 7, 2020 | VA | HB 837 | Establishes the "Dress Code Equity Act" | Bill Passed - House (81 - 17) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | VA | HB 1663 | Prohibits LGBTQ Discrimination | Bill Passed - House (59 - 35) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | VA | HB 827 | Prohibits Discrimination on the Basis of Pregnancy | Bill Passed - House (66 - 31) |
| Feb. 3, 2020 | VA | HB 386 | Prohibits State Funding for Conversion Therapy on Minors | Bill Passed - House (66 - 27) |
| Jan. 31, 2020 | KY | HB 168 | Requires Legislative Ethics Commission to Review Sexual Harassment Complaints | Bill Passed - House (85 - 0) |
| Jan. 27, 2020 | CA | AB 979 | Requires Corporations to Have Directors From Under-Represented Groups | Bill Passed - House (73 - 0) |
| Jan. 15, 2020 | National | HR 1230 | Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act | Bill Passed - House (261 - 155) |
| Jan. 15, 2020 | VA | HJ 1 | Establishes an Amendment to the US Constitution Relating to Equal Rights | Bill Passed - House (59 - 41) |
| Jan. 13, 2020 | NJ | S 758 | Requires Incarcerated Individuals Count in Legislative Redistricting | Bill Passed - House (54 - 22) |
| Dec. 6, 2019 | National | HR 4 | Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (228 - 187) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | A 5823 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration for Individuals Released from Prison | Bill Passed - House (48 - 24) |
| Nov. 19, 2019 | National | HR 5084 | Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (281 - 135) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | NC | SB 250 | Amends Voting Rolls to Correlate with Jury Selection Excusals | Conference Report Adopted - House (59 - 51) |
| Sept. 13, 2019 | CA | AB 681 | Requires Voter Party Affiliation Notification Prior To Primary Elections | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (65 - 13) |
| Sept. 12, 2019 | CA | AB 1215 | Prohibits Facial Recognition in Police Body-Cams | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 21) |
| Sept. 10, 2019 | CA | SB 329 | Prohibits Discrimination Against Section 8 Housing Renters | Bill Passed - House (46 - 21) |
| Sept. 9, 2019 | CA | SB 310 | Authorizes Felons to Serve on Juries | Bill Passed - House (47 - 26) |
| July 23, 2019 | National | H Res 246 | Opposing Efforts to Delegitimize the State of Israel and The Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement Targeting Israel | Bill Passed - House (398 - 17) |
| July 16, 2019 | National | H Res 489 | Condemning President Trump's Racist Comments Directed at Members of Congress | Bill Passed - House (240 - 187) |
| June 20, 2019 | NY | S 5248 | Prohibits Class-Based Wage Differentials | Bill Passed - House (138 - 9) |
| June 19, 2019 | NY | A 8421 | Amends Requirements for Workplace Harassment Claims | Bill Passed - House (128 - 20) |
| June 11, 2019 | DE | HB 5 | Authorizes Judges to Impose Prison Sentences Concurrently | Bill Passed - House (30 - 10) |
| June 5, 2019 | NH | SB 263 | Prohibits Discrimination in Public Schools | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - House (211 - 141) |
| June 5, 2019 | OH | HB 136 | Prohibits Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses from Being Sentenced to Death | Bill Passed - House (76 - 18) |
| June 4, 2019 | OR | SB 731 | Authorizes College and University Student Governments to Take Positions on Initiatives and Ballot Measures | Bill Passed - House (42 - 13) |
| June 4, 2019 | ME | LD 795 | Amends State Constitution to Include a Right to Food | Bill Passed - House (93 - 47) |
| June 3, 2019 | ME | LD 665 | Prohibits Restrictions of Free Speech on College Campuses | Bill Passed - House (87 - 51) |
| May 29, 2019 | IL | HB 834 | Requires Equal Pay | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (93 - 19) |
| May 29, 2019 | CA | AB 1550 | Establishes the "Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act" | Bill Passed - House (78 - 0) |
| May 28, 2019 | IL | SB 2090 | Expands Access to Voting in Jails | Bill Passed - House (69 - 45) |
| May 28, 2019 | CA | AB 767 | Establishes Restitution for Victims of Police Violence | Bill Passed - House (59 - 10) |
| May 17, 2019 | National | HR 5 | Equality Act | Bill Passed - House (236 - 173) |
| May 8, 2019 | ME | LD 1025 | Prohibits the Practice of Conversion Therapy | Bill Passed - House (91 - 45) |
| May 6, 2019 | OR | HB 3063 | Prohibits All Religious and Philosophical Vaccination Exemptions | Bill Passed - House (35 - 25) |
| May 3, 2019 | FL | SB 7066 | Requires Felons Pay Outstanding Court Fees Prior to Voting Rights Restoration | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (67 - 42) |
| May 3, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1289 | Increases State Consumer Protection Laws | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (42 - 22) |
| May 2, 2019 | CO | SB 19-235 | Expands Automatic Voter Registration System | Bill Passed - House (40 - 23) |
| April 30, 2019 | HI | HB 1165 | Establishes a Non-Binary Gender Option on IDs | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 4) |
| April 29, 2019 | CA | AB 467 | Requires Competitions Held on Public Lands to Offer Equal Prize Compensation Regardless of Gender | Bill Passed - House (74 - 0) |
| April 27, 2019 | CO | SB 19-085 | Establishes the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act | Bill Passed - House (40 - 21) |
| April 26, 2019 | ND | HB 1286 | Amends Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws | Bill Passed - House (55 - 37) |
| April 24, 2019 | FL | HB 7089 | Requires Felons to Pay Court Fees Prior to Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (71 - 45) |
| April 23, 2019 | NV | AB 431 | Expands Voting Rights for Convicted Individuals | Bill Passed - House (32 - 9) |
| April 15, 2019 | TN | HB 1079 | Increases Penalties for Voter Registration Errors | Bill Passed - House (71 - 26) |
| April 11, 2019 | TX | HB 793 | Prohibits Specific State Contracts with Certain Companies that Boycott Israel | Bill Passed - House (105 - 0) |
| April 11, 2019 | IL | HB 1613 | Requires Police Keep Racial Profiling Records | Bill Passed - House (75 - 35) |