Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
May 30, 2018 IL SB 2562 Authorizes Police Drone Surveillance Bill Passed - House (74 - 35)
May 30, 2018 IL SB 3256 Requires 72 Hour Waiting Period for Guns Bill Passed - House (72 - 44)
May 30, 2018 IL HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 11)
May 30, 2018 IL HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 11)
May 30, 2018 IL SB 2560 Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act Bill Passed - House (66 - 50)
May 30, 2018 IL SB 3489 Amends the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act. Bill Passed - House (73 - 42)
May 29, 2018 MI SB 871 Increases the Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault Offenses Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (36 - 0)
May 29, 2018 MI SB 872 Amends Statue of Limitations for Sexual Misconduct Cases Going Back until 1997 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (34 - 2)
May 29, 2018 IL SB 337 Amends Gun Dealer Licensing Rules Bill Passed - House (65 - 49)
May 29, 2018 CA SB 1100 Increases the Purchasing Age for Firearms to 21 Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10)
May 24, 2018 MI SB 872 Amends Statue of Limitations for Sexual Misconduct Cases Going Back until 1997 Bill Passed - House (99 - 10)
May 24, 2018 MI SB 871 Increases the Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault Offenses Bill Passed - House (108 - 1)
May 24, 2018 NJ S 493 Authorizes Transgender Death Certificates Bill Passed - House (57 - 10)
May 24, 2018 MI HB 6043 Requires School Districts to Report Inappropriate Conduct within 60 Days Bill Passed - House (88 - 21)
May 24, 2018 National HR 5515 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Bill Passed - House (351 - 66)
May 23, 2018 NC SB 470 Amends Asbestos Claim Filing Procedures Bill Passed - House (78 - 30)
May 23, 2018 IL SB 2428 Requires Schools Provide Lunch to All Students Bill Passed - House (66 - 44)
May 23, 2018 MA H 4517 Authorizes Extreme Risk Protection Orders Bill Passed - House (139 - 14)
May 23, 2018 MA H 4517 Authorizes Extreme Risk Protection Orders Bill Passed - House (139 - 14)
May 23, 2018 IL HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - House (80 - 32)
May 23, 2018 IL HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - House (80 - 32)
May 22, 2018 National S 204 Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017 Bill Passed - House (250 - 169)
May 22, 2018 National HR 5682 FIRST STEP Act Bill Passed - House (360 - 59)
May 16, 2018 LA HB 88 Establishes Crime of Government Benefits Fraud Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11)
May 16, 2018 National S J Res 52 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to "Restoring Internet Freedom" Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 47)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/30 SB 2562 Authorizes Police Drone Surveillance Bill Passed - House (74 - 35)
5/30 SB 3256 Requires 72 Hour Waiting Period for Guns Bill Passed - House (72 - 44)
5/30 HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 11)
5/30 HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 11)
5/30 SB 2560 Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act Bill Passed - House (66 - 50)
5/30 SB 3489 Amends the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act. Bill Passed - House (73 - 42)
5/29 SB 871 Increases the Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault Offenses Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (36 - 0)
5/29 SB 872 Amends Statue of Limitations for Sexual Misconduct Cases Going Back until 1997 Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (34 - 2)
5/29 SB 337 Amends Gun Dealer Licensing Rules Bill Passed - House (65 - 49)
5/29 SB 1100 Increases the Purchasing Age for Firearms to 21 Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10)
5/24 SB 872 Amends Statue of Limitations for Sexual Misconduct Cases Going Back until 1997 Bill Passed - House (99 - 10)
5/24 SB 871 Increases the Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault Offenses Bill Passed - House (108 - 1)
5/24 S 493 Authorizes Transgender Death Certificates Bill Passed - House (57 - 10)
5/24 HB 6043 Requires School Districts to Report Inappropriate Conduct within 60 Days Bill Passed - House (88 - 21)
5/24 HR 5515 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Bill Passed - House (351 - 66)
5/23 SB 470 Amends Asbestos Claim Filing Procedures Bill Passed - House (78 - 30)
5/23 SB 2428 Requires Schools Provide Lunch to All Students Bill Passed - House (66 - 44)
5/23 H 4517 Authorizes Extreme Risk Protection Orders Bill Passed - House (139 - 14)
5/23 H 4517 Authorizes Extreme Risk Protection Orders Bill Passed - House (139 - 14)
5/23 HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - House (80 - 32)
5/23 HB 2354 Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals Bill Passed - House (80 - 32)
5/22 S 204 Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017 Bill Passed - House (250 - 169)
5/22 HR 5682 FIRST STEP Act Bill Passed - House (360 - 59)
5/16 HB 88 Establishes Crime of Government Benefits Fraud Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11)
5/16 S J Res 52 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to "Restoring Internet Freedom" Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 47)

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