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 16, 2019 | CT | HB 5004 | Increases the Minimum Wage to $15 Dollars Per Hour | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| May 15, 2019 | VT | H 107 | Establishes a Paid Statewide Family and Medical Leave Program | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |
| May 7, 2019 | NV | AB 337 | Amends Certain Railroad Freight Transportation Safety Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 8) |
| May 2, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1210 | Authorizes Local Governments to Establish Their Own Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 16) |
| May 1, 2019 | NY | S 4573 | Reduces Amount of Time Workers on Strike Must Wait to Collect Unemployment | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 14) |
| April 30, 2019 | CO | SB 19-085 | Establishes the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| April 24, 2019 | WA | HB 1155 | Requires Uninterrupted Breaks for Health Care Workers | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (32 - 16) |
| April 24, 2019 | WA | SB 5497 | Establishes Washington as a Sanctuary State | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| April 22, 2019 | WA | HB 1324 | Establishes the Washington Rural Development and Opportunity Zone Act | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 9) |
| April 22, 2019 | NV | SB 224 | Authorizes Confidentiality Requirements for Public Employee Retirement Records | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 10) |
| April 13, 2019 | MT | SB 160 | Establishes Presumptive Health Care Coverage for Firefighters | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (40 - 10) |
| April 12, 2019 | WA | HB 1575 | Amends Labor Law Concerning Public Employee Collective Bargaining | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 21) |
| April 12, 2019 | WA | HB 1575 | Amends Labor Law Concerning Public Employee Collective Bargaining | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 21) |
| April 12, 2019 | CO | SB 19-1025 | Prohibits Employers from Asking About Employee Criminal History | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 12) |
| April 11, 2019 | TX | SB 2485 | Prohibits Local Governments from Imposing Regulations on Private Businesses Regarding Employee Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 12) |
| April 11, 2019 | TX | SB 2487 | Prohibits Local Governments from Imposing Regulations on Private Businesses for Employee Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 12) |
| April 11, 2019 | IL | SB 10 | Increases Teacher Salaries to $40,000 | Bill Passed - Senate (45 - 11) |
| April 2, 2019 | IA | SF 516 | Requires Employers to Verify Employee Immigration Status | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| April 2, 2019 | ME | LD 278 | Prohibits Employers from Basing Wages on Employee's Salary History | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| April 2, 2019 | ME | LD 278 | Prohibits Employers from Basing Wages on Employee's Salary History | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| March 31, 2019 | MD | HB 994 | Prohibits Employment Discrimination Based On an Applicants Criminal History | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (30 - 14) |
| March 31, 2019 | NY | A 2006 | Establishes an Education, Labor, Housing and Family Assistance Budget for FY 2019-2020 | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 22) |
| March 21, 2019 | NH | SB 10 | Increases the State Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 10) |
| March 19, 2019 | ME | LD 75 | Requires the Protection of Earned Pay | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 13) |
| March 14, 2019 | MD | HB 166 | Increases State Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
| March 10, 2019 | NM | HB 85 | Prohibits Local "Right to Work" Ordinances | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 19) |
| March 10, 2019 | NM | HB 85 | Prohibits Local "Right to Work" Ordinances | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 19) |
| March 7, 2019 | IL | SB 1474 | Prohibits Local Right to Work Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 12) |
| March 7, 2019 | IL | SB 1474 | Prohibits Local Right to Work Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 12) |
| Feb. 22, 2019 | KY | SB 18 | Establishes Employment Protections for Pregnant Women | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| Feb. 14, 2019 | NH | SB 1 | Establishes Paid Family and Medical Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 10) |
| Feb. 7, 2019 | IL | SB 1 | Increases Minimum Wage to $15 | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 18) |
| Jan. 31, 2019 | NJ | A 15 | Increases State Minimum Wage to $15 per Hour | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16) |
| Jan. 31, 2019 | NH | SB 2 | Increases the Amount of Funds Allocated for Job Training | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 10) |
| Jan. 23, 2019 | DE | HB 2 | Establishes Protections for Federal Workers During a Shutdown | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 6) |
| Nov. 28, 2018 | MI | SB 1175 | Amends Laws Regarding State Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 11) |
| Nov. 27, 2018 | MI | SB 795 | Amends the Public School Employees Retirement Act of 1979. | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| Aug. 23, 2018 | National | S Amdt 3967 | Senator Rand Paul's Amendment to H.R. 6157 | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 48) |
| June 25, 2018 | NJ | A 3861 | Amends Unemployment Insurance Law | (23 - 14) |
| June 20, 2018 | MA | H 4640 | Amends Minimum Wage and Paid-Leave Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 0) |
| May 17, 2018 | IL | SB 2892 | Requires Increase in Teacher Salaries | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 16) |
| April 19, 2018 | IL | SB 2546 | Authorizes Graduate Research Assistant Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 19) |
| April 12, 2018 | NJ | A 1827 | Requires Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 12) |
| April 12, 2018 | NJ | A 3686 | Increases State Protections for Labor Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 9) |
| April 2, 2018 | MD | HB 1539 | Establishes General Contractor Liability for Unpaid Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 13) |
| April 2, 2018 | MD | HB 1243 | Authorizes Workers to Sue for Unpaid Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 12) |
| March 29, 2018 | KY | SB 151 | Amends the State Public Pension System | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| March 26, 2018 | MD | SB 654 | Requires Extension of Union Contracts | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| March 22, 2018 | MD | HB 1017 | Requires Equal Access to Collective Bargaining New Employee Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | SD | HB 1199 | Prohibits Collective Bargaining at Public Universities | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 18) |