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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6, 2020 | FL | HB 43 | Amends Child Welfare Training Standards | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 0) |
| March 5, 2020 | WA | HB 2614 | Amends the Paid Family Medical Leave Program for Union Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 10) |
| March 3, 2020 | VA | HB 623 | Repeals the State Statutory Same-Sex Marriage Ban and Amends State Gender-Neutral Terms | (24 - 16) |
| Feb. 28, 2020 | CO | SB 20-163 | Amends the Definition for Nonmedical Exemptions for School Immunization Policies | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 14) |
| Feb. 11, 2020 | NE | LB 329 | Amends Eligibility Provisions for Transitional Childcare Assistance Subsidies | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | FL | SB 404 | Requires Parental Consent for Minors Prior to Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 17) |
| Feb. 4, 2020 | IN | SB 449 | Reduces the Age at Which Juveniles Can be Sent to Jail | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 18) |
| Feb. 4, 2020 | IN | SB 342 | Establishes Reasonable Accommodations for Pregnant Workers | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 8) |
| Jan. 16, 2020 | MA | H 4218 | Requires School Districts Offer Breakfast After Instruction Begins | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 0) |
| Nov. 5, 2019 | WI | SB 49 | Prohibits Prostitution Charges Against Minors | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14) |
| Sept. 4, 2019 | CA | AB 175 | Amends Foster Care Bill of Rights | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 8) |
| June 27, 2019 | DE | HB 79 | Requires Beverages Included in Kids' Meals to be Milk or Water | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 6) |
| June 19, 2019 | ME | LD 1028 | Increases Taxes on Tobacco Products | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| June 14, 2019 | NY | S 4203 | Authorizes Foster Care Adoptees to Have Contact with Their Parents | Bill Passed - Senate (46 - 16) |
| June 11, 2019 | NY | S 2071 | Repeals Prohibitions on Surrogacy and In Vitro Fertilization | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 21) |
| May 30, 2019 | NH | HB 651 | Authorizes the Use of Campaign Funds for Child Care Expenses | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - Senate (15 - 9) |
| May 29, 2019 | IL | HB 2276 | Prohibits Smoking in a Vehicle with Minors Present | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 10) |
| May 24, 2019 | NE | LB 149 | Increases State Smoking Age | Bill Passed - Senate (45 - 0) |
| May 23, 2019 | IL | HB 3606 | Authorizes Parental Privacy Rights for Student Data Collection | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 17) |
| May 23, 2019 | CA | SB 360 | Requires Religious Officials Report Minor Sex Abuse Evidence to Law Enforcement | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 4) |
| May 22, 2019 | CT | SB 1 | Establishes Paid Family and Medical Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 15) |
| May 21, 2019 | ME | LD 1417 | Expands Access to Head Start Programs | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - Senate (24 - 11) |
| May 20, 2019 | LA | SB 172 | Requires Individuals to be At Least 16 Years Old to Marry | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| May 20, 2019 | LA | SB 172 | Requires Individuals to be At Least 16 Years Old to Marry | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| May 15, 2019 | VT | H 107 | Establishes a Paid Statewide Family and Medical Leave Program | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |