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 10, 2011 | TN | SB 1528 | Amends Requirements for Teacher Tenure | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| March 9, 2011 | WI | AB 11 | Collective Bargaining Rights for Public Employees | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (18 - 1) |
| March 8, 2011 | UT | HB 183 | School District Leave Policies | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 7) |
| March 8, 2011 | AZ | SB 1363 | Labor Organization Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 9) |
| March 2, 2011 | OH | SB 5 | Collective Bargaining Rights for Public Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 16) |
| Feb. 24, 2011 | ID | S 1108 | Education Provisions and Teacher Entitlements | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
| Feb. 17, 2011 | IN | SB 575 | Collective Bargaining for School Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| Feb. 15, 2011 | National | S Amdt 14 | Prohibiting Transportation Security Administration Employees from Collective Bargaining | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 51) |
| Feb. 4, 2011 | ID | S 1007 | Labor Organizations | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 8) |
| Feb. 1, 2011 | ID | S 1006 | Right to Work Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 7) |
| Jan. 19, 2011 | NH | SB 1 | Repeal of Automatic Continuation Requirement for Public Employee Collective Bargaining Agreements | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 5) |
| Dec. 8, 2010 | National | S 3991 | Allowing Collective Bargaining for Public Safety Officers | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 43) |
| Oct. 14, 2010 | PA | HB 2497 | Amends State Employee Pension System | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 8) |
| Sept. 23, 2010 | MI | SB 1226 | State Retirement Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (20 - 14) |
| July 14, 2010 | MO | HB 1 | Public Retirement Systems | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (25 - 5) |
| June 21, 2010 | CT | HB 5207 | Criminal Background Checks for State Employees | Veto Override Passed - Senate (31 - 5) |
| June 3, 2010 | CA | SB 1121 | Overtime Wages for Agricultural Workers | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| June 1, 2010 | NY | S 2311D | Labor Standards for Domestic Workers | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 28) |
| May 26, 2010 | LA | HB 1033 | Evaluation and Assessment Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
| May 26, 2010 | LA | Amdt 4002 | Requires Department of Education Employees Evaluation | Amendment Adopted - Senate (20 - 19) |
| May 25, 2010 | LA | SB 293 | Establishes and Implements an Agency Attrition Analysis Process | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| May 17, 2010 | NY | S 7846 | Emergency Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 29) |
| May 12, 2010 | CO | SB 191 | Education Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 8) |
| May 12, 2010 | CO | HB 1409 | State Employee Compensation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| May 11, 2010 | CO | SB 12 | Increasing Penalties for Worker's Compensation Violations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| May 10, 2010 | NY | S 7777 | Emergency Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 29) |
| April 30, 2010 | CO | SB 191 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| April 20, 2010 | MO | SB 714 | State Employee Retirement System Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 5) |
| April 14, 2010 | MI | SB 1226 | State Retirement Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| April 12, 2010 | MD | HB 465 | Establishes Collective Bargaining Procedures for Certain Child Care Providers | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (26 - 18) |
| April 12, 2010 | MD | SB 590 | Establishes a Public School Labor Relations Board | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 12) |
| April 9, 2010 | NE | LB 780 | PTSD Workers' Compensation Benefits for First Responders | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 5) |
| April 6, 2010 | NE | Amdt 2454 | Limiting First Responder PTSD Death Benefits to 1 Year | Amendment Rejected - Senate (17 - 27) |
| April 6, 2010 | NE | Amdt 2455 | Limiting First Responder PTSD Benefits to 26 Weeks | Amendment Rejected - Senate (12 - 30) |
| April 5, 2010 | CO | SB 133 | Income Tax Credit Incentive for Colorado Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 16) |
| April 5, 2010 | CO | SB 133 | Income Tax Credit Incentive for Colorado Businesses | Bill Failed - Senate (17 - 17) |
| April 1, 2010 | MD | SB 789 | Requires Shift Breaks for Certain Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 18) |
| March 29, 2010 | IA | SF 2389 | Iowa Jobs II Program and Budget Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 17) |
| March 26, 2010 | ME | LD 1552 | Repealing Maine Tree Growth Program Eligibility for Use of "Bonded Laborers" | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
| March 24, 2010 | FL | SB 6 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 17) |
| March 23, 2010 | KY | HB 239 | School Principal Selection Process Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14) |
| March 18, 2010 | IA | HF 2518 | Retirement Contribution Rate Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 16) |
| March 11, 2010 | MN | HF 2700 | Omnibus Bonding and Budget Amendments | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (49 - 17) |
| March 10, 2010 | SC | H 3305 | Requiring Secret Ballot Elections | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 9) |
| March 9, 2010 | OK | SB 1973 | Worker's Compensation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 18) |
| March 2, 2010 | WY | HB 93 | Increasing Penalties for Workplace Safety Violations | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 15) |
| March 1, 2010 | UT | SB 43 | Retirement System Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (20 - 8) |
| March 1, 2010 | UT | SB 63 | Retirement System Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (18 - 8) |
| Feb. 25, 2010 | MN | SF 2168 | General Assistance Medical Care Program Modifications | Veto Override Passed - Senate (45 - 21) |
| Feb. 16, 2010 | NM | HB 231 | Authorizing Education Retirement Board Pension Disclosure | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18) |
| Feb. 12, 2010 | NM | SB 112 | Authorizing Severance Tax Bonds and Allocating Proceeds | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 17) |
| Feb. 9, 2010 | National | PN 1351 | Craig Becker, Member of the National Labor Relations Board | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 33) |
| Feb. 9, 2010 | WA | SB 6382 | Extending State Employee Salary Freeze | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 15) |
| Feb. 9, 2010 | MN | SF 2360 | Construction Projects Authorizations and Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 14) |
| Feb. 8, 2010 | VA | SB 66 | Prohibiting Sexual Orientation Discrimination in State Government Employment | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 17) |
| Feb. 8, 2010 | VA | SB 239 | Unemployment Benefit Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 9) |
| Feb. 4, 2010 | IA | SF 2062 | State Worker Retirement Incentive Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (41 - 6) |
| Feb. 1, 2010 | CO | SB 1 | Public Employee Retirement Association Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 10) |
| Jan. 27, 2010 | SD | SB 18 | Restrictions on Retirement for Rehired Public Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| Jan. 13, 2010 | IL | SB 315 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (48 - 4) |
| Jan. 12, 2010 | IN | SB 23 | Unemployment Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 17) |
| Dec. 17, 2009 | OH | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| Dec. 3, 2009 | MI | SB 638 | "Consistent Ineffectiveness" as Grounds for Discharging or Demoting Tenured Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| Nov. 18, 2009 | MA | S 2210 | Sentencing Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| Sept. 4, 2009 | CA | AB 793 | Clarifying Statute of Limitations for Wage Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| Aug. 26, 2009 | PA | HB 1828 | Municipal Pension System Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 9) |
| Aug. 14, 2009 | AL | HB 13 | Authorizes an Occupational Tax for Jefferson County | Bill Passed - Senate (12 - 9) |
| July 1, 2009 | DE | HB 290 | 2009-2010 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 4) |
| June 25, 2009 | NJ | A 4111 | State Employee Wage Increases | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| June 25, 2009 | NJ | A 3372 | Wages in Board of Public Utilities Construction Projects | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 9) |
| June 23, 2009 | OR | HB 3300 | Promoting Green Jobs | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 7) |
| June 18, 2009 | MA | S 2087 | Massachusetts Transportation Agency Consolidation | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (27 - 11) |
| June 8, 2009 | OR | SB 519 | Mandatory Workplace Meetings | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| May 31, 2009 | NV | AB 395 | Allowing State Employee Collective Bargaining | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 8) |
| May 27, 2009 | RI | S 659 | Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 6) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/10 | SB 1528 | Amends Requirements for Teacher Tenure | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| 3/09 | AB 11 | Collective Bargaining Rights for Public Employees | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (18 - 1) |
| 3/08 | HB 183 | School District Leave Policies | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 7) |
| 3/08 | SB 1363 | Labor Organization Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 9) |
| 3/02 | SB 5 | Collective Bargaining Rights for Public Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 16) |
| 2/24 | S 1108 | Education Provisions and Teacher Entitlements | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
| 2/17 | SB 575 | Collective Bargaining for School Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| 2/15 | S Amdt 14 | Prohibiting Transportation Security Administration Employees from Collective Bargaining | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 51) |
| 2/04 | S 1007 | Labor Organizations | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 8) |
| 2/01 | S 1006 | Right to Work Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 7) |
| 1/19 | SB 1 | Repeal of Automatic Continuation Requirement for Public Employee Collective Bargaining Agreements | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 5) |
| 12/08 | S 3991 | Allowing Collective Bargaining for Public Safety Officers | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 43) |
| 10/14 | HB 2497 | Amends State Employee Pension System | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 8) |
| 9/23 | SB 1226 | State Retirement Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (20 - 14) |
| 7/14 | HB 1 | Public Retirement Systems | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (25 - 5) |
| 6/21 | HB 5207 | Criminal Background Checks for State Employees | Veto Override Passed - Senate (31 - 5) |
| 6/03 | SB 1121 | Overtime Wages for Agricultural Workers | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| 6/01 | S 2311D | Labor Standards for Domestic Workers | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 28) |
| 5/26 | HB 1033 | Evaluation and Assessment Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
| 5/26 | Amdt 4002 | Requires Department of Education Employees Evaluation | Amendment Adopted - Senate (20 - 19) |
| 5/25 | SB 293 | Establishes and Implements an Agency Attrition Analysis Process | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| 5/17 | S 7846 | Emergency Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 29) |
| 5/12 | SB 191 | Education Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 8) |
| 5/12 | HB 1409 | State Employee Compensation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| 5/11 | SB 12 | Increasing Penalties for Worker's Compensation Violations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| 5/10 | S 7777 | Emergency Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 29) |
| 4/30 | SB 191 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| 4/20 | SB 714 | State Employee Retirement System Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 5) |
| 4/14 | SB 1226 | State Retirement Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| 4/12 | HB 465 | Establishes Collective Bargaining Procedures for Certain Child Care Providers | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (26 - 18) |
| 4/12 | SB 590 | Establishes a Public School Labor Relations Board | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 12) |
| 4/09 | LB 780 | PTSD Workers' Compensation Benefits for First Responders | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 5) |
| 4/06 | Amdt 2454 | Limiting First Responder PTSD Death Benefits to 1 Year | Amendment Rejected - Senate (17 - 27) |
| 4/06 | Amdt 2455 | Limiting First Responder PTSD Benefits to 26 Weeks | Amendment Rejected - Senate (12 - 30) |
| 4/05 | SB 133 | Income Tax Credit Incentive for Colorado Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 16) |
| 4/05 | SB 133 | Income Tax Credit Incentive for Colorado Businesses | Bill Failed - Senate (17 - 17) |
| 4/01 | SB 789 | Requires Shift Breaks for Certain Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 18) |
| 3/29 | SF 2389 | Iowa Jobs II Program and Budget Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 17) |
| 3/26 | LD 1552 | Repealing Maine Tree Growth Program Eligibility for Use of "Bonded Laborers" | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
| 3/24 | SB 6 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 17) |
| 3/23 | HB 239 | School Principal Selection Process Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14) |
| 3/18 | HF 2518 | Retirement Contribution Rate Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 16) |
| 3/11 | HF 2700 | Omnibus Bonding and Budget Amendments | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (49 - 17) |
| 3/10 | H 3305 | Requiring Secret Ballot Elections | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 9) |
| 3/09 | SB 1973 | Worker's Compensation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 18) |
| 3/02 | HB 93 | Increasing Penalties for Workplace Safety Violations | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 15) |
| 3/01 | SB 43 | Retirement System Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (20 - 8) |
| 3/01 | SB 63 | Retirement System Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (18 - 8) |
| 2/25 | SF 2168 | General Assistance Medical Care Program Modifications | Veto Override Passed - Senate (45 - 21) |
| 2/16 | HB 231 | Authorizing Education Retirement Board Pension Disclosure | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18) |
| 2/12 | SB 112 | Authorizing Severance Tax Bonds and Allocating Proceeds | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 17) |
| 2/09 | PN 1351 | Craig Becker, Member of the National Labor Relations Board | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 33) |
| 2/09 | SB 6382 | Extending State Employee Salary Freeze | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 15) |
| 2/09 | SF 2360 | Construction Projects Authorizations and Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 14) |
| 2/08 | SB 66 | Prohibiting Sexual Orientation Discrimination in State Government Employment | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 17) |
| 2/08 | SB 239 | Unemployment Benefit Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 9) |
| 2/04 | SF 2062 | State Worker Retirement Incentive Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (41 - 6) |
| 2/01 | SB 1 | Public Employee Retirement Association Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 10) |
| 1/27 | SB 18 | Restrictions on Retirement for Rehired Public Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| 1/13 | SB 315 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (48 - 4) |
| 1/12 | SB 23 | Unemployment Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 17) |
| 12/17 | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| 12/03 | SB 638 | "Consistent Ineffectiveness" as Grounds for Discharging or Demoting Tenured Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| 11/18 | S 2210 | Sentencing Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| 9/04 | AB 793 | Clarifying Statute of Limitations for Wage Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| 8/26 | HB 1828 | Municipal Pension System Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 9) |
| 8/14 | HB 13 | Authorizes an Occupational Tax for Jefferson County | Bill Passed - Senate (12 - 9) |
| 7/01 | HB 290 | 2009-2010 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 4) |
| 6/25 | A 4111 | State Employee Wage Increases | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| 6/25 | A 3372 | Wages in Board of Public Utilities Construction Projects | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 9) |
| 6/23 | HB 3300 | Promoting Green Jobs | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 7) |
| 6/18 | S 2087 | Massachusetts Transportation Agency Consolidation | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (27 - 11) |
| 6/08 | SB 519 | Mandatory Workplace Meetings | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| 5/31 | AB 395 | Allowing State Employee Collective Bargaining | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 8) |
| 5/27 | S 659 | Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 6) |