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 8, 2017 | NC | H 100 | Restores Partisan Court Elections | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 43) |
| March 7, 2017 | WA | HB 1371 | Prohibits Texting While Driving | Bill Passed - House (52 - 45) |
| March 2, 2017 | ID | HB 202 | Amends Civil Asset Forfeiture Law | Bill Passed - House (58 - 10) |
| March 2, 2017 | UT | HB 259 | Authorizes the Discharge of Firearm for Self-Defense | Bill Passed - House (53 - 15) |
| Feb. 23, 2017 | UT | HB 99 | Amends Bigamy Laws | Bill Passed - House (48 - 25) |
| Feb. 8, 2017 | National | PN 30 | Nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47) |
| Feb. 7, 2017 | National | PN 30 | Nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General | Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 47) |
| Feb. 6, 2017 | ND | HB 1193 | Classifies Economic Harm as a Class C Felony | Bill Passed - House (72 - 19) |
| Feb. 6, 2017 | ND | HB 1426 | Classifies Riots Involving More than 100 Individuals as a Class B Felony | Bill Passed - House (63 - 27) |
| Feb. 6, 2017 | ND | HB 1304 | Prohibits Wearing a Mask During the Commission of a Crime | Bill Passed - House (69 - 22) |
| Feb. 6, 2017 | ND | HB 1293 | Authorizes Law Enforcement to Issue Citations for Trespassing | Bill Passed - House (85 - 6) |
| Feb. 6, 2017 | MS | HB 645 | Classifies Killing of First Responders as First-Degree Murder | Bill Passed - House (85 - 31) |
| Jan. 26, 2017 | MS | SB 2469 | Classifies the Targeting of Law Enforcement as a Hate Crime | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 13) |
| Jan. 19, 2017 | MT | SB 29 | Defines Consent and Aggravated Sexual Assault | Bill Passed - Senate (46 - 0) |
| Sept. 28, 2016 | National | S 2040 | Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act | Veto Override Passed - House (348 - 77) |
| Sept. 28, 2016 | National | S 2040 | Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act | Veto Override Passed - Senate (97 - 1) |
| Aug. 31, 2016 | CA | SB 1241 | Amends Current Provisions of Labor Contracts | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| Aug. 31, 2016 | CA | SB 1241 | Amends Current Provisions of Labor Contracts | Bill Passed - House (54 - 21) |
| April 19, 2016 | TN | SJR 467 | Urges Attorney General to File Lawsuit in Relation to Refugee Resettlement Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 4) |
| April 18, 2016 | TN | SJR 467 | Urges Attorney General to File Lawsuit in Relation to Refugee Resettlement Program | Bill Passed - House (69 - 25) |
| April 14, 2016 | MO | SR 1794 | Requires Dr. James Miller to Appear Before the Senate | Resolution Passed - Senate (24 - 8) |
| April 14, 2016 | MO | SR 1793 | Requires Mary Kogut to Appear Before the Senate | Resolution Passed - Senate (24 - 8) |
| April 7, 2016 | AL | SB 237 | Establishes Innocence Inquiry Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 6) |
| April 5, 2016 | LA | HB 580 | Limits Time Frame for Real Estate Appraisal Lawsuits | Bill Failed - House (45 - 47) |
| April 5, 2016 | IL | SB 2465 | Prohibits Certain Lawsuits against Inmates | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 19) |