Key Votes

Chamber

Keyword Search

Search string must be longer than 3 characters.

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
Jan. 20, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35)
Jan. 20, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35)
Jan. 20, 2025 WY HB 32 Establishes Statutory Definitions for "Man", "Woman", and "Biological Sex" Bill Passed - House (50 - 9)
Jan. 17, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 35)
Jan. 17, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 35)
Jan. 17, 2025 MT HB 76 Establishes a Certification Process for Family Peer Support Specialists Bill Passed - House (69 - 29)
Jan. 16, 2025 National HR 30 Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act Bill Passed - House (274 - 145)
Jan. 16, 2025 National HR 30 Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act Bill Passed - House (274 - 145)
Jan. 16, 2025 MT HB 121 Requires Individuals to Use Facilities that Correspond with Their Biological Sex at Birth Bill Passed - House (58 - 41)
Jan. 14, 2025 NY S 784 Repeals Subsidies for Adoptive Parents of Disabled or Hard-to-Place Children if They No Longer Support Them Bill Passed - Senate (57 - 3)
Jan. 14, 2025 NY A 693 Requires District Attorneys Give Crime Victims Information about the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision's Victim Assistance Office Bill Passed - House (148 - 1)
Jan. 14, 2025 VA HJR 9 Establishes a Constitutional Amendment Protecting Marriage Equality Joint Resolution Passed - House (58 - 35)
Jan. 14, 2025 NY S 757 Authorizes Local Social Services Districts to Use Child Care Block Grant Funds for the Presumptive Eligibility Period Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 0)
Jan. 14, 2025 National HR 28 Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act Bill Passed - House (218 - 206)
Jan. 14, 2025 VA HJR 1 Establishes a Constitutional Amendment Enshrining Rights to Abortion Joint Resolution Passed - House (51 - 48)
Jan. 14, 2025 VA HJR 2 Establishes a Constitutional Amendment that Restores Felon Voting Rights Joint Resolution Passed - House (55 - 44)
Jan. 13, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Motion Agreed - Senate (82 - 10)
Jan. 13, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Motion Agreed - Senate (82 - 10)
Jan. 8, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (84 - 9)
Jan. 8, 2025 National S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (84 - 9)
Jan. 7, 2025 IL HB 4144 Requires Police to Take Guns After Orders of Protection Concurrence Vote Passed - House (80 - 33)
Jan. 7, 2025 IL HB 4144 Requires Police to Take Guns After Orders of Protection Concurrence Vote Passed - House (80 - 33)
Jan. 7, 2025 National HR 29 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - House (264 - 159)
Jan. 7, 2025 National HR 29 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - House (264 - 159)
Jan. 6, 2025 IL HB 4144 Requires Police to Take Guns After Orders of Protection Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 10)
Date No. Title Outcome
1/20 S 5 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35)
1/20 S 5 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35)
1/20 HB 32 Establishes Statutory Definitions for "Man", "Woman", and "Biological Sex" Bill Passed - House (50 - 9)
1/17 S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 35)
1/17 S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 35)
1/17 HB 76 Establishes a Certification Process for Family Peer Support Specialists Bill Passed - House (69 - 29)
1/16 HR 30 Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act Bill Passed - House (274 - 145)
1/16 HR 30 Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act Bill Passed - House (274 - 145)
1/16 HB 121 Requires Individuals to Use Facilities that Correspond with Their Biological Sex at Birth Bill Passed - House (58 - 41)
1/14 S 784 Repeals Subsidies for Adoptive Parents of Disabled or Hard-to-Place Children if They No Longer Support Them Bill Passed - Senate (57 - 3)
1/14 A 693 Requires District Attorneys Give Crime Victims Information about the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision's Victim Assistance Office Bill Passed - House (148 - 1)
1/14 HJR 9 Establishes a Constitutional Amendment Protecting Marriage Equality Joint Resolution Passed - House (58 - 35)
1/14 S 757 Authorizes Local Social Services Districts to Use Child Care Block Grant Funds for the Presumptive Eligibility Period Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 0)
1/14 HR 28 Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act Bill Passed - House (218 - 206)
1/14 HJR 1 Establishes a Constitutional Amendment Enshrining Rights to Abortion Joint Resolution Passed - House (51 - 48)
1/14 HJR 2 Establishes a Constitutional Amendment that Restores Felon Voting Rights Joint Resolution Passed - House (55 - 44)
1/13 S 5 Laken Riley Act Motion Agreed - Senate (82 - 10)
1/13 S 5 Laken Riley Act Motion Agreed - Senate (82 - 10)
1/08 S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (84 - 9)
1/08 S 5 Laken Riley Act Cloture Invoked - Senate (84 - 9)
1/07 HB 4144 Requires Police to Take Guns After Orders of Protection Concurrence Vote Passed - House (80 - 33)
1/07 HB 4144 Requires Police to Take Guns After Orders of Protection Concurrence Vote Passed - House (80 - 33)
1/07 HR 29 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - House (264 - 159)
1/07 HR 29 Laken Riley Act Bill Passed - House (264 - 159)
1/06 HB 4144 Requires Police to Take Guns After Orders of Protection Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 10)

arrow_upward