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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 7, 2018 | NJ | A 1217 | Authorizes Extreme Risk Protective Orders | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 5) |
| June 7, 2018 | NJ | A 2758 | Requires Justifiable Need to Carry a Handgun | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| June 7, 2018 | NJ | A 1181 | Amends Various Firearm Confiscation Measures | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 5) |
| June 7, 2018 | NJ | A 2757 | Requires Background Checks for Private Gun Sales | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 3) |
| June 7, 2018 | NJ | A 4111 | Amends Online Gambling Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 0) |
| June 7, 2018 | NJ | S 121 | Prohibits Non-Disclosure Agreements Regarding Workplace Harassment | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 1) |
| June 6, 2018 | OH | HB 506 | Amends Laws Related to High-Volume Dog Breeding | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 1) |
| June 6, 2018 | NY | S 7415 | Prohibits Leasing Plans for Pets | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 0) |
| May 30, 2018 | IL | SB 337 | Amends Gun Dealer Licensing Rules | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 20) |
| May 30, 2018 | IL | HB 2354 | Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 11) |
| May 30, 2018 | IL | HB 2354 | Authorizes Courts to Confiscate Firearms from Potentially Dangerous Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 11) |
| May 29, 2018 | MI | SB 871 | Increases the Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault Offenses | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (36 - 0) |
| May 29, 2018 | MI | SB 872 | Amends Statue of Limitations for Sexual Misconduct Cases Going Back until 1997 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (34 - 2) |
| May 29, 2018 | CA | SB 1100 | Increases the Purchasing Age for Firearms to 21 | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| May 24, 2018 | IL | HB 4965 | Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 15) |
| May 24, 2018 | IL | HB 5599 | Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 17) |
| May 23, 2018 | RI | S 2678 | Authorizes Driver's Licenses for DACA Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 2) |
| May 16, 2018 | LA | SB 184 | Amends Video Draw Poker Devices Control Law | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 14) |
| May 16, 2018 | LA | HB 88 | Establishes Crime of Government Benefits Fraud | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| May 16, 2018 | National | S J Res 52 | A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to "Restoring Internet Freedom" | Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 47) |
| May 15, 2018 | LA | SB 243 | Establishes Constitutional Amendment for Unanimous Consent on Juries | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 7) |
| May 14, 2018 | LA | SB 236 | Amends Laws Concerning Sexual Abuse of Animals | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (36 - 1) |
| May 14, 2018 | LA | SB 236 | Amends Laws Concerning Sexual Abuse of Animals | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (36 - 1) |
| May 10, 2018 | CA | SB 785 | Prohibits Irrelevant Disclosures of Immigration Status in Open Court | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 6) |
| May 9, 2018 | LA | HB 484 | Authorizes Fantasy Sports Contests | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 15) |