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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 13, 2017 | TX | HB 214 | Premium Increase for Non-Emergency Abortions | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| July 25, 2017 | TX | SB 10 | Changes for Abortion Requirements at Health Care Facilities | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 9) |
| July 6, 2017 | OR | HB 2355 | Reduces Criminal Charges for Drug Possession | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 9) |
| July 6, 2017 | OR | HB 3464 | Prohibits Disclosure of Immigration Status | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 13) |
| July 5, 2017 | OR | HB 3391 | Requires Coverage for Abortions and Contraceptives | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
| June 30, 2017 | WA | SB 5975 | Establishes Paid Family Leave Insurance Program | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 12) |
| June 29, 2017 | DE | HB 249 | Authorizes Fantasy Sports Betting | Bill Failed - Senate (10 - 11) |
| June 28, 2017 | PA | SB 383 | Authorizes Teachers to Carry Firearms on School Property | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| June 19, 2017 | NY | S 5512A | Establishes Harsher Penalties for Bomb Threats Against Community Centers | Bill Passed - Senate (62 - 0) |
| June 19, 2017 | NJ | S 3067 | Prohibits Transgender Discrimination in Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 10) |
| June 15, 2017 | RI | S 237A | Authorizes Parole Eligibility for Juveniles with Life Sentences | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 8) |
| June 14, 2017 | WI | SB 68 | Amends Prohibition on Baiting and Feeding Deer | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| June 6, 2017 | LA | SB 139 | Establishes New Parole Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| May 31, 2017 | IL | SB 31 | Establishes the Illinois TRUST Act. | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (37 - 17) |
| May 31, 2017 | IL | HB 1785 | Authorizes Birth Certificate Changes for Transgender People | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 22) |
| May 31, 2017 | IL | HB 1785 | Authorizes Birth Certificate Changes for Transgender People | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 22) |
| May 31, 2017 | CA | SB 10 | Establishes New Provisions for the Criminal Justice System | (25 - 11) |
| May 31, 2017 | CA | SB 394 | Authorizes Parole for Juvenile Offenders with Life Sentences | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 12) |
| May 30, 2017 | IL | HB 2462 | Prohibits Screening Job Applicants Based on Wage or Salary History | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 18) |
| May 30, 2017 | LA | HB 27 | Extends Domestic Abuse Laws to Dating Partners | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| May 24, 2017 | ME | LD 347 | Authorizes the Prescription of Lethal Doses of Drugs to Terminally Ill Patients | |
| May 24, 2017 | PA | HB 271 | Establishes Internet Gambling Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 12) |
| May 17, 2017 | IL | SB 7 | Establishes Gambling Industry Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 24) |
| May 16, 2017 | NE | LB 289 | Authorizes Life Prison Terms for Sex Traffickers and Solicitors | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 0) |
| May 11, 2017 | AL | SB 200 | Prohibits Criminal History Inquiries by Employers | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 9) |