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 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 4111 | Amends Online Gambling Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 0) |
| June 7, 2018 | NJ | A 2757 | Requires Background Checks for Private Gun Sales | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 3) |
| 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 5599 | Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 17) |
| May 24, 2018 | IL | HB 4965 | Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 15) |
| 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) |
| May 8, 2018 | CT | HB 5542 | Prohibits Bump Stocks | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 10) |
| May 3, 2018 | KS | SB 284 | Authorizes Child Placement Agencies to Deny Service Based on Religion | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (24 - 15) |
| May 3, 2018 | VT | H 25 | Amends State Domestic Terrorism Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 0) |
| May 2, 2018 | OK | SB 1212 | Establishes a State Firearm Constitutional Carry Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 9) |
| May 2, 2018 | NH | HB 1319 | Prohibits Discrimination Based on Gender Identity | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (14 - 10) |
| May 2, 2018 | IL | SB 3249 | Requires LGBT History in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 18) |
| May 2, 2018 | IL | SB 3249 | Requires LGBT History in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 18) |
| May 1, 2018 | HI | HB 1489 | Prohibits LGBTQ Discrimination | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (25 - 0) |
| May 1, 2018 | MI | HB 5010 | Extends Statute of Limitations for Armed Robbery | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 4) |
| May 1, 2018 | HI | HB 2131 | Establishes A Sexual Assault Training Program | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 0) |
| May 1, 2018 | LA | SB 534 | Amends "Crime of Violence" to Include Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 0) |
| April 23, 2018 | TN | HB 2381 | Authorizes 'Monument to the Unborn' | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 3) |
| April 23, 2018 | TN | HB 2381 | Authorizes 'Monument to the Unborn' | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 3) |
| April 23, 2018 | MN | SF 3673 | Amends Prison Release Requirements for Sex Offenders | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 0) |
| April 19, 2018 | NH | HB 587 | Prohibits Providing Conversion Therapy to Minors | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - Senate (14 - 10) |
| April 19, 2018 | MN | HF 3157 | Prohibits Misrepresentation of a Service Animal | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 0) |
| April 18, 2018 | VA | HB 83 | Requires Feminine Hygiene Products to be Provided to Prisons Inmates | (39 - None) |
| April 18, 2018 | VT | H 333 | Requires Gender-Neutral Bathrooms | Bill Passed - Senate |
| April 18, 2018 | ME | LD 912 | Prohibits Conversion Therapy on Minors | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
| April 18, 2018 | CT | SB 4 | Authorizes Financial Aid for Undocumented Students | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 5) |
| April 18, 2018 | National | S J Res 57 | A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to "Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act" | Bill Passed - Senate (51 - 47) |
| April 18, 2018 | PA | SB 961 | Increases OWI Penalties | Bill Passed - Senate (45 - 4) |
| April 17, 2018 | OK | HB 2692 | Amends Child Care Licensing | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 15) |
| April 17, 2018 | CO | SB 18-220 | Prohibits Jurisdictions From Establishing Sanctuary Status | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
| April 12, 2018 | NJ | S 122 | Authorizes Tax Credits for Film Production | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 3) |
| April 12, 2018 | NJ | A 1827 | Requires Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 12) |