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 6, 2008 | ID | H 588 | Food Tax Credit Expansion | Bill Passed - House (62 - 8) |
| March 4, 2008 | UT | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 4) |
| March 3, 2008 | UT | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Bill Passed - House (56 - 15) |
| Feb. 27, 2008 | CO | HB 1180 | Unemployment Benefits for Military Spouses | Bill Passed - House (60 - 5) |
| Feb. 25, 2008 | WY | HB 145 | Restricting Benefits for Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - House (40 - 18) |
| Feb. 25, 2008 | CO | HB 1310 | Payday Loan Restrictions | Bill Passed - House (33 - 30) |
| Feb. 21, 2008 | UT | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 5) |
| Feb. 21, 2008 | MD | SB 111 | Expanding Hate Crimes Classification to Homeless | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 4) |
| Feb. 19, 2008 | WA | SB 6809 | Working Family Tax Exemption | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16) |
| Feb. 18, 2008 | CO | SB 3 | Medicaid Funded Family Planning | Bill Passed - House (41 - 23) |
| Feb. 11, 2008 | VA | HB 12 | Payday Lending Restrictions | Bill Passed - House (91 - 7) |
| Feb. 10, 2008 | NM | HB 661 | Affordable Housing Tax Relief | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 12) |
| Jan. 28, 2008 | CO | SB 3 | Medicaid Funded Family Planning | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| Jan. 23, 2008 | National | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Veto Override Failed - House (260 - 152) |
| Dec. 14, 2007 | National | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Bill Passed - Senate (79 - 14) |
| Dec. 13, 2007 | MI | HB 5375 | Promise Zones | Bill Passed - House (71 - 34) |
| Nov. 29, 2007 | WA | Sub SB 6178 | Property Tax Deferral | Bill Passed - House (55 - 39) |
| Nov. 29, 2007 | WA | Sub SB 6178 | Property Tax Deferral | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| Nov. 14, 2007 | National | HR 1429 | Head Start Act of 2007 | Conference Report Adopted - House (381 - 36) |
| Nov. 1, 2007 | National | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 30) |
| Oct. 31, 2007 | MI | SB 232 | 2007-2008 Department of Human Services Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (59 - 50) |
| Oct. 31, 2007 | MI | SB 232 | 2007-2008 Department of Human Services Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 16) |
| Oct. 29, 2007 | MI | H Sub for Sub SB 234 | 2007-2008 Department of Labor and Economic Growth Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (82 - 27) |
| Oct. 29, 2007 | MI | H Sub for Sub SB 234 | 2007-2008 Department of Labor and Economic Growth Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (37 - 1) |
| Oct. 25, 2007 | National | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - House (265 - 142) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/06 | H 588 | Food Tax Credit Expansion | Bill Passed - House (62 - 8) |
| 3/04 | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 4) |
| 3/03 | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Bill Passed - House (56 - 15) |
| 2/27 | HB 1180 | Unemployment Benefits for Military Spouses | Bill Passed - House (60 - 5) |
| 2/25 | HB 145 | Restricting Benefits for Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - House (40 - 18) |
| 2/25 | HB 1310 | Payday Loan Restrictions | Bill Passed - House (33 - 30) |
| 2/21 | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 5) |
| 2/21 | SB 111 | Expanding Hate Crimes Classification to Homeless | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 4) |
| 2/19 | SB 6809 | Working Family Tax Exemption | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16) |
| 2/18 | SB 3 | Medicaid Funded Family Planning | Bill Passed - House (41 - 23) |
| 2/11 | HB 12 | Payday Lending Restrictions | Bill Passed - House (91 - 7) |
| 2/10 | HB 661 | Affordable Housing Tax Relief | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 12) |
| 1/28 | SB 3 | Medicaid Funded Family Planning | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| 1/23 | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Veto Override Failed - House (260 - 152) |
| 12/14 | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Bill Passed - Senate (79 - 14) |
| 12/13 | HB 5375 | Promise Zones | Bill Passed - House (71 - 34) |
| 11/29 | Sub SB 6178 | Property Tax Deferral | Bill Passed - House (55 - 39) |
| 11/29 | Sub SB 6178 | Property Tax Deferral | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| 11/14 | HR 1429 | Head Start Act of 2007 | Conference Report Adopted - House (381 - 36) |
| 11/01 | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 30) |
| 10/31 | SB 232 | 2007-2008 Department of Human Services Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (59 - 50) |
| 10/31 | SB 232 | 2007-2008 Department of Human Services Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 16) |
| 10/29 | H Sub for Sub SB 234 | 2007-2008 Department of Labor and Economic Growth Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (82 - 27) |
| 10/29 | H Sub for Sub SB 234 | 2007-2008 Department of Labor and Economic Growth Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (37 - 1) |
| 10/25 | HR 3963 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) | Bill Passed - House (265 - 142) |