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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2008 | CO | SB 217 | Extended Health Care Coverage | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| May 3, 2008 | KS | SB 81 | Health Care Reform | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (34 - 1) |
| May 1, 2008 | RI | H 7204 | 2007-2008 Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| April 22, 2008 | CO | SB 217 | Extended Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| April 7, 2008 | IA | HF 2539 | Health Care Expansion Plan | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 6) |
| March 26, 2008 | KS | Huelskamp Amnd. 2 | Undocumented Immigrants Ineligible for Public Benefits | Amendment Rejected - Senate (12 - 26) |
| March 20, 2008 | NH | SB 502 | Expanding Unemployment Compensation Eligibility | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 8) |
| March 18, 2008 | KS | Kelly Amnd. | Premium Assistance Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (10 - 27) |
| March 18, 2008 | KS | Hensley Amnd. | Premium Assistance Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (10 - 27) |
| March 12, 2008 | MI | SB 120 | Issuing Food Stamps Twice Monthly | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 2) |
| March 11, 2008 | WA | SB 6809 | Working Family Tax Exemption | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 17) |
| March 6, 2008 | VA | HB 12 | Payday Lending Restrictions | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 2) |
| March 6, 2008 | FL | SB 1852 | Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Freeze | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 13) |
| March 4, 2008 | UT | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 4) |
| Feb. 21, 2008 | MD | SB 111 | Expanding Hate Crimes Classification to Homeless | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 4) |
| Feb. 21, 2008 | UT | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 5) |
| Feb. 19, 2008 | WA | SB 6809 | Working Family Tax Exemption | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16) |
| 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) |
| Dec. 14, 2007 | National | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Bill Passed - Senate (79 - 14) |
| Nov. 29, 2007 | WA | Sub SB 6178 | Property Tax Deferral | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| 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 - 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 - Senate (37 - 1) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | MI | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/06 | SB 217 | Extended Health Care Coverage | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| 5/03 | SB 81 | Health Care Reform | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (34 - 1) |
| 5/01 | H 7204 | 2007-2008 Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| 4/22 | SB 217 | Extended Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| 4/07 | HF 2539 | Health Care Expansion Plan | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 6) |
| 3/26 | Huelskamp Amnd. 2 | Undocumented Immigrants Ineligible for Public Benefits | Amendment Rejected - Senate (12 - 26) |
| 3/20 | SB 502 | Expanding Unemployment Compensation Eligibility | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 8) |
| 3/18 | Kelly Amnd. | Premium Assistance Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (10 - 27) |
| 3/18 | Hensley Amnd. | Premium Assistance Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (10 - 27) |
| 3/12 | SB 120 | Issuing Food Stamps Twice Monthly | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 2) |
| 3/11 | SB 6809 | Working Family Tax Exemption | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 17) |
| 3/06 | HB 12 | Payday Lending Restrictions | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 2) |
| 3/06 | SB 1852 | Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Freeze | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 13) |
| 3/04 | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 4) |
| 2/21 | SB 111 | Expanding Hate Crimes Classification to Homeless | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 4) |
| 2/21 | SB 81 | Expanding Immigration Enforcement | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 5) |
| 2/19 | SB 6809 | Working Family Tax Exemption | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16) |
| 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) |
| 12/14 | HR 2419 | Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) | Bill Passed - Senate (79 - 14) |
| 11/29 | Sub SB 6178 | Property Tax Deferral | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| 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 - Senate (20 - 16) |
| 10/29 | H Sub for Sub SB 234 | 2007-2008 Department of Labor and Economic Growth Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (37 - 1) |
| 9/27 | Sub SB 374 | Estate Recovery for Medicaid Recipients in Michigan | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |