Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
April 17, 2013 IL HB 2675 Expands Sex Education Curriculum Bill Passed - House (66 - 52)
March 19, 2013 AR SB 417 Classifies the Death of a Fetus as a Felony in Certain Cases Bill Passed - House (76 - 10)
March 18, 2013 CO HB 1081 Expands Sexual Education Curriculum Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15)
March 18, 2013 CO HB 1154 Establishes Penalties for Violent Offenses Against Pregnant Women Bill Passed - House (50 - 14)
Feb. 28, 2013 National S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (286 - 138)
Feb. 28, 2013 National H Amdt 23 Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act Amendment Rejected - House (166 - 257)
Feb. 22, 2013 SD HB 1214 Authorizes Prenatal Care for Undocumented Immigrants Bill Passed - House (39 - 28)
Feb. 21, 2013 CO HB 1081 Expands Sexual Education Curriculum Bill Passed - House (37 - 28)
Feb. 15, 2013 UT HB 50 Expands Protective Orders to Dating Relationships Bill Passed - House (61 - 11)
Feb. 12, 2013 ID H 62 Expands Sales Tax Exemptions For Health-Related Entities Bill Passed - House (58 - 12)
Feb. 12, 2013 National S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 22)
Feb. 7, 2013 MT HB 239 Requires Parental Consent for Sex Education Bill Passed - House (56 - 41)
Aug. 27, 2012 CA AB 2348 Authorizes Registered Nurses to Dispense Contraceptives Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 28)
Aug. 27, 2012 CA AB 1640 Expands Cash Assistance Programs for Pregnant Teenagers Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 26)
Aug. 22, 2012 CA AB 2348 Authorizes Registered Nurses to Dispense Contraceptives Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15)
Aug. 22, 2012 CA AB 1640 Expands Cash Assistance Programs for Pregnant Teenagers Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12)
June 26, 2012 SC H 4497 Authorizes Information On and Access to the HPV Vaccine Veto Override Failed - House (54 - 47)
June 21, 2012 NJ S 1599 Amends Surrogacy Laws Bill Passed - House (41 - 33)
June 5, 2012 National S 3220 Paycheck Fairness Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
May 31, 2012 NJ S 1599 Amends Surrogacy Laws Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 11)
May 16, 2012 National HR 4970 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012 Bill Passed - House (222 - 205)
May 7, 2012 MO Amdt 1 Rescinds Funding for the Sue Shear Institute Amendment Adopted - House (93 - 59)
April 27, 2012 TN SB 3310 Requires Abstinence-Centered Sex Education in Schools Bill Passed - House (68 - 23)
April 27, 2012 CO SM 3 Urges Congress to Authorize Religious Exemptions to Providing Birth Control Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 20)
April 26, 2012 National S 1925 Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31)
Date No. Title Outcome
4/17 HB 2675 Expands Sex Education Curriculum Bill Passed - House (66 - 52)
3/19 SB 417 Classifies the Death of a Fetus as a Felony in Certain Cases Bill Passed - House (76 - 10)
3/18 HB 1081 Expands Sexual Education Curriculum Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15)
3/18 HB 1154 Establishes Penalties for Violent Offenses Against Pregnant Women Bill Passed - House (50 - 14)
2/28 S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - House (286 - 138)
2/28 H Amdt 23 Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act Amendment Rejected - House (166 - 257)
2/22 HB 1214 Authorizes Prenatal Care for Undocumented Immigrants Bill Passed - House (39 - 28)
2/21 HB 1081 Expands Sexual Education Curriculum Bill Passed - House (37 - 28)
2/15 HB 50 Expands Protective Orders to Dating Relationships Bill Passed - House (61 - 11)
2/12 H 62 Expands Sales Tax Exemptions For Health-Related Entities Bill Passed - House (58 - 12)
2/12 S 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 22)
2/07 HB 239 Requires Parental Consent for Sex Education Bill Passed - House (56 - 41)
8/27 AB 2348 Authorizes Registered Nurses to Dispense Contraceptives Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 28)
8/27 AB 1640 Expands Cash Assistance Programs for Pregnant Teenagers Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 26)
8/22 AB 2348 Authorizes Registered Nurses to Dispense Contraceptives Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15)
8/22 AB 1640 Expands Cash Assistance Programs for Pregnant Teenagers Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12)
6/26 H 4497 Authorizes Information On and Access to the HPV Vaccine Veto Override Failed - House (54 - 47)
6/21 S 1599 Amends Surrogacy Laws Bill Passed - House (41 - 33)
6/05 S 3220 Paycheck Fairness Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
5/31 S 1599 Amends Surrogacy Laws Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 11)
5/16 HR 4970 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012 Bill Passed - House (222 - 205)
5/07 Amdt 1 Rescinds Funding for the Sue Shear Institute Amendment Adopted - House (93 - 59)
4/27 SB 3310 Requires Abstinence-Centered Sex Education in Schools Bill Passed - House (68 - 23)
4/27 SM 3 Urges Congress to Authorize Religious Exemptions to Providing Birth Control Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 20)
4/26 S 1925 Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31)

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