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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 11, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| April 2, 2015 | KS | HB 2258 | Amends Social Service Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 10) |
| March 30, 2015 | AR | SB 600 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Government Benefits | Bill Passed - House (69 - 14) |
| March 30, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 27, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 46) |
| March 26, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Requires School Attendance to Receive Assistance Funds | Bill Passed - House (74 - 36) |
| March 25, 2015 | KS | HB 2095 | Authorizes $1.5 Billion in Bonds to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System | Bill Passed - House (67 - 57) |
| March 18, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Bill Passed - House (115 - 44) |
| March 12, 2015 | AR | HB 1489 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| Feb. 26, 2015 | AZ | SB 1092 | Requires Waivers for Certain Health Insurance | Bill Passed - House (34 - 23) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | UT | SB 164 | Establishes Medicaid Expansion Pilot Program | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 11) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | AZ | SB 1092 | Requires Waivers for Certain Health Insurance | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| Feb. 20, 2015 | MT | HB 200 | Requires Drug Testing For Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (55 - 45) |
| Feb. 9, 2015 | CO | SB 65 | Prohibits Withdrawing Public Assistance Funds at Certain Places | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Feb. 4, 2015 | MO | HB 150 | Limits Duration of Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - House (112 - 47) |
| Dec. 10, 2014 | MI | HB 4118 | Requires Drug Testing For Certain Welfare Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 10) |
| Dec. 10, 2014 | MI | SB 275 | Requires Drug Testing of Welfare Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 10) |
| Dec. 3, 2014 | MI | HB 4118 | Requires Drug Testing For Certain Welfare Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 35) |
| Dec. 3, 2014 | MI | SB 275 | Requires Drug Testing of Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (75 - 34) |
| Aug. 30, 2014 | CA | AB 1522 | Requires Paid Sick Leave for Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 25) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | AB 1522 | Requires Paid Sick Leave for Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 8) |
| July 28, 2014 | NC | HB 1181 | Establishes Commercial Managed Care for Medicaid Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 17) |
| July 16, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1083 | Prohibits Federal Agencies from Paying Federal Employees Certain Pay Rates | Amendment Rejected - House (193 - 230) |
| June 26, 2014 | NJ | S 2264 | Authorizes Additional Teacher Pension Benefits | Bill Passed - House (42 - 34) |