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 2, 2020 | NY | S 7919 | Appropriates Funds for COVID-19 Coronavirus Response | Bill Passed - Senate (53 - 4) |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | MS | SB 2257 | Authorizes State Auditor to Examine Tax Returns of Public Assistance Beneficiaries | Bill Passed - House (76 - 45) |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | SD | SB 96 | Repeals the Lifetime Ban on Drug Felons Receiving TANF Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 6) |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | IA | SF 2272 | Establishes Computer Verification System for Public Assistance Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| Feb. 21, 2020 | KY | HB 1 | Amends Public Assistance Laws and Regulations | Bill Passed - House (58 - 32) |
| Feb. 18, 2020 | OK | HB 1230 | Increases Transparency on State-Funded Scholarships for Private Schools | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (68 - 17) |
| Feb. 17, 2020 | VA | HB 386 | Prohibits State Funding for Conversion Therapy on Minors | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 18) |
| Feb. 11, 2020 | MS | SB 2257 | Authorizes State Auditor to Examine Tax Returns of Public Assistance Beneficiaries | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 15) |
| Feb. 10, 2020 | NM | HB 83 | Establishes the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund | Bill Passed - House (51 - 14) |
| Feb. 7, 2020 | National | HR 5687 | Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief Act, 2020 | Bill Passed - House (237 - 161) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | National | H Res 826 | Expressing disapproval of the Trump administration's harmful actions towards Medicaid | Bill Passed - House (223 - 190) |
| Feb. 3, 2020 | VA | HB 386 | Prohibits State Funding for Conversion Therapy on Minors | Bill Passed - House (66 - 27) |
| Jan. 23, 2020 | IN | HB 1007 | Appropriates Funds from State Surplus Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 8) |
| Jan. 13, 2020 | IN | HB 1007 | Appropriates Funds from State Surplus Budget | Bill Passed - House (77 - 21) |
| Dec. 19, 2019 | National | HR 1158 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (81 - 11) |
| Dec. 19, 2019 | National | HR 1865 | Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (71 - 23) |
| Dec. 17, 2019 | National | HR 1865 | Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (297 - 120) |
| Dec. 17, 2019 | National | HR 1158 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (280 - 138) |
| Nov. 21, 2019 | National | HR 3055 | Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Further Health Extenders Act of 2019 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (74 - 20) |
| Nov. 19, 2019 | National | HR 3055 | Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Further Health Extenders Act of 2019 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (231 - 192) |
| Nov. 18, 2019 | National | HR 3702 | Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (290 - 118) |
| Nov. 5, 2019 | WI | SJR 59 | Prohibits the Governor from Using Partial Veto to Increase State Expenditures | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14) |
| Oct. 31, 2019 | NC | SB 354 | Increases Pay for Public School Teachers and Personnel | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (28 - 21) |
| Oct. 31, 2019 | NC | SB 354 | Increases Pay for Public School Teachers and Personnel | Conference Report Adopted - House (62 - 46) |
| Oct. 31, 2019 | National | HR 3055 | Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Further Health Extenders Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - Senate (84 - 9) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | NC | HB 377 | Increases State Teacher Pay | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 49) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | NC | HB 231 | Authorizes Pay Raises for UNC Systems and Community College Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 49) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | NC | HB 398 | Appropriates State Funding for a Cybersecurity Development Initiative | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| Oct. 24, 2019 | NC | HB 377 | Increases State Teacher Pay | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 20) |
| Oct. 24, 2019 | NC | HB 231 | Authorizes Pay Raises for UNC Systems and Community College Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| Oct. 24, 2019 | NC | HB 398 | Appropriates State Funding for a Cybersecurity Development Initiative | Bill Passed - House (54 - 49) |
| Sept. 26, 2019 | National | HR 4378 | Making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2020, and for other purposes | Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 16) |
| Sept. 24, 2019 | MI | HB 4231 | Appropriates $2.2 Billion for the State Corrections Budget for Fiscal Year 2020 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 16) |
| Sept. 24, 2019 | MI | HB 4236 | Establishes a Higher Education Budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 | Conference Report Adopted - House (58 - 51) |
| Sept. 24, 2019 | MI | SB 149 | Establishes a Transportation Budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 16) |
| Sept. 24, 2019 | MI | HB 4231 | Appropriates $2.2 Billion for the State Corrections Budget for Fiscal Year 2020 | Conference Report Adopted - House (58 - 51) |
| Sept. 19, 2019 | MI | HB 4242 | Establishes K-12 Education Budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (21 - 17) |
| Sept. 19, 2019 | National | HR 4378 | Making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2020, and for other purposes | Bill Passed - House (301 - 123) |
| Sept. 19, 2019 | PA | HB 847 | Prohibits Using Public Assistance Funds for Purchasing Tobacco or Tobacco Products | Bill Passed - House (154 - 32) |
| Aug. 1, 2019 | National | HR 3877 | Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 28) |
| July 29, 2019 | AK | HB 2001 | Appropriates Funds for the 2020 Operating Budget and Repeals Various Vetoed Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (23 - 15) |
| July 25, 2019 | National | HR 3877 | Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (284 - 149) |
| July 23, 2019 | National | HR 1327 | Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act | Bill Passed - Senate (97 - 2) |
| July 21, 2019 | AK | SB 2002 | Appropriates Funds for the Capital Budget | Bill Passed - House (27 - 6) |
| July 17, 2019 | OH | HB 166 | Establishes a $69 Billion Budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2021 | Conference Report Adopted - House (75 - 17) |
| July 12, 2019 | National | HR 2500 | National Defense Authorization Act | Bill Passed - House (220 - 197) |
| July 12, 2019 | National | HR 1327 | Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act | Bill Passed - House (402 - 12) |
| July 8, 2019 | CA | AB 1054 | Establishes Wildfire Victim Compensation Fund | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| June 30, 2019 | OR | HB 2005 | Requires 12 Weeks of Paid Medical Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 6) |
| June 27, 2019 | NC | HB 966 | Appropriates Funds for Fiscal Years 2019-2021 | Conference Report Adopted - House (64 - 49) |