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 | IA | SF 2272 | Establishes Computer Verification System for Public Assistance Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | SD | SB 96 | Repeals the Lifetime Ban on Drug Felons Receiving TANF Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 6) |
| 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 1865 | Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (71 - 23) |
| Dec. 19, 2019 | National | HR 1158 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (81 - 11) |
| Dec. 17, 2019 | National | HR 1158 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (280 - 138) |
| Dec. 17, 2019 | National | HR 1865 | Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (297 - 120) |
| 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) |