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 10, 2017 | WI | AB 242 | Requires Drug Screening for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (62 - 35) |
| May 9, 2017 | NE | LB 327 | Appropriates Funds for Nebraska Government Expenses | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 12) |
| May 4, 2017 | National | HR 244 | Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (79 - 18) |
| May 4, 2017 | AL | HB 155 | Establishes Budget for 2017-2018 | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 4) |
| May 3, 2017 | National | HR 244 | Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (309 - 118) |
| May 2, 2017 | MI | HB 4323 | Establishes State Budget for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 | Bill Passed - House (60 - 47) |
| April 28, 2017 | IL | HB 3649 | Requires Monthly Reports on State Debt | Bill Passed - House (70 - 40) |
| April 27, 2017 | IL | SB 14 | Establishes New Pension Guidelines | Bill Passed - House (63 - 45) |
| April 25, 2017 | MA | H 3601 | Appropriates Funds for the 2018 Fiscal Year | Bill Passed - House (159 - 1) |
| April 21, 2017 | IN | HB 1001 | Establishes a Budget for 2017 to 2018 | Conference Report Adopted - House (68 - 30) |
| April 13, 2017 | FL | HB 5105 | Implements School Improvement and Education Accountability | Bill Passed - House (77 - 40) |
| April 11, 2017 | AL | SB 193 | Authorizes Briarwood Presbyterian Church to Form a Police Force | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 4) |
| April 7, 2017 | WV | HB 2646 | Terminates West Virginia Women's Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 39) |
| April 6, 2017 | WV | HB 2646 | Terminates West Virginia Women's Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| April 6, 2017 | AK | HB 57 | Establishes Budget for Fiscal Year 2017-2018 | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 6) |
| April 4, 2017 | TX | SB 576 | Establishes Reporting Standards for Sexual Assault on College Campuses | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 1) |
| March 30, 2017 | TX | SB 2 | Appropriates Funds for Private School Scholarships | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 13) |
| March 27, 2017 | IA | HF 518 | Requires Certain Restrictions Regarding Worker's Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| March 24, 2017 | MD | SB 1081 | Establishes Funds to Support Family Planning Services | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
| March 23, 2017 | WA | SB 5048 | Establishes 2017-2019 Fiscal Biennium Operating Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 24) |
| March 23, 2017 | NJ | A 4243 | Requires "Whistleblower" Settlements to be Public Record | Bill Passed - House (73 - 0) |
| March 20, 2017 | AK | HB 57 | Establishes Budget for Fiscal Year 2017-2018 | Bill Passed - House (22 - 17) |
| March 16, 2017 | IA | HF 518 | Requires Certain Restrictions Regarding Worker's Compensation | Bill Passed - House (55 - 38) |
| March 15, 2017 | HI | HB 100 | Establishes the Budget for 2017-2018 | Bill Passed - House (50 - 0) |
| March 2, 2017 | WV | HB 2646 | Terminates West Virginia Women's Commission | Bill Passed - House (58 - 41) |