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 1, 2011 | GA | HB 326 | Amends the HOPE Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - House (152 - 22) |
| Feb. 28, 2011 | UT | HB 191 | Nonresident Tuition Waiver Amendments | Bill Passed - House (44 - 28) |
| Feb. 22, 2011 | KS | HB 2006 | Prohibiting Undocumented Immigrants from Receiving In-State Tuition Rates | Bill Passed - House (72 - 50) |
| Feb. 21, 2011 | ND | HB 1263 | Athletic Nickname and Logo of the University of North Dakota | Bill Passed - House (65 - 28) |
| Feb. 18, 2011 | National | H Amdt 94 | Prohibits Funds for the Gainful Employment Rule | Amendment Adopted - House (289 - 136) |
| Feb. 17, 2011 | ND | HB 1385 | Senior Citizens Attending Institutions of Higher Education | Bill Passed - House (65 - 29) |
| Feb. 16, 2011 | UT | HB 75 | Guns On School Premises | Bill Passed - House (58 - 15) |
| Feb. 11, 2011 | ND | HB 1470 | Higher Education Tuition | Bill Failed - House (41 - 51) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | VA | HB 2314 | Education Improvement Scholarships | Bill Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | VA | HB 1465 | Excludes Undocumented Immigrants from Public Universities | Bill Passed - House (75 - 24) |
| Feb. 3, 2011 | VA | SB 831 | Amending the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| Dec. 8, 2010 | National | HR 5281 | DREAM Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (216 - 198) |
| Aug. 25, 2010 | CA | SB 970 | College Vote-by-Mail Drop-Off Locations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| Aug. 23, 2010 | CA | SB 970 | College Vote-by-Mail Drop-Off Locations | Bill Passed - House (48 - 28) |
| June 2, 2010 | CA | SB 969 | College Tuition Prices for Students | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 7) |
| April 21, 2010 | AL | SB 162 | PACT Funding and Tuition Restrictions | Conference Report Adopted - House (85 - 7) |
| April 21, 2010 | AL | SB 162 | PACT Funding and Tuition Restrictions | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (28 - 3) |
| March 25, 2010 | National | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (220 - 207) |
| March 25, 2010 | National | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 43) |
| March 21, 2010 | National | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - House (220 - 211) |
| Sept. 17, 2009 | National | HR 3221 | Prohibiting Federal Assistance to ACORN | Bill Passed - House (253 - 171) |
| April 29, 2009 | National | S Con Res 13 | 2010 Concurrent Budget Resolution | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (53 - 43) |
| April 29, 2009 | National | S Con Res 13 | 2010 Concurrent Budget Resolution | Conference Report Adopted - House (233 - 193) |
| Sept. 26, 2008 | National | HR 7060 | Renewable Energy Credits and Other Business and Individual Credits | Bill Passed - House (257 - 166) |
| July 31, 2008 | National | HR 4137 | Higher Education Act Amendments and Extensions | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (83 - 8) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/01 | HB 326 | Amends the HOPE Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - House (152 - 22) |
| 2/28 | HB 191 | Nonresident Tuition Waiver Amendments | Bill Passed - House (44 - 28) |
| 2/22 | HB 2006 | Prohibiting Undocumented Immigrants from Receiving In-State Tuition Rates | Bill Passed - House (72 - 50) |
| 2/21 | HB 1263 | Athletic Nickname and Logo of the University of North Dakota | Bill Passed - House (65 - 28) |
| 2/18 | H Amdt 94 | Prohibits Funds for the Gainful Employment Rule | Amendment Adopted - House (289 - 136) |
| 2/17 | HB 1385 | Senior Citizens Attending Institutions of Higher Education | Bill Passed - House (65 - 29) |
| 2/16 | HB 75 | Guns On School Premises | Bill Passed - House (58 - 15) |
| 2/11 | HB 1470 | Higher Education Tuition | Bill Failed - House (41 - 51) |
| 2/08 | HB 2314 | Education Improvement Scholarships | Bill Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| 2/08 | HB 1465 | Excludes Undocumented Immigrants from Public Universities | Bill Passed - House (75 - 24) |
| 2/03 | SB 831 | Amending the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| 12/08 | HR 5281 | DREAM Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (216 - 198) |
| 8/25 | SB 970 | College Vote-by-Mail Drop-Off Locations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| 8/23 | SB 970 | College Vote-by-Mail Drop-Off Locations | Bill Passed - House (48 - 28) |
| 6/02 | SB 969 | College Tuition Prices for Students | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 7) |
| 4/21 | SB 162 | PACT Funding and Tuition Restrictions | Conference Report Adopted - House (85 - 7) |
| 4/21 | SB 162 | PACT Funding and Tuition Restrictions | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (28 - 3) |
| 3/25 | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (220 - 207) |
| 3/25 | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 43) |
| 3/21 | HR 4872 | Health Care Reconciliation Act | Bill Passed - House (220 - 211) |
| 9/17 | HR 3221 | Prohibiting Federal Assistance to ACORN | Bill Passed - House (253 - 171) |
| 4/29 | S Con Res 13 | 2010 Concurrent Budget Resolution | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (53 - 43) |
| 4/29 | S Con Res 13 | 2010 Concurrent Budget Resolution | Conference Report Adopted - House (233 - 193) |
| 9/26 | HR 7060 | Renewable Energy Credits and Other Business and Individual Credits | Bill Passed - House (257 - 166) |
| 7/31 | HR 4137 | Higher Education Act Amendments and Extensions | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (83 - 8) |