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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 14, 2008 | CA | AB 1155 | Penalties for Healthcare Service Plan Underpayments or Failures to Pay Service Providers | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 26) |
| July 14, 2008 | CA | AB 97 | Trans Fats Ban | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 28) |
| July 10, 2008 | NC | HB 822 | Swine Farm Rebuilding | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 8) |
| July 10, 2008 | NC | HB 822 | Swine Farm Rebuilding | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 8) |
| July 10, 2008 | National | PN 1641 | Nomination of General Petraeus as Military Leader of the Middle East | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2) |
| July 9, 2008 | National | HR 6331 | Medicare Bill | Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30) |
| July 9, 2008 | VA | SB 6009 | Transportation Taxes | Bill Failed - House (39 - 59) |
| July 8, 2008 | NC | HB 2690 | Durham County Meals Tax | Bill Passed - House (60 - 59) |
| July 8, 2008 | NC | HB 2436 | 2008-2009 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (97 - 20) |
| July 8, 2008 | NC | HB 2436 | 2008-2009 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (32 - 14) |
| July 7, 2008 | CA | AB 2949 | Retrieving Abandoned Pets | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14) |
| July 4, 2008 | PA | HB 1067 | Omnibus Education Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (191 - 11) |
| July 2, 2008 | CA | AB 97 | Trans Fats Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| July 2, 2008 | NC | HB 2367 | Involuntary Annexation Moratorium | Bill Passed - House (98 - 18) |
| July 1, 2008 | DE | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 6) |
| July 1, 2008 | DE | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 6) |
| July 1, 2008 | DE | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - House (33 - 7) |
| July 1, 2008 | DE | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - House (33 - 7) |
| June 30, 2008 | CA | SB 1137 | Residential Property Foreclosures | Bill Passed - House (55 - 18) |
| June 30, 2008 | CA | SB 823 | Private Postsecondary Education Regulation | Bill Failed - House (41 - 33) |
| June 28, 2008 | MI | SB 1094 | 2008-2009 Department of Community Health Appropriations | Conference Report Adopted - House (75 - 30) |
| June 27, 2008 | NV | SB 5 | 2008-2009 Education Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (12 - 9) |
| June 26, 2008 | National | HR 2642 | Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding, Unemployment Benefits Extension, and GI Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (92 - 6) |
| June 26, 2008 | AZ | HB 2713 | Student's Religious Liberties Act | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 10) |
| June 26, 2008 | National | HR 6377 | Energy Futures Trading | Bill Passed - House (402 - 19) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/14 | AB 1155 | Penalties for Healthcare Service Plan Underpayments or Failures to Pay Service Providers | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 26) |
| 7/14 | AB 97 | Trans Fats Ban | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 28) |
| 7/10 | HB 822 | Swine Farm Rebuilding | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 8) |
| 7/10 | HB 822 | Swine Farm Rebuilding | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 8) |
| 7/10 | PN 1641 | Nomination of General Petraeus as Military Leader of the Middle East | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (95 - 2) |
| 7/09 | HR 6331 | Medicare Bill | Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30) |
| 7/09 | SB 6009 | Transportation Taxes | Bill Failed - House (39 - 59) |
| 7/08 | HB 2690 | Durham County Meals Tax | Bill Passed - House (60 - 59) |
| 7/08 | HB 2436 | 2008-2009 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (97 - 20) |
| 7/08 | HB 2436 | 2008-2009 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (32 - 14) |
| 7/07 | AB 2949 | Retrieving Abandoned Pets | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14) |
| 7/04 | HB 1067 | Omnibus Education Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (191 - 11) |
| 7/02 | AB 97 | Trans Fats Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| 7/02 | HB 2367 | Involuntary Annexation Moratorium | Bill Passed - House (98 - 18) |
| 7/01 | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 6) |
| 7/01 | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 6) |
| 7/01 | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - House (33 - 7) |
| 7/01 | SB 300 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - House (33 - 7) |
| 6/30 | SB 1137 | Residential Property Foreclosures | Bill Passed - House (55 - 18) |
| 6/30 | SB 823 | Private Postsecondary Education Regulation | Bill Failed - House (41 - 33) |
| 6/28 | SB 1094 | 2008-2009 Department of Community Health Appropriations | Conference Report Adopted - House (75 - 30) |
| 6/27 | SB 5 | 2008-2009 Education Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (12 - 9) |
| 6/26 | HR 2642 | Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding, Unemployment Benefits Extension, and GI Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (92 - 6) |
| 6/26 | HB 2713 | Student's Religious Liberties Act | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 10) |
| 6/26 | HR 6377 | Energy Futures Trading | Bill Passed - House (402 - 19) |