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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 22, 2008 | IN | Amnd. 72 | School Construction Exemption | Amendment Adopted - House (49 - 44) |
| Jan. 22, 2008 | National | HR 4986 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 3) |
| Jan. 22, 2008 | MI | SB 776 | Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| Jan. 22, 2008 | SD | SB 26 | State Regulation of Preschools | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| Jan. 22, 2008 | IN | SB 18 | Allowing Referendum on Public Construction Projects | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 16) |
| Jan. 21, 2008 | VA | HB 188 | HPV Vaccine Deadline Extension | Bill Passed - House (57 - 39) |
| Jan. 17, 2008 | IL | HB 656 | Providing Free Public Transportation for Senior Citizens | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 47) |
| Jan. 17, 2008 | IL | HB 656 | Providing Free Public Transportation for Senior Citizens | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 19) |
| Jan. 17, 2008 | GA | HB 89 | Concealed Weapons in Motor Vehicles | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 15) |
| Jan. 16, 2008 | National | HR 4986 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - House (369 - 46) |
| Jan. 15, 2008 | NE | LB 253 | Repealing Motorcycle Helmet Law | Bill Failed - Senate (23 - 25) |
| Jan. 10, 2008 | IL | HB 656 | Transportation Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 51) |
| Jan. 10, 2008 | IL | HB 656 | Transportation Act | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 25) |
| Jan. 7, 2008 | NJ | A 4314 | Traffic Control Signal Monitoring | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| Jan. 7, 2008 | NJ | A 4314 | Traffic Control Signal Monitoring | Bill Passed - House (49 - 25) |
| Jan. 7, 2008 | NJ | A 4559 | Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16) |
| Jan. 7, 2008 | NJ | A 4559 | Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Bill Passed - House (43 - 31) |
| Jan. 7, 2008 | NJ | A 500 | Education Funding Reform | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| Jan. 7, 2008 | NJ | A 500 | Education Funding Reform | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
| Dec. 19, 2007 | National | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (272 - 142) |
| Dec. 18, 2007 | National | S Amdt 3875 | Iraq Withdrawal Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (24 - 71) |
| Dec. 18, 2007 | National | HR 6 | Energy Act of 2007 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (314 - 100) |
| Dec. 18, 2007 | National | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (70 - 25) |
| Dec. 18, 2007 | National | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17) |
| Dec. 18, 2007 | National | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/22 | Amnd. 72 | School Construction Exemption | Amendment Adopted - House (49 - 44) |
| 1/22 | HR 4986 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - Senate (91 - 3) |
| 1/22 | SB 776 | Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| 1/22 | SB 26 | State Regulation of Preschools | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| 1/22 | SB 18 | Allowing Referendum on Public Construction Projects | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 16) |
| 1/21 | HB 188 | HPV Vaccine Deadline Extension | Bill Passed - House (57 - 39) |
| 1/17 | HB 656 | Providing Free Public Transportation for Senior Citizens | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 47) |
| 1/17 | HB 656 | Providing Free Public Transportation for Senior Citizens | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 19) |
| 1/17 | HB 89 | Concealed Weapons in Motor Vehicles | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 15) |
| 1/16 | HR 4986 | Defense Authorizations Bill | Bill Passed - House (369 - 46) |
| 1/15 | LB 253 | Repealing Motorcycle Helmet Law | Bill Failed - Senate (23 - 25) |
| 1/10 | HB 656 | Transportation Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 51) |
| 1/10 | HB 656 | Transportation Act | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 25) |
| 1/07 | A 4314 | Traffic Control Signal Monitoring | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| 1/07 | A 4314 | Traffic Control Signal Monitoring | Bill Passed - House (49 - 25) |
| 1/07 | A 4559 | Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16) |
| 1/07 | A 4559 | Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Bill Passed - House (43 - 31) |
| 1/07 | A 500 | Education Funding Reform | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| 1/07 | A 500 | Education Funding Reform | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
| 12/19 | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (272 - 142) |
| 12/18 | S Amdt 3875 | Iraq Withdrawal Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (24 - 71) |
| 12/18 | HR 6 | Energy Act of 2007 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (314 - 100) |
| 12/18 | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (70 - 25) |
| 12/18 | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17) |
| 12/18 | HR 2764 | Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17) |