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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 18, 2013 | ND | SB 2303 | Defines a "Human Being" | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 23) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | MN | HF 9 | Expands Medicaid Eligibility | Bill Passed - Senate (45 - 22) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | National | PN 34 | Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 40) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | KY | SB 50 | Authorizes Industrial Hemp Farming | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 6) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | VT | S 77 | Prohibits Liability for Self-Administered Lethal Dosages | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 8) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | IL | SB 622 | Increases Physician License Fees | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
| Feb. 14, 2013 | IA | SF 162 | Establishes the School Budget Growth for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 22) |
| Feb. 13, 2013 | VA | HB 2313 | Repeals the Retail Gas Tax and Establishes a Wholesale Gas Tax | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 14) |
| Feb. 13, 2013 | KY | SB 9 | Establishes Review Panels to Assess Nursing Home Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Feb. 13, 2013 | VT | Galbraith and Hartwell Amdt | Establishes Immunity for Doctors Prescribing or People Present to Lethal Dosage | Amendment Adopted - Senate (16 - 15) |
| Feb. 11, 2013 | TN | SB 142 | Authorizes Handguns in Parking Areas | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 5) |
| Feb. 11, 2013 | IN | SJR 7 | Guarantees Right to Hunt and Fish | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (38 - 10) |
| Feb. 8, 2013 | MD | SB 74 | Prohibits Operating a Vessel Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 8) |
| Feb. 8, 2013 | KY | SB 5 | Requires an Ultrasound Prior to an Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 4) |
| Feb. 6, 2013 | SD | SB 106 | Prohibits Minors from Using a Cell Phone While Driving | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 9) |
| Feb. 6, 2013 | SD | SB 107 | Limits Drivers With Restricted Permits To 1 Passenger | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
| Jan. 31, 2013 | AR | SB 134 | Prohibits an Abortion if a Fetal Heartbeat is Detected | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 8) |
| Jan. 31, 2013 | VA | SB 975 | Prohibits Smoking in a Vehicle with Minors | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 10) |
| Jan. 31, 2013 | VA | SB 975 | Prohibits Smoking in a Vehicle with Minors | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 10) |
| Jan. 30, 2013 | IA | SF 52 | Establishes the School Budget Growth for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| Jan. 22, 2013 | VA | SB 736 | Prohibits Opening a Vehicle Door Adjacent to a Lane of Traffic | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 17) |
| Dec. 28, 2012 | National | HR 5949 | FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - Senate (73 - 23) |
| Dec. 21, 2012 | National | HR 4310 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (81 - 14) |
| Dec. 13, 2012 | OH | HB 495 | Amends Definition of Loaded Gun | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 7) |
| Dec. 4, 2012 | IL | SB 957 | Authorizes Temporary Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 14) |