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. 13, 2019 | MI | SB 2 | Prohibits Property Seizures by Law Enforcement Until After Criminal Conviction | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 2) |
| Feb. 13, 2019 | KY | SB 100 | Requires Net Metering for Solar Power | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Feb. 12, 2019 | OR | SB 608 | Prohibits No-Cause evictions | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 11) |
| Feb. 7, 2019 | MS | SB 2901 | Amends Landowner Liability | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| Feb. 5, 2019 | National | S 1 | Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - Senate (77 - 23) |
| Feb. 4, 2019 | UT | SB 96 | Expands Medicaid Eligibility | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| Jan. 29, 2019 | NY | S 101 | Prohibits Firearms on School Campuses | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 22) |
| Jan. 22, 2019 | NY | S 240 | Authorizes Comprehensive Abortion Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 24) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | S 1250 | Expands Aid For Higher Education to Undocumented Children | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 20) |
| Dec. 18, 2018 | MI | HB 5634 | Repeals Ban on Tinted Windshields | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 18) |
| Dec. 12, 2018 | National | S J Res 64 | A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of the Treasury relating to "Returns by Exempt Organizations and Returns by Certain Non-Exempt Organizations" | Bill Passed - Senate (50 - 49) |
| Dec. 11, 2018 | National | HR 2 | Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (87 - 13) |
| Dec. 11, 2018 | National | PN 1803 | Nomination of Justin George Muzinich to be Deputy Director of the Department of the Treasury | (55 - 44) |
| Dec. 10, 2018 | National | PN 1803 | Nomination of Justin George Muzinich to be Deputy Director of the Department of the Treasury | Cloture Invoked - Senate (55 - 43) |
| Dec. 6, 2018 | National | PN 2170 | Nomination of Kathleen Laura Kraninger to be the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection | (50 - 49) |
| Dec. 4, 2018 | WI | SB 883 | Appropriates Funds from the Department of Transportation for State Road Projects | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| Nov. 29, 2018 | National | PN 2170 | Nomination of Kathleen Laura Kraninger to be the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection | Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
| Oct. 29, 2018 | NJ | S 678 | Prohibits Disposal of Fracking Waste | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 5) |
| Oct. 17, 2018 | PA | HB 1822 | Establishes Certification Process for Schools to Become Certified Suicide Prevention Institutions of Higher Education | Bill Passed - Senate (49 - None) |
| Oct. 17, 2018 | PA | HB 2138 | Establishes Medicaid Work Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| Oct. 15, 2018 | PA | SB 1095 | Authorizes Alternatives to Graduate for Keystone Test | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (49 - 0) |
| Sept. 26, 2018 | PA | SB 1098 | Establishes School Bus Safety Grant Program Fund | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 0) |
| Sept. 25, 2018 | PA | SB 521 | Requires CPR Training in High Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (49 - 0) |
| Sept. 17, 2018 | National | HR 6 | Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 | Bill Passed - Senate (99 - 1) |
| Sept. 17, 2018 | National | S 2554 | Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act | Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 2) |
| Aug. 27, 2018 | MS | SB 2001 | Establishes Mississippi Lottery Corporation | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (31 - 17) |
| Aug. 23, 2018 | National | S Amdt 3967 | Senator Rand Paul's Amendment to H.R. 6157 | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 48) |
| Aug. 23, 2018 | National | S Amdt 3967 | Senator Rand Paul's Amendment to H.R. 6157 | Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 48) |
| Aug. 21, 2018 | CA | SB 1192 | Requires Beverages Included in Kids' Meals to be Milk or Water | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 9) |
| Aug. 1, 2018 | National | HR 5515 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (87 - 10) |
| July 18, 2018 | UT | HB 2001 | Amends Jurisdictional Boundaries of Utah Inland Port Authority | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 2) |
| July 17, 2018 | National | PN 1391 | Nomination of James Blew to Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development for the Department of Education | (50 - 49) |
| July 12, 2018 | MA | S 2595 | Establishes Commission to Study Lead in Drinking Water at Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 0) |
| July 10, 2018 | OH | HB 123 | Amends Payday Lending Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 9) |
| July 1, 2018 | NJ | A 4061 | Establishes Surcharge on Prearranged Rides | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 18) |
| July 1, 2018 | NJ | S 822 | Requires Employers and Landlords to Hold Liability Insurance | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| July 1, 2018 | NJ | S 1612 | Requires Minimum Nurse Aide-to-Resident Ratio | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| June 28, 2018 | DE | HB 425 | Prohibits Pharmaceutical "Gag Clauses" | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 0) |
| June 28, 2018 | National | HR 2 | Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 | Bill Passed - Senate (86 - 11) |
| June 27, 2018 | NC | HB 374 | Limits Nuisance Damages Against Livestock Farmers | Veto Override Passed - Senate (34 - 11) |
| June 26, 2018 | NC | SB 711 | Limits Nuisance Damages Against Livestock Farmers | Veto Override Passed - Senate (37 - 9) |
| June 25, 2018 | NJ | A 4249 | Increases the Use of Hospital Admission Fees | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
| June 25, 2018 | NJ | A 542 | Requires Schools Maintain a Supply of Opioid Antidotes | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 0) |
| June 22, 2018 | PA | HB 1448 | Requires Lead Testing in School Water Systems | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (44 - 4) |
| June 22, 2018 | PA | HB 864 | Amends Gaming and Gambling Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 29) |
| June 22, 2018 | PA | HB 864 | Amends Gaming and Gambling Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 29) |
| June 22, 2018 | PA | HB 2468 | Requires Court Order for Eminent Domain on Conserved Lands | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 12) |
| June 21, 2018 | NJ | S 1074 | Requires Public Access to Beaches | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 4) |
| June 20, 2018 | ME | LD 1584 | Expands Local Food Economy by Promoting Local Foods Procurement | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| June 18, 2018 | National | HR 5515 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 | Bill Passed - Senate (85 - 10) |