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 9, 2006 | KS | SCR 1606 | Supreme Court Justice Selection Procedure Constitutional Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (22 - 17) |
| March 7, 2006 | WI | AB 1073 | Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Caps | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
| March 7, 2006 | VA | SB 526 | Defining Marriage | Bill Passed - House (85 - 12) |
| March 7, 2006 | IA | HF 2558 | 2006-2007 Department of Justice, Corrections, Public Defense, and Public Safety Budget | Bill Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| March 7, 2006 | National | S 2271 | PATRIOT Act Reauthorization bill | Bill Passed - House (280 - 138) |
| March 6, 2006 | OK | SCS SB 1874 | Senate Committee Substitute for the "Lawsuit Responsibility Act of 2006" | Bill Failed - Senate (21 - 25) |
| March 2, 2006 | WI | AB 1073 | Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Caps | Bill Passed - House (74 - 22) |
| March 2, 2006 | NJ | A 798 | New Jersey Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act | Bill Passed - House (55 - 14) |
| March 1, 2006 | OK | SB 1471 | Establishing the Oklahoma Innocence Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 20) |
| Feb. 23, 2006 | SD | SB 1 | Mandatory Bodily Substance Samples in Drunk Driving Arrests | Bill Passed - House (52 - 17) |
| Feb. 22, 2006 | VT | HA to H 856 | Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (50 - 82) |
| Feb. 22, 2006 | SD | S Amdt 1215cb | Exception to Abortion Ban in Cases Where the Health of the Woman is Seriously Threatened | Amendment Rejected - Senate (13 - 22) |
| Feb. 22, 2006 | KY | HCS HB 93 | Criminal Record Expungement Bill | Bill Passed - House (76 - 21) |
| Feb. 15, 2006 | NH | HB 656 | "Do Not Resuscitate" Bill | Bill Passed - House (231 - 118) |
| Feb. 9, 2006 | MS | HB 199 | Juvenile Delinquent Program Changes | Bill Passed - House (74 - 47) |
| Feb. 9, 2006 | NM | SB 344 | Campaign Contributions by Procurement Contractors | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 4) |
| Feb. 7, 2006 | MS | HB 300 - Amendment 1 | Marriage Counseling Requirement | Amendment Rejected - House (45 - 74) |
| Feb. 7, 2006 | MS | HB 300 | Revised Marriage License Requirements | Bill Passed - House (66 - 55) |
| Jan. 31, 2006 | National | PN 1059 | Samuel Alito, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 42) |
| Jan. 27, 2006 | WA | Sub HB 2661 | Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Human Rights Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 37) |
| Jan. 27, 2006 | WA | Sub HB 2661 | Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Human Rights Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 23) |
| Jan. 26, 2006 | RI | H 6700 Sub A | Driver Refusal of Chemical Tests | Bill Passed - House (64 - 6) |
| Jan. 25, 2006 | VA | SB 526 | Defining Marriage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| Jan. 23, 2006 | WA | 2nd Sub HB 2292 | Addressing Health Care Liability Reform | Bill Passed - House (54 - 43) |
| Jan. 23, 2006 | SD | SB 1 | Mandatory Bodily Substance Samples in Drunk Driving Arrests | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/09 | SCR 1606 | Supreme Court Justice Selection Procedure Constitutional Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (22 - 17) |
| 3/07 | AB 1073 | Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Caps | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
| 3/07 | SB 526 | Defining Marriage | Bill Passed - House (85 - 12) |
| 3/07 | HF 2558 | 2006-2007 Department of Justice, Corrections, Public Defense, and Public Safety Budget | Bill Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| 3/07 | S 2271 | PATRIOT Act Reauthorization bill | Bill Passed - House (280 - 138) |
| 3/06 | SCS SB 1874 | Senate Committee Substitute for the "Lawsuit Responsibility Act of 2006" | Bill Failed - Senate (21 - 25) |
| 3/02 | AB 1073 | Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Caps | Bill Passed - House (74 - 22) |
| 3/02 | A 798 | New Jersey Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act | Bill Passed - House (55 - 14) |
| 3/01 | SB 1471 | Establishing the Oklahoma Innocence Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 20) |
| 2/23 | SB 1 | Mandatory Bodily Substance Samples in Drunk Driving Arrests | Bill Passed - House (52 - 17) |
| 2/22 | HA to H 856 | Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Amendment | Amendment Rejected - House (50 - 82) |
| 2/22 | S Amdt 1215cb | Exception to Abortion Ban in Cases Where the Health of the Woman is Seriously Threatened | Amendment Rejected - Senate (13 - 22) |
| 2/22 | HCS HB 93 | Criminal Record Expungement Bill | Bill Passed - House (76 - 21) |
| 2/15 | HB 656 | "Do Not Resuscitate" Bill | Bill Passed - House (231 - 118) |
| 2/09 | HB 199 | Juvenile Delinquent Program Changes | Bill Passed - House (74 - 47) |
| 2/09 | SB 344 | Campaign Contributions by Procurement Contractors | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 4) |
| 2/07 | HB 300 - Amendment 1 | Marriage Counseling Requirement | Amendment Rejected - House (45 - 74) |
| 2/07 | HB 300 | Revised Marriage License Requirements | Bill Passed - House (66 - 55) |
| 1/31 | PN 1059 | Samuel Alito, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 42) |
| 1/27 | Sub HB 2661 | Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Human Rights Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 37) |
| 1/27 | Sub HB 2661 | Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Human Rights Commission | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 23) |
| 1/26 | H 6700 Sub A | Driver Refusal of Chemical Tests | Bill Passed - House (64 - 6) |
| 1/25 | SB 526 | Defining Marriage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| 1/23 | 2nd Sub HB 2292 | Addressing Health Care Liability Reform | Bill Passed - House (54 - 43) |
| 1/23 | SB 1 | Mandatory Bodily Substance Samples in Drunk Driving Arrests | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |