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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 24, 2009 | National | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 23, 2009 | National | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 23, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 22, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 22, 2009 | National | S Amdt 3276 | Senate Health Care Bill Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| Dec. 17, 2009 | OH | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| Dec. 17, 2009 | OH | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| Dec. 16, 2009 | OH | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| Dec. 16, 2009 | OH | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| Dec. 15, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2793 | Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs | Amendment Rejected - Senate (51 - 48) |
| Dec. 10, 2009 | CA | ABx5 8 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (48 - 25) |
| Dec. 10, 2009 | NJ | A 2762 | Authorizing Reduction of Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Drug Offenses in School Zones | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| Dec. 10, 2009 | NJ | S 2905 | Requiring Chain Restaurants to Post Nutrition Information | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| Dec. 8, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2962 | Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services | Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45) |
| Dec. 3, 2009 | National | HR 4154 | Estate Tax Law Amendments and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (225 - 200) |
| Dec. 3, 2009 | MI | SB 638 | "Consistent Ineffectiveness" as Grounds for Discharging or Demoting Tenured Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| Nov. 19, 2009 | National | HR 3961 | Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (243 - 183) |
| Nov. 18, 2009 | MA | S 2210 | Sentencing Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| Nov. 17, 2009 | MA | S 2205 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| Nov. 7, 2009 | National | H Amdt 510 | Substitute Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Rejected - House (176 - 258) |
| Nov. 7, 2009 | National | HR 3962 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (220 - 215) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 223 | University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Geographic Composition Requirements | Bill Passed - House (59 - 34) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - House (73 - 20) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | National | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - House (47 - 46) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | AB 458 | Sex Education Curriculum Requirements | Bill Passed - House (48 - 43) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | AB 458 | Sex Education Curriculum Requirements | Bill Passed - House (48 - 43) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 14) |
| Nov. 3, 2009 | CA | SBx5 1 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| Oct. 29, 2009 | RI | HB 5044 | Prostitution Ban | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 9) |
| Oct. 29, 2009 | RI | HB 5044 | Prostitution Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 2) |
| Oct. 28, 2009 | NH | HB 648 | Medical Marijuana Legalization | Veto Override Failed - Senate (14 - 10) |
| Oct. 28, 2009 | NH | HB 648 | Medical Marijuana Legalization | Veto Override Passed - House (240 - 115) |
| Oct. 8, 2009 | MI | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 13) |
| Oct. 8, 2009 | MI | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (66 - 42) |
| Oct. 8, 2009 | MA | SB 2028 | Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Plan | Bill Passed - House (114 - 36) |
| Oct. 6, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2588 | Prohibiting Federal Funding of Mandatory Arbitration Contracts | Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 30) |
| Oct. 6, 2009 | MI | HB 5386 | Physician Services Tax | Bill Passed - House (56 - 52) |
| Sept. 30, 2009 | MI | HB 4437 | 2009-2010 Department of Corrections Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Sept. 29, 2009 | MI | HB 4437 | 2009-2010 Department of Corrections Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (85 - 23) |
| Sept. 22, 2009 | WI | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| Sept. 17, 2009 | MI | SB 253 | 2009-2010 Department of State Police Budget | Bill Passed - House (68 - 39) |
| Sept. 16, 2009 | WI | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - House (53 - 44) |
| Sept. 11, 2009 | CA | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| Sept. 11, 2009 | CA | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| Sept. 11, 2009 | CA | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Bill Passed - House (53 - 20) |
| Sept. 10, 2009 | CA | AB 98 | Required Maternity Services Coverage | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (51 - 27) |
| Sept. 10, 2009 | CA | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 26) |
| Sept. 9, 2009 | CA | AB 98 | Required Maternity Services Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| Sept. 8, 2009 | CA | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Sept. 8, 2009 | CA | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| Sept. 3, 2009 | CA | AB 119 | Prohibiting Gender-Based Health Insurance Pricing | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 28) |
| Sept. 3, 2009 | CA | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Bill Passed - House (46 - 28) |
| Sept. 2, 2009 | CA | AB 1422 | Medi-Cal and Healthy Families Program Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 8) |
| Sept. 1, 2009 | CA | AB 119 | Prohibiting Gender-Based Health Insurance Pricing | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| Aug. 31, 2009 | CA | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| Aug. 20, 2009 | CA | ABx3 14 | Correctional Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 19) |
| Aug. 18, 2009 | AZ | SB 1025 | Tax Law Amendments (Budget Reconciliation) | Bill Passed - House (32 - 15) |
| Aug. 18, 2009 | AZ | SB 1025 | Tax Law Amendments (Budget Reconciliation) | Bill Passed - House (32 - 15) |
| Aug. 12, 2009 | AZ | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 8) |
| Aug. 12, 2009 | AZ | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 8) |
| Aug. 12, 2009 | AZ | HB 2013 | Budget Reconciliation (Health and Welfare) | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 8) |
| Aug. 6, 2009 | NC | HB 1305 | Beach Plan Changes | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (92 - 19) |
| Aug. 6, 2009 | NY | A 8903-A | Extending City Board Jurisdiction Over New York City Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (47 - 8) |
| July 31, 2009 | AZ | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - House (31 - 15) |
| July 31, 2009 | AZ | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - House (31 - 15) |
| July 31, 2009 | AZ | HB 2013 | Budget Reconciliation (Health and Welfare) | Bill Passed - House (35 - 11) |
| July 27, 2009 | NC | HB 1058 | Increasing Exempted Home Equity | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (71 - 40) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 15 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Implementing Prop 1A Suspension | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 14) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 19 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: In-Home Supportive Services Fraud | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (42 - 33) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 19 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: In-Home Supportive Services Fraud | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (42 - 33) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 2 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Education Revisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 18) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 14 | 2009-2010 Budget Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 25) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 19 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: In-Home Supportive Services Fraud | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 15) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/24 | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/23 | HR 3590 | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/23 | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/22 | S Amdt 2786 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/22 | S Amdt 3276 | Senate Health Care Bill Amendments | Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 39) |
| 12/17 | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| 12/17 | HB 318 | Tax Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| 12/16 | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| 12/16 | HB 60 | Restrictions on Snack and Beverage Sales in Schools | Bill Passed - House (60 - 37) |
| 12/15 | S Amdt 2793 | Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs | Amendment Rejected - Senate (51 - 48) |
| 12/10 | ABx5 8 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (48 - 25) |
| 12/10 | A 2762 | Authorizing Reduction of Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Drug Offenses in School Zones | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| 12/10 | S 2905 | Requiring Chain Restaurants to Post Nutrition Information | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 16) |
| 12/08 | S Amdt 2962 | Prohibiting Federally Funded Abortion Services | Amendment Tabled - Senate (54 - 45) |
| 12/03 | HR 4154 | Estate Tax Law Amendments and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (225 - 200) |
| 12/03 | SB 638 | "Consistent Ineffectiveness" as Grounds for Discharging or Demoting Tenured Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| 11/19 | HR 3961 | Revising Medicare Physician Fee Schedules and Reinstatement of PAYGO | Bill Passed - House (243 - 183) |
| 11/18 | S 2210 | Sentencing Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| 11/17 | S 2205 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| 11/07 | H Amdt 510 | Substitute Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Amendment Rejected - House (176 - 258) |
| 11/07 | HR 3962 | Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (220 - 215) |
| 11/05 | SB 223 | University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Geographic Composition Requirements | Bill Passed - House (59 - 34) |
| 11/05 | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - House (73 - 20) |
| 11/05 | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| 11/05 | HR 3548 | Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits and Providing Business and Homebuyer Tax Credits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (403 - 12) |
| 11/05 | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - House (47 - 46) |
| 11/05 | AB 458 | Sex Education Curriculum Requirements | Bill Passed - House (48 - 43) |
| 11/05 | AB 458 | Sex Education Curriculum Requirements | Bill Passed - House (48 - 43) |
| 11/05 | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 14) |
| 11/03 | SBx5 1 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| 10/29 | HB 5044 | Prostitution Ban | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 9) |
| 10/29 | HB 5044 | Prostitution Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 2) |
| 10/28 | HB 648 | Medical Marijuana Legalization | Veto Override Failed - Senate (14 - 10) |
| 10/28 | HB 648 | Medical Marijuana Legalization | Veto Override Passed - House (240 - 115) |
| 10/08 | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 13) |
| 10/08 | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (66 - 42) |
| 10/08 | SB 2028 | Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Plan | Bill Passed - House (114 - 36) |
| 10/06 | S Amdt 2588 | Prohibiting Federal Funding of Mandatory Arbitration Contracts | Amendment Adopted - Senate (68 - 30) |
| 10/06 | HB 5386 | Physician Services Tax | Bill Passed - House (56 - 52) |
| 9/30 | HB 4437 | 2009-2010 Department of Corrections Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 9/29 | HB 4437 | 2009-2010 Department of Corrections Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (85 - 23) |
| 9/22 | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| 9/17 | SB 253 | 2009-2010 Department of State Police Budget | Bill Passed - House (68 - 39) |
| 9/16 | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - House (53 - 44) |
| 9/11 | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| 9/11 | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| 9/11 | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Bill Passed - House (53 - 20) |
| 9/10 | AB 98 | Required Maternity Services Coverage | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (51 - 27) |
| 9/10 | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 26) |
| 9/09 | AB 98 | Required Maternity Services Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| 9/08 | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 9/08 | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| 9/03 | AB 119 | Prohibiting Gender-Based Health Insurance Pricing | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 28) |
| 9/03 | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Bill Passed - House (46 - 28) |
| 9/02 | AB 1422 | Medi-Cal and Healthy Families Program Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 8) |
| 9/01 | AB 119 | Prohibiting Gender-Based Health Insurance Pricing | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| 8/31 | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| 8/20 | ABx3 14 | Correctional Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 19) |
| 8/18 | SB 1025 | Tax Law Amendments (Budget Reconciliation) | Bill Passed - House (32 - 15) |
| 8/18 | SB 1025 | Tax Law Amendments (Budget Reconciliation) | Bill Passed - House (32 - 15) |
| 8/12 | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 8) |
| 8/12 | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 8) |
| 8/12 | HB 2013 | Budget Reconciliation (Health and Welfare) | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 8) |
| 8/06 | HB 1305 | Beach Plan Changes | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (92 - 19) |
| 8/06 | A 8903-A | Extending City Board Jurisdiction Over New York City Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (47 - 8) |
| 7/31 | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - House (31 - 15) |
| 7/31 | HB 2010 | Budget Reconciliation (Criminal Justice) | Bill Passed - House (31 - 15) |
| 7/31 | HB 2013 | Budget Reconciliation (Health and Welfare) | Bill Passed - House (35 - 11) |
| 7/27 | HB 1058 | Increasing Exempted Home Equity | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (71 - 40) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 15 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Implementing Prop 1A Suspension | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 14) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 19 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: In-Home Supportive Services Fraud | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (42 - 33) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 19 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: In-Home Supportive Services Fraud | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (42 - 33) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 2 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Education Revisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 18) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 14 | 2009-2010 Budget Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 25) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 19 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: In-Home Supportive Services Fraud | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 15) |