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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2009 | FL | HB 479 | Amendments Regarding Public Employee Retirement | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (93 - 23) |
| May 1, 2009 | FL | HB 479 | Amendments Regarding Public Employee Retirement | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 11) |
| May 1, 2009 | FL | HB 479 | Amendments Regarding Public Employee Retirement | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 11) |
| May 1, 2009 | NV | AB 395 | Allowing State Employee Collective Bargaining | Bill Passed - House (28 - 14) |
| April 29, 2009 | FL | Amdt 337171 | Expanding Unemployment Benefits Eligibility | Amendment Rejected - House (45 - 71) |
| April 29, 2009 | FL | Amdt 337171 | Expanding Unemployment Benefits Eligibility | Amendment Rejected - House (45 - 71) |
| April 29, 2009 | IN | HB 1491 | St. Joseph Superior Court Judges | Conference Report Adopted - House (68 - 22) |
| April 29, 2009 | IN | HB 1491 | St. Joseph Superior Court Judges | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (32 - 18) |
| April 29, 2009 | IN | HB 1379 | Unemployment Benefit Amendments | Conference Report Adopted - House (52 - 47) |
| April 29, 2009 | WI | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - House (51 - 47) |
| April 29, 2009 | National | HR 1913 | Hate Crimes Expansion | Bill Passed - House (249 - 175) |
| April 29, 2009 | WI | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - House (51 - 47) |
| April 29, 2009 | NH | HB 436 | Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 11) |
| April 29, 2009 | ID | S 1166 | Workers' Compensation Dividend Amendments | Bill Passed - House (50 - 16) |
| April 29, 2009 | ID | S 1166 | Workers' Compensation Dividend Amendments | Bill Passed - House (50 - 16) |
| April 28, 2009 | WI | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| April 28, 2009 | WI | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| April 28, 2009 | CO | HB 1170 | Allowing Locked-Out Employees to Collect Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| April 28, 2009 | CO | HB 1170 | Allowing Locked-Out Employees to Collect Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| April 28, 2009 | CO | SB 88 | Extending Health Benefits to Domestic Partners of State Employees | Bill Passed - House (34 - 30) |
| April 28, 2009 | CO | SB 88 | Extending Health Benefits to Domestic Partners of State Employees | Bill Passed - House (34 - 30) |
| April 27, 2009 | CO | HB 1057 | Mandatory Unpaid Parental Work Leave for Education Activities | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (21 - 13) |
| April 24, 2009 | ND | HB 1478 | Children's Health Insurance Program Eligibility Expansion | Conference Report Rejected - House (41 - 47) |
| April 23, 2009 | AL | HB 533 | Hate Crime Law Expansion | Bill Passed - House (46 - 41) |
| April 23, 2009 | WI | SB 27 | Requires Insurance Coverage for Children's Hearing Aid Treatments | Bill Passed - House (80 - 16) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/01 | HB 479 | Amendments Regarding Public Employee Retirement | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (93 - 23) |
| 5/01 | HB 479 | Amendments Regarding Public Employee Retirement | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 11) |
| 5/01 | HB 479 | Amendments Regarding Public Employee Retirement | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 11) |
| 5/01 | AB 395 | Allowing State Employee Collective Bargaining | Bill Passed - House (28 - 14) |
| 4/29 | Amdt 337171 | Expanding Unemployment Benefits Eligibility | Amendment Rejected - House (45 - 71) |
| 4/29 | Amdt 337171 | Expanding Unemployment Benefits Eligibility | Amendment Rejected - House (45 - 71) |
| 4/29 | HB 1491 | St. Joseph Superior Court Judges | Conference Report Adopted - House (68 - 22) |
| 4/29 | HB 1491 | St. Joseph Superior Court Judges | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (32 - 18) |
| 4/29 | HB 1379 | Unemployment Benefit Amendments | Conference Report Adopted - House (52 - 47) |
| 4/29 | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - House (51 - 47) |
| 4/29 | HR 1913 | Hate Crimes Expansion | Bill Passed - House (249 - 175) |
| 4/29 | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - House (51 - 47) |
| 4/29 | HB 436 | Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 11) |
| 4/29 | S 1166 | Workers' Compensation Dividend Amendments | Bill Passed - House (50 - 16) |
| 4/29 | S 1166 | Workers' Compensation Dividend Amendments | Bill Passed - House (50 - 16) |
| 4/28 | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| 4/28 | SB 20 | Discriminatory Pay Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| 4/28 | HB 1170 | Allowing Locked-Out Employees to Collect Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| 4/28 | HB 1170 | Allowing Locked-Out Employees to Collect Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| 4/28 | SB 88 | Extending Health Benefits to Domestic Partners of State Employees | Bill Passed - House (34 - 30) |
| 4/28 | SB 88 | Extending Health Benefits to Domestic Partners of State Employees | Bill Passed - House (34 - 30) |
| 4/27 | HB 1057 | Mandatory Unpaid Parental Work Leave for Education Activities | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (21 - 13) |
| 4/24 | HB 1478 | Children's Health Insurance Program Eligibility Expansion | Conference Report Rejected - House (41 - 47) |
| 4/23 | HB 533 | Hate Crime Law Expansion | Bill Passed - House (46 - 41) |
| 4/23 | SB 27 | Requires Insurance Coverage for Children's Hearing Aid Treatments | Bill Passed - House (80 - 16) |