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 4, 2009 | UT | HJR 8 | Mandating Secret Ballots | Bill Passed - House (53 - 22) |
| March 4, 2009 | MI | HB 4132 | School Attendance Amendments | Bill Passed - House (71 - 37) |
| March 4, 2009 | WA | HB 1329 | Child Care Center Unionization | Bill Passed - House (65 - 31) |
| March 3, 2009 | UT | HB 187 | Restricting Access to Public Waters on Private Property | Bill Failed - House (34 - 41) |
| March 3, 2009 | WA | HB 1956 | Limiting Local Regulations of Homeless Shelters | Bill Passed - House (56 - 41) |
| March 2, 2009 | CA | HR 5 | Statement of Opposition to Proposition 8 | Resolution Passed - House (45 - 27) |
| Feb. 25, 2009 | AR | HB 1464 | Minimum Wage Increase | Bill Passed - House (67 - 27) |
| Feb. 25, 2009 | AR | HB 1464 | Minimum Wage Increase | Bill Passed - House (67 - 27) |
| Feb. 25, 2009 | VA | SB 961 | Expanding Death Penalty Eligibility to Accomplices | Bill Passed - House (74 - 26) |
| Feb. 25, 2009 | CO | HB 1001 | Tax Credit for Job Creation | Bill Passed - House (52 - 13) |
| Feb. 25, 2009 | NM | HB 28 | Increasing Penalties for Intimidation of Judges | Bill Passed - House (43 - 21) |
| Feb. 24, 2009 | IN | HB 1379 | Unemployment Benefit Amendments | Bill Passed - House (55 - 41) |
| Feb. 24, 2009 | ID | H 173 | Restricting Eligibility for State Retiree Health Benefits | Bill Passed - House (59 - 11) |
| Feb. 24, 2009 | CO | HB 1260 | Designated Beneficiary Agreements Between Unmarried Adults | Bill Passed - House (41 - 24) |
| Feb. 24, 2009 | CO | HB 1260 | Designated Beneficiary Agreements Between Unmarried Adults | Bill Passed - House (41 - 24) |
| Feb. 20, 2009 | VT | Ainsworth Amdt | Legislative Pay Cut | Amendment Rejected - House (50 - 88) |
| Feb. 19, 2009 | IA | HF 333 | Wage Standards for Public Project Workers | Bill Failed - House (49 - 49) |
| Feb. 18, 2009 | NH | HB 103 | Laid Off Employees Payment Time-Frame | Bill Passed - House (194 - 164) |
| Feb. 18, 2009 | UT | HB 122 | Restricting Access to Government Litigation Records | Bill Passed - House (43 - 27) |
| Feb. 18, 2009 | OK | HB 1602 | Attorney Fee Limits | Bill Passed - House (54 - 46) |
| Feb. 17, 2009 | ND | HB 1572 | Legislative Intent With Regards to the Legal Definition of Life | Bill Passed - House (51 - 41) |
| Feb. 17, 2009 | OK | HB 1410 | State Purchasing Authority Amendments | Bill Passed - House (61 - 37) |
| Feb. 17, 2009 | OR | HB 2436 | Real Estate Fees to Fund Housing Programs | Bill Passed - House (44 - 15) |
| Feb. 12, 2009 | HI | HB 444 | Legalizing Same-Sex Civil Unions | Bill Passed - House (33 - 17) |
| Feb. 11, 2009 | WY | HB 32 | Gray Wolf Management Plan Amendments | Bill Failed - House (7 - 52) |
| Feb. 11, 2009 | OK | HB 1601 | Regulating Attorney Election Contributions | Bill Passed - House (62 - 36) |
| Feb. 10, 2009 | IN | HB 1656 | Shifting Federal Transportation Funding to Counties and Localities | Bill Passed - House (88 - 11) |
| Feb. 9, 2009 | WY | HB 240 | Pay Raise for Certain Elected Officials | Bill Passed - House (37 - 23) |
| Feb. 9, 2009 | CO | HB 1057 | Mandatory Unpaid Parental Work Leave for Education Activities | Bill Passed - House (35 - 30) |
| Feb. 6, 2009 | ND | HB 1508 | State-Sponsored Children's Savings Accounts | Bill Failed - House (28 - 64) |
| Feb. 6, 2009 | WY | HJ 17 | Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage | Joint Resolution Failed - House (25 - 35) |
| Feb. 5, 2009 | VA | HB 1826 | Driver's License Suspension for Unexcused School Absences | Bill Passed - House (68 - 28) |
| Feb. 5, 2009 | ND | HB 1557 | Even-Numbered Year Budget Adjustment Legislative Sessions | Bill Failed - House (33 - 61) |
| Feb. 4, 2009 | VA | HB 1671 | "Derelict Building" Plan Requirements | Bill Passed - House (80 - 17) |
| Feb. 3, 2009 | MT | HB 157 | Children's Health Insurance Program Appropriations and Amendments | Bill Passed - House (60 - 40) |
| Feb. 2, 2009 | NY | A 1686 | Reducing the Cap on Vacated Apartment Rent Increases | Bill Passed - House (100 - 43) |
| Jan. 29, 2009 | WY | HB 190 | Suspending Driver's Licenses for Nonpayment of Child Support | Bill Passed - House (37 - 23) |
| Jan. 28, 2009 | MT | HB 13 | State Employee Compensation Amendments | Bill Passed - House (62 - 36) |
| Jan. 28, 2009 | AR | HB 1119 | Prohibiting Cell Phone Use While Driving for Specific Age Groups | Bill Passed - House (62 - 27) |
| Jan. 27, 2009 | National | S 181 | Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 | Bill Passed - House (250 - 177) |
| Jan. 27, 2009 | WI | AB 2 | Mandatory State Contracting with Domestic Companies | Bill Passed - House (69 - 30) |
| Jan. 27, 2009 | WI | AB 1 | Wisconsin-Based Products and Services Purchasing Goals | Bill Passed - House (77 - 22) |
| Jan. 27, 2009 | AR | HB 1050 | Freedom of Information Act Exemption Specifications | Bill Passed - House (57 - 31) |
| Jan. 27, 2009 | AR | HB 1050 | Freedom of Information Act Exemption Specifications | Bill Passed - House (57 - 31) |
| Jan. 26, 2009 | WY | HB 98 | Mandatory Minimum Sentence for Sexual Assault of a Minor | Bill Failed - House (20 - 39) |
| Jan. 26, 2009 | MO | HCR 5 | Rejecting Pay Increases for Elected Officials and Judges | Resolution Passed - House (129 - 31) |
| Jan. 22, 2009 | MS | HB 1090 | Increasing Public Utilities Staff Oversight | Bill Passed - House (64 - 53) |
| Jan. 14, 2009 | FL | SB 2-A | 2008-2009 Budget Amendments | Conference Report Adopted - House (74 - 43) |
| Jan. 14, 2009 | IL | HR 5 | Impeachment of Governor Rod R. Blagojevich | Resolution Passed - House (117 - 1) |
| Jan. 14, 2009 | National | HR 2 | Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization and Expansion | Bill Passed - House (289 - 139) |
| Jan. 13, 2009 | ND | HB 1036 | Workforce Safety and Insurance Premium Rate Regulation | Bill Passed - House (62 - 32) |
| Jan. 13, 2009 | ND | HB 1036 | Workforce Safety and Insurance Premium Rate Regulation | Bill Passed - House (62 - 32) |
| Jan. 9, 2009 | IL | HR 1671 | Impeachment of Governor Rod R. Blagojevich | Resolution Passed - House (114 - 1) |
| Jan. 9, 2009 | National | HR 11 | Employment Discrimination Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (247 - 171) |
| Jan. 9, 2009 | National | HR 12 | Employment Discrimination Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (256 - 163) |