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 7, 2012 | PA | HB 934 | Amends Voter Identification Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 469 | Prohibits Picketing in Certain Circumstances | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 18) |
| March 7, 2012 | NH | HB 1546 | Authorizes Employers to Not Provide Contraception Coverage in Health Insurance Plans | Bill Passed - House (196 - 150) |
| March 7, 2012 | NH | HB 1546 | Authorizes Employers to Not Provide Contraception Coverage in Health Insurance Plans | Bill Passed - House (196 - 150) |
| March 7, 2012 | NH | SB 289 | Requires Photo Identification to Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 5) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 460 | Exempts Religious Employers from Insurance Requirements for Coverage of Contraception | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 15) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 460 | Exempts Religious Employers from Insurance Requirements for Coverage of Contraception | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 15) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 469 | Prohibits Picketing in Certain Circumstances | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 18) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | HB 861 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (114 - 59) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 292 | Requires Drug Tests for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 18) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 292 | Requires Drug Tests for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 18) |
| March 7, 2012 | GA | HB 1114 | Prohibits Assisted Suicide | Bill Passed - House (124 - 45) |
| March 6, 2012 | UT | HB 363 | Requires Abstinence-Only Sexual Education in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |
| March 6, 2012 | AZ | HB 2729 | Authorizes Guns in Certain Public Buildings | Bill Passed - House (37 - 21) |
| March 6, 2012 | AZ | HB 2729 | Authorizes Guns in Certain Public Buildings | Bill Passed - House (37 - 21) |
| March 6, 2012 | AZ | SB 1359 | Prohibits Wrongful Birth Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 9) |
| March 5, 2012 | WY | HB 82 | Requires Drug Testing of Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 17) |
| March 5, 2012 | AZ | HB 2125 | Prohibits Texting While Driving | Bill Passed - House (45 - 15) |
| March 5, 2012 | GA | HB 717 | Penalties for Owners of Dogs Involved in a Second Assault | Bill Failed - House (82 - 73) |
| March 5, 2012 | GA | HB 717 | Penalties for Owners of Dogs Involved in a Second Assault | Bill Failed - House (82 - 73) |
| March 5, 2012 | IA | SF 2304 | Requires DNA Samples from all Individuals Convicted of Certain Misdemeanors | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 16) |
| March 5, 2012 | AZ | SB 1495 | Requires Drug Test for Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 10) |
| March 5, 2012 | GA | SB 458 | Repeals Certain Public Benefits for Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 19) |
| March 5, 2012 | GA | HB 972 | Regulation of Pain Management Clinics | Bill Passed - House (124 - 38) |
| March 2, 2012 | OR | HB 4045 | Prohibits Disclosure of the Names of Licensed Concealed Handgun Carriers | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 6) |