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, 2013 | MO | HJR 4 | Increases Representative Term Limits | Joint Resolution Passed - House (121 - 31) |
| March 7, 2013 | MO | HJR 4 | Increases Representative Term Limits | Joint Resolution Passed - House (121 - 31) |
| March 7, 2013 | MO | HJR 4 | Increases Representative Term Limits | Joint Resolution Passed - House (121 - 31) |
| March 7, 2013 | AZ | HB 2282 | Requires a Primary During Recall Elections | Bill Passed - House (36 - 23) |
| March 6, 2013 | MS | SB 2687 | Prohibits Local Government Management of Nutrition Labeling | Bill Passed - House (92 - 26) |
| March 6, 2013 | WI | SB 2 | Limits the Secretary of State's Role in Legislation | Bill Passed - House (59 - 37) |
| March 6, 2013 | WI | SB 2 | Limits the Secretary of State's Role in Legislation | Bill Passed - House (59 - 37) |
| March 6, 2013 | WI | AB 15 | Authorizes Work-Share Programs | Bill Passed - House (74 - 22) |
| March 6, 2013 | KY | HB 2 | State House Redistricting | Bill Passed - House (53 - 46) |
| March 6, 2013 | WI | AB 15 | Authorizes Work-Share Programs | Bill Passed - House (74 - 22) |
| March 6, 2013 | KY | HB 2 | State House Redistricting | Bill Passed - House (53 - 46) |
| March 5, 2013 | AR | HB 1041 | Establishes a Spending Cap on the State Budget | Bill Failed - House (49 - 47) |
| March 4, 2013 | NC | SB 10 | Authorizes the Reorganization of State Boards and Commissions | Bill Passed - House (71 - 43) |
| March 4, 2013 | MN | HF 5 | Establishes the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange | Bill Passed - House (72 - 58) |
| March 4, 2013 | GA | HB 125 | Amends State Immigration Policy | Bill Passed - House (116 - 49) |
| March 4, 2013 | AZ | HB 2280 | Prohibits Local Governments from Establishing Employee Pay Requirements | Bill Passed - House (32 - 27) |
| March 4, 2013 | NM | SB 416 | Increases Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 17) |
| March 1, 2013 | KS | HB 2019 | Authorizes Governor to Appoint Judges to Kansas Court of Appeals | Bill Passed - House (73 - 50) |
| March 1, 2013 | KS | HB 2019 | Authorizes Governor to Appoint Judges to Kansas Court of Appeals | Bill Passed - House (73 - 50) |
| March 1, 2013 | KS | HB 2019 | Authorizes Governor to Appoint Judges to Kansas Court of Appeals | Bill Passed - House (73 - 50) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | KS | SB 63 | Authorizes Secretary of State to Prosecute Election Fraud Cases | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 9) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | National | S 47 | Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (286 - 138) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | National | H Amdt 23 | Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act | Amendment Rejected - House (166 - 257) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | NM | HB 168 | Establishes Health Insurance Exchange | Bill Failed - House (30 - 39) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | IL | SB 26 | Expands Medicaid Eligibility | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 19) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | NM | HJR 10 | Extends Education Disbursements from the Land Grant Fund | Joint Resolution Passed - House (36 - 33) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | OK | HB 2195 | Limits the Issuance of Bonds | Bill Passed - House (78 - 17) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | MI | HB 4111 | Appropriates Federal Funding for Health Insurance Exchange | Bill Passed - House (78 - 31) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | MI | HB 4111 | Appropriates Federal Funding for Health Insurance Exchange | Bill Passed - House (78 - 31) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | MO | HJR 11 | Establishes the Constitutional Right to Farm | Joint Resolution Passed - House (110 - 41) |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | AZ | HB 2593 | Amends Campaign Finance Limits | Bill Passed - House (32 - 23) |
| Feb. 27, 2013 | WY | HB 41 | Reduces Limitations on Hunting Bison | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 11) |
| Feb. 27, 2013 | ND | HB 1362 | Expands Medicaid Eligibility | Bill Passed - House (57 - 36) |
| Feb. 27, 2013 | ND | HB 1362 | Expands Medicaid Eligibility | Bill Passed - House (57 - 36) |
| Feb. 27, 2013 | NM | HB 64 | Amends Educational Employee Pension Funds and Policies | Bill Passed - House (50 - 17) |
| Feb. 27, 2013 | NC | SB 76 | Amends Hydraulic Fracturing Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 7) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | National | PN 34 | Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 41) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | National | PN 34 | Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense | Cloture Invoked - Senate (71 - 27) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | WY | HB 41 | Reduces Limitations on Hunting Bison | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | UT | SB 109 | Authorizes the State Engineer to Manage Water Usage | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 9) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | MT | HB 229 | Amends Campaign Finance Limits | Bill Passed - House (58 - 40) |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | IN | SB 213 | Prohibits Localities From Requiring Certain Employment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 12) |
| Feb. 25, 2013 | MT | HB 396 | Requires County Board Approval for Bison Relocation | Bill Passed - House (61 - 37) |
| Feb. 25, 2013 | AK | HB 69 | Exempts Firearms from Federal Regulation | Bill Passed - House (31 - 5) |
| Feb. 25, 2013 | ID | SJM 101 | Urges the Enforcement of Federal Drug-Free Policy | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 21) |
| Feb. 25, 2013 | IN | HB 1011 | Authorizes a Metropolitan Transit District | Bill Passed - House (56 - 39) |
| Feb. 25, 2013 | TN | HB 553 | Prohibits War Monuments from Being Renamed | Bill Passed - House (69 - 22) |
| Feb. 25, 2013 | TN | HB 553 | Prohibits War Monuments from Being Renamed | Bill Passed - House (69 - 22) |
| Feb. 22, 2013 | KY | SB 40 | Requires Health Care Exchanges to Be Approved by The Legislature | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| Feb. 22, 2013 | KY | SB 40 | Requires Health Care Exchanges to Be Approved by The Legislature | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |