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. 18, 2014 | NJ | S 1811 | Requires Made in the United States Materials for Public Works | Bill Passed - House (43 - 24) |
| Dec. 17, 2014 | OH | HB 663 | Requires Confidentiality of Death Penalty Information | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (66 - 23) |
| Dec. 11, 2014 | OH | HB 663 | Requires Confidentiality of Death Penalty Information | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| Dec. 11, 2014 | MI | SB 1156 | Prohibits Actions that Coerce a Woman to Get an Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 11) |
| Dec. 9, 2014 | OH | SB 386 | Authorizes the Use of Certain Fireworks | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| Dec. 4, 2014 | MI | SB 247 | Authorizes the Sale of Alcohol until 4 a.m. | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14) |
| Oct. 23, 2014 | NJ | A 939 | Amends Tax Expenditure Report | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Oct. 16, 2014 | NJ | A 2814 | Requires Certain Graduation Rates from For-Profit Colleges | Bill Passed - House (47 - 14) |
| Sept. 17, 2014 | NH | HB 591 | Requires State Employers to Implement a Policy Prohibiting Certain Conduct in the Workplace | Veto Override Failed - House (141 - 154) |
| Aug. 30, 2014 | CA | AB 1522 | Requires Paid Sick Leave for Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 25) |
| Aug. 30, 2014 | CA | AB 1522 | Requires Paid Sick Leave for Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 25) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | SB 270 | Prohibits Retailers from Using Single-Use Carryout Bags | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | AB 1522 | Requires Paid Sick Leave for Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 8) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | AB 1522 | Requires Paid Sick Leave for Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 8) |
| Aug. 28, 2014 | CA | SB 199 | Requires Certain Replica Guns to be Sold in Fluorescent Colors | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Aug. 28, 2014 | CA | SB 270 | Prohibits Retailers from Using Single-Use Carryout Bags | Bill Passed - House (45 - 31) |
| Aug. 26, 2014 | CA | SB 199 | Requires Certain Replica Guns to be Sold in Fluorescent Colors | Bill Passed - House (43 - 34) |
| Aug. 25, 2014 | CA | SB 270 | Prohibits Retailers from Using Single-Use Carryout Bags | Bill Failed - House (38 - 33) |
| Aug. 21, 2014 | CA | SB 610 | Amends Franchise Agreement Terms | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 9) |
| Aug. 21, 2014 | CA | AB 1699 | Prohibits the Sale of Products Containing Microplastics | Bill Failed - Senate (20 - 14) |
| Aug. 14, 2014 | CA | SB 610 | Amends Franchise Agreement Terms | Bill Passed - House (41 - 28) |
| July 30, 2014 | National | S 2569 | Bring Jobs Home Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 42) |
| July 30, 2014 | National | S 2569 | Bring Jobs Home Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 42) |
| July 10, 2014 | National | H Amdt 1012 | Prohibits Federal Agencies from Contracting with Businesses Chartered in Bermuda or in the Cayman Islands | Amendment Adopted - House (221 - 200) |
| July 2, 2014 | AR | HB 1003 | Limits Eligibility for School Employee Health Insurance Program | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 8) |