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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 9, 2015 | WI | SB 70 | Authorizes Certain Officers to Carry Firearms in Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| June 3, 2015 | LA | HB 149 | Amends Penalties for Marijuana Possesion | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| June 3, 2015 | National | HR 2578 | Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 | Bill Passed - House (242 - 183) |
| June 2, 2015 | National | HR 2048 | Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring (USA FREEDOM) Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 32) |
| June 2, 2015 | National | HR 2048 | Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring (USA FREEDOM) Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 32) |
| June 2, 2015 | CA | SB 124 | Limits the Use of Solitary Confinement for Juveniles | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
| June 2, 2015 | DE | HB 39 | Decriminalizes Possession of Small Amounts of Marijuana | Bill Passed - House (24 - 14) |
| June 1, 2015 | CA | AB 718 | Authorizes Sleeping in Vehicles | Bill Passed - House (56 - 15) |
| June 1, 2015 | CA | SB 707 | Prohibits Concealed Firearms on School Grounds | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| May 31, 2015 | IL | HB 352 | Authorizes Bobcat Hunting | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 46) |
| May 31, 2015 | IL | HB 352 | Authorizes Bobcat Hunting | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (55 - 54) |
| May 28, 2015 | NC | HB 640 | Authorizes Hunting on Sundays | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 13) |
| May 27, 2015 | NE | LB 268 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Veto Override Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| May 27, 2015 | TX | SB 11 | Authorizes Concealed Carry of Firearms on College Campuses | Bill Passed - House (102 - 44) |
| May 27, 2015 | MI | HB 4467 | Authorizes Private High-Security Prisons | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| May 26, 2015 | CA | AB 884 | Requires the Attorney General to Denote Ballot Initiatives That May Be Unconstitutional | Bill Passed - House (50 - 26) |
| May 22, 2015 | TX | HB 910 | Authorizes Open Carry of Handguns | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
| May 22, 2015 | NV | SB 175 | Amends Justifiable Homicide and Firearm Regulations | Bill Passed - House (25 - 17) |
| May 22, 2015 | NV | SB 175 | Amends Justifiable Homicide and Firearm Regulations | Bill Passed - House (25 - 17) |
| May 21, 2015 | IL | HB 352 | Authorizes Bobcat Hunting | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| May 18, 2015 | ID | H 1 | Amends Foreign Child Support Order | Bill Passed - House (49 - 21) |
| May 17, 2015 | MN | SF 86 | Amends Procedures for Data Collected by Police Surveillance Equipment | Conference Report Adopted - House (87 - 43) |
| May 17, 2015 | NV | AB 244 | Classifies Certain Graffiti Offenses as a Felony | Bill Passed - Senate (12 - 9) |
| May 16, 2015 | NV | AB 193 | Authorizes a Court of Law to Admit Hearsay as Evidence | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 8) |
| May 16, 2015 | NV | AB 193 | Authorizes a Court of Law to Admit Hearsay as Evidence | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 8) |