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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 11, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| April 2, 2015 | KS | HB 2258 | Amends Social Service Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 10) |
| April 1, 2015 | NH | HB 1 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (212 - 161) |
| March 31, 2015 | NY | S 4610 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - House (99 - 47) |
| March 31, 2015 | NY | S 2006B | Establishes Annual Teacher Evaluation Program | Bill Passed - House (92 - 55) |
| March 31, 2015 | NY | S 2006B | Establishes Annual Teacher Evaluation Program | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 26) |
| March 30, 2015 | AR | SB 600 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Government Benefits | Bill Passed - House (69 - 14) |
| March 30, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 27, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 46) |
| March 27, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 46) |
| March 26, 2015 | NJ | A 939 | Amends Tax Expenditure Report | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (43 - 31) |
| March 26, 2015 | NJ | S 2791 | Environmental Protection Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - House (43 - 30) |
| March 26, 2015 | IL | HB 318 | 2015-2016 Budget Reconciliation | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 26) |
| March 26, 2015 | IL | HB 317 | 2015-2016 Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 26) |
| March 26, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Requires School Attendance to Receive Assistance Funds | Bill Passed - House (74 - 36) |
| March 26, 2015 | NJ | A 4326 | Requires Governor to Forecast State Revenue | Bill Passed - House (42 - 31) |
| March 25, 2015 | KS | HB 2135 | Appropriates Funds to Public and Private Universities | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
| March 25, 2015 | KS | HB 2095 | Authorizes $1.5 Billion in Bonds to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System | Bill Passed - House (67 - 57) |
| March 25, 2015 | KS | HB 2095 | Authorizes $1.5 Billion in Bonds to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System | Bill Passed - House (67 - 57) |
| March 24, 2015 | IL | HB 318 | 2015-2016 Budget Reconciliation | Bill Passed - House (69 - 48) |
| March 24, 2015 | IL | HB 317 | 2015-2016 Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - House (72 - 45) |
| March 20, 2015 | MT | HB 2 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (59 - 40) |
| March 18, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Bill Passed - House (115 - 44) |
| March 16, 2015 | NJ | S 2791 | Environmental Protection Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| March 13, 2015 | KS | SB 7 | Appropriates Funds to the Department of Education | Bill Passed - House (64 - 57) |
| March 12, 2015 | AR | HB 1489 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
| March 12, 2015 | AK | HB 72 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - House (25 - 14) |
| March 10, 2015 | IA | HF 352 | Requires State Agencies to Use a Zero-Base Budget | Bill Passed - House (57 - 42) |
| March 6, 2015 | WY | SF 145 | Appropriates Funds for Uncompensated Charity Care | Conference Report Adopted - House (42 - 15) |
| March 6, 2015 | WY | SF 145 | Appropriates Funds for Uncompensated Charity Care | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 7) |
| March 6, 2015 | AR | HJR 1003 | Requests a Constitutional Convention | Bill Passed - House (52 - 33) |
| March 5, 2015 | NV | SB 119 | Exempts Schools from Paying Prevailing Wages | Bill Passed - House (23 - 19) |
| March 4, 2015 | WY | SF 145 | Appropriates Funds for Uncompensated Charity Care | Bill Passed - House (50 - 9) |
| Feb. 27, 2015 | National | S J Res 35 | Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2015 | Bill Failed - House (203 - 224) |
| Feb. 26, 2015 | AZ | SB 1092 | Requires Waivers for Certain Health Insurance | Bill Passed - House (34 - 23) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | UT | SB 164 | Establishes Medicaid Expansion Pilot Program | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 11) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | ND | SB 2254 | Amends School District Funding Calculations to Include Early Childhood Education Programs | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 31) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | IA | SF 171 | Amends Growth Percentage for Budget | Bill Passed - House (55 - 44) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (69 - 29) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | SD | SB 189 | Establishes Tax Credit Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | AZ | SB 1092 | Requires Waivers for Certain Health Insurance | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
| Feb. 20, 2015 | MT | HB 200 | Requires Drug Testing For Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (55 - 45) |
| Feb. 18, 2015 | NH | HB 677 | Prohibits the Use of Public Funds for Abortion Services | "Inexpedient to Legislate" Vote Passed - House (216 - 142) |
| Feb. 17, 2015 | SD | HJR 1001 | Requests a Constitutional Convention | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
| Feb. 16, 2015 | NV | SB 119 | Exempts Schools from Paying Prevailing Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 9) |
| Feb. 11, 2015 | WY | SF 145 | Appropriates Funds for Uncompensated Charity Care | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
| Feb. 11, 2015 | MS | SB 2389 | Authorizes Joining Interstate Compact for a Balanced Federal Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| Feb. 10, 2015 | IA | SF 171 | Amends Growth Percentage for Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| Feb. 9, 2015 | CO | SB 65 | Prohibits Withdrawing Public Assistance Funds at Certain Places | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| Feb. 4, 2015 | NC | SB 14 | Transfers Funds to Rules Review Commission for Litigation Expenses | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 11) |
| Feb. 4, 2015 | MO | HB 150 | Limits Duration of Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - House (112 - 47) |
| Feb. 4, 2015 | MO | HB 259 | Amends Dairy Industry Laws | Bill Passed - House (110 - 49) |
| Jan. 14, 2015 | National | HR 240 | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - House (236 - 191) |