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 12, 2015 | FL | HB 21-A | Amends State Health Insurance Program | Bill Passed - House (71 - 28) |
| June 11, 2015 | AK | HB 2001 | 2015-2016 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (16 - 3) |
| June 11, 2015 | National | HR 2685 | Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016 | Bill Passed - House (278 - 149) |
| June 9, 2015 | National | HR 2577 | Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 | Bill Passed - House (216 - 210) |
| June 5, 2015 | FL | SB 2-A | Establishes the Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange Program | Bill Failed - House (41 - 72) |
| June 4, 2015 | NH | HB 1 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 10) |
| June 4, 2015 | AL | HB 135 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
| June 3, 2015 | CT | HB 7061 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 17) |
| June 3, 2015 | CA | SB 185 | Requires Public Retirement Systems to Divest from Coal Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 14) |
| June 3, 2015 | National | HR 2578 | Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 | Bill Passed - House (242 - 183) |
| June 2, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Amends Requirements to Receive Certain Assistance Funds | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 34) |
| June 2, 2015 | CT | HB 7061 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (73 - 70) |
| June 1, 2015 | AK | HB 2001 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 4) |
| May 29, 2015 | IL | HB 4151 | 2015-2016 Education Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 24) |
| May 27, 2015 | IL | HB 4151 | 2015-2016 Education Budget | Bill Passed - House (66 - 47) |
| May 26, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Amends Requirements to Receive Certain Assistance Funds | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| May 21, 2015 | LA | HB 1 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - House (65 - 37) |
| May 19, 2015 | AL | HB 135 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - House (66 - 36) |
| May 17, 2015 | MN | HF 844 | Prohibits Students from Using Facilities Designated for the Opposite Sex | Conference Report Adopted - House (71 - 59) |
| May 15, 2015 | National | HR 1735 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 | Bill Passed - House (269 - 151) |
| May 13, 2015 | WI | AB 191 | Requires Drug Testing for Job Training Programs | Bill Passed - House (62 - 33) |
| May 13, 2015 | WI | AB 177 | Limits Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Purchases | Bill Passed - House (60 - 35) |
| May 13, 2015 | WI | AB 192 | Requires Drug Tests for Certain Individuals | Bill Passed - House (63 - 32) |
| May 12, 2015 | MO | HB 150 | Limits Duration of Unemployment Benefits | Veto Override Passed - House (109 - 53) |
| May 5, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Veto Override Passed - House (113 - 42) |
| May 5, 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 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 48) |
| May 5, 2015 | HI | SB 1028 | Appropriates Funds for the Hawaii Health Connector | Conference Report Adopted - House (41 - 9) |
| May 5, 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 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 48) |
| May 5, 2015 | HI | SB 1028 | Appropriates Funds for the Hawaii Health Connector | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 2) |
| May 4, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Veto Override Passed - Senate (25 - 9) |
| May 1, 2015 | National | HR 2028 | Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 | Bill Passed - House (240 - 177) |
| April 29, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (69 - 30) |
| April 29, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (40 - 9) |
| April 27, 2015 | ND | HB 1033 | Prohibits Legacy Fund Calculation in State Budget Drafts | Veto Override Passed - House (67 - 23) |
| April 27, 2015 | MT | SB 416 | Appropriates Funds for Infrastructure Projects | Bill Failed - House (66 - 33) |
| April 27, 2015 | MN | HF 4 | 2015-2017 Biennium Transportation Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 27) |
| April 24, 2015 | MT | HB 2 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (34 - 15) |
| April 21, 2015 | MO | HB 150 | Limits Duration of Unemployment Benefits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (88 - 68) |
| April 21, 2015 | MN | HF 4 | 2015-2017 Biennium Transportation Budget | Bill Passed - House (73 - 59) |
| April 18, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| April 16, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Conference Report Adopted - House (111 - 36) |
| April 16, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 14) |
| April 15, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Bill Passed - House (50 - 41) |
| April 15, 2015 | MO | HB 150 | Limits Duration of Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 8) |
| April 14, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (25 - 9) |
| April 13, 2015 | MD | HB 70 | 2015-2016 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (33 - 13) |
| April 13, 2015 | MD | HB 70 | 2015-2016 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (90 - 49) |
| April 13, 2015 | MD | SB 183 | Amends Funding for the Geographic Cost of Education Index | Bill Passed - House (88 - 51) |
| April 13, 2015 | MD | SB 183 | Amends Funding for the Geographic Cost of Education Index | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
| April 11, 2015 | MT | HB 2 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 17) |