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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 7, 2016 | NJ | A 12 | Restructures Certain State Taxes | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 14) |
| Sept. 28, 2016 | National | HR 5325 | Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act | Bill Passed - Senate (72 - 26) |
| Sept. 14, 2016 | MO | HB 1414 | Establishes Regulations for the Release of Certain Agricultural Data | Veto Override Passed - Senate (23 - 7) |
| Sept. 14, 2016 | MO | SB 641 | Establishes Income Tax Deduction for Agricultural Disaster Aid Payments | Veto Override Passed - Senate (24 - 6) |
| Aug. 31, 2016 | CA | SB 859 | Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| Aug. 31, 2016 | CA | AB 1671 | Prohibits Unauthorized Disclosure of Confidential Communications with Healthcare Providers | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
| Aug. 25, 2016 | CA | AB 1889 | Appropriates Funds for High-Speed Rail Project | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12) |
| Aug. 24, 2016 | CA | SB 1150 | Authorizes Heirs to Receive Home Loan Information | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| Aug. 22, 2016 | CA | AB 1066 | Requires Overtime Pay for Farmworkers | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| Aug. 19, 2016 | AL | SB 3 | Establishes State Lottery | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| Aug. 17, 2016 | CA | AB 1887 | Prohibits State-Funded Travel to Certain States | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| Aug. 17, 2016 | CA | AB 1785 | Prohibits Use of Handheld Electronic Devices While Driving | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
| Aug. 15, 2016 | CA | AB 1687 | Requires Entertainment Database Websites to Remove Actor's Age Upon Request | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12) |
| June 29, 2016 | National | S 2328 | Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (68 - 30) |
| June 20, 2016 | NC | HB 763 | Prohibits Wind Farms in Certain Military Flight Zones | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| June 17, 2016 | RI | S 2864 | Establishes Regulations for Rideshare Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 6) |
| June 9, 2016 | MA | S 2311 | Amends Residential Zoning Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
| June 1, 2016 | CA | SB 1033 | Requires Physicians to Disclose Probationary Status | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 13) |
| May 31, 2016 | SC | S 1258 | Amends Structure and Funding of Department of Transportation | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 10) |
| May 30, 2016 | LA | SB 227 | Authorizes REAL ID Driver's Licenses | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate |
| May 24, 2016 | National | H J Res 88 | Disapproving the Rule Submitted by the Department of Labor Relating to the Definition of the Term "Fiduciary" | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (56 - 41) |
| May 19, 2016 | IL | HB 3655 | Establishes Regulations for Fantasy Sports Contests | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 22) |
| May 12, 2016 | NH | HB 1590 | Requires License Information in Short-Term Rental Advertisements | Bill Passed - Senate (13 - 11) |
| April 22, 2016 | IA | HF 2460 | Appropriates Funding for Health and Human Services | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 23) |
| April 18, 2016 | LA | SB 29 | Authorizes the Sale of Raw Milk | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |