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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 28, 2018 | IL | SB 1657 | Requires State-Level License to Sell Firearms | Bill Passed - House (64 - 52) |
| Feb. 28, 2018 | WA | HB 1513 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Pre-Registration for 16 and 17 Year Old Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 22) |
| Feb. 28, 2018 | WA | SB 6219 | Requires State Insurer Coverage of Abortion and Contraception | Bill Passed - House (50 - 48) |
| Feb. 28, 2018 | IL | HB 1467 | Prohibits Bump Stocks | Bill Passed - House (83 - 31) |
| Feb. 28, 2018 | IL | HB 1465 | Establishes Age Limit for Purchase of Assault-Style Weapons | Bill Passed - House (64 - 51) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | WA | SB 5992 | Prohibits Bump Stocks | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 18) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | IN | HB 1359 | Increases Penalties for Drug Dealers Connected to Overdose Deaths | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 9) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | IN | HB 1359 | Increases Penalties for Drug Dealers Connected to Overdose Deaths | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 9) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | OR | HB 4135 | Authorizes Healthcare Providers to Make Decisions for End of Life Patients | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | WA | SB 5996 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Sexual Assault Nondisclosure Agreements | Bill Passed - House (98 - 0) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | WA | SB 6037 | Authorizes Financial Compensation of Surrogates | Bill Passed - House (50 - 47) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | National | HR 1865 | Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (388 - 25) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | National | HR 1865 | Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (388 - 25) |
| Feb. 26, 2018 | NJ | S 493 | Authorizes Transgender Death Certificates | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 4) |
| Feb. 26, 2018 | NJ | S 478 | Authorizes Birth Certificate Gender Changes | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 7) |
| Feb. 23, 2018 | WA | SB 5992 | Prohibits Bump Stocks | Bill Passed - House (56 - 41) |
| Feb. 23, 2018 | GA | SB 375 | Authorizes Child-Placement Agencies to Deny Services Based on Religion | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 19) |
| Feb. 23, 2018 | GA | SB 375 | Authorizes Child-Placement Agencies to Deny Services Based on Religion | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 19) |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | OR | HB 4145 | Prohibits Convicted Stalkers from Possessing Firearms | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 13) |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | OR | HB 4145 | Prohibits Convicted Stalkers from Possessing Firearms | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 13) |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | MI | HB 4053 | Establishes English as Official Language | Bill Passed - House (62 - 46) |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | WA | SB 6052 | Repeals Death Penalty | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 22) |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | AZ | SB 1393 | Authorizes Parents to Use Frozen Embryos after Divorce | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 12) |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | AZ | SB 1393 | Authorizes Parents to Use Frozen Embryos after Divorce | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 12) |
| Feb. 20, 2018 | WI | AB 128 | Prohibits Abortion Coverage in State Health Insurance Plans | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 14) |