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 2, 2018 | MD | HB 1243 | Authorizes Workers to Sue for Unpaid Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 12) |
| April 2, 2018 | MD | HB 1539 | Establishes General Contractor Liability for Unpaid Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 13) |
| March 30, 2018 | MD | SB 654 | Requires Extension of Union Contracts | Bill Passed - House (89 - 47) |
| March 29, 2018 | KY | SB 151 | Amends the State Public Pension System | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| March 29, 2018 | KY | SB 151 | Amends the State Public Pension System | Bill Passed - House (49 - 46) |
| March 29, 2018 | DE | HB 399 | Amends State Constitution to Provide Equal Rights | Bill Passed - House (34 - 5) |
| March 28, 2018 | AL | HB 317 | Exempts Certain Individuals from Registering as Lobbyists | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 14) |
| March 27, 2018 | CO | SB 18-200 | Amends Public Retirement System Policies | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 16) |
| March 26, 2018 | MD | SB 859 | Establishes State Parental Leave | Bill Passed - House (96 - 41) |
| March 26, 2018 | NJ | S 104 | Establishes Equal Pay Law | Bill Passed - House (74 - 2) |
| March 26, 2018 | MD | SB 654 | Requires Extension of Union Contracts | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| March 22, 2018 | KY | HB 2 | Amends Workers' Compensation Law | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| March 22, 2018 | MD | HB 1017 | Requires Equal Access to Collective Bargaining New Employee Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| March 21, 2018 | MI | HB 5456 | Establishes Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (83 - 25) |
| March 21, 2018 | National | HR 1865 | Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - Senate (97 - 2) |
| March 19, 2018 | MD | SB 877 | Authorizes Corporate Tax Incentives | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 12) |
| March 16, 2018 | VT | H 710 | Amends State Beer Franchise Contracts | Bill Passed - House (123 - 11) |
| March 15, 2018 | NH | HB 1500 | Requires Public Workplace Injuries and Deaths to be Reported | Motion Agreed - House (177 - 157) |
| March 14, 2018 | National | S 2155 | Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 31) |
| March 14, 2018 | National | HR 4909 | STOP School Violence Act of 2018 | Bill Passed - House (407 - 10) |
| March 12, 2018 | KS | SB 405 | Authorizes Confined Feeding Facilities Within City Limits | Bill Passed - House (84 - 37) |
| March 12, 2018 | MD | HB 811 | Authorizes Collective Bargaining New Employee Processing | Bill Passed - House (84 - 49) |
| March 7, 2018 | WA | HB 1506 | Prohibits Employers from Retaliating Against Employees for Discussing Wages | Conference Report Adopted - House (70 - 28) |
| March 6, 2018 | WA | HB 1506 | Prohibits Employers from Retaliating Against Employees for Discussing Wages | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (36 - 12) |
| March 1, 2018 | WA | HB 1506 | Prohibits Employers from Retaliating Against Employees for Discussing Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 12) |
| March 1, 2018 | WA | SB 6199 | Authorizes Privatization of Home-Care Workforce | Bill Passed - House (50 - 0) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | SD | HB 1199 | Prohibits Collective Bargaining at Public Universities | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 18) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | WA | SB 5996 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Sexual Assault Nondisclosure Agreements | Bill Passed - House (98 - 0) |
| Feb. 27, 2018 | National | HR 1865 | Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (388 - 25) |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | KS | SB 405 | Authorizes Confined Feeding Facilities Within City Limits | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 10) |
| Feb. 21, 2018 | KY | HB 2 | Amends Workers' Compensation Law | Bill Passed - House (55 - 39) |
| Feb. 20, 2018 | WI | AB 1 | Increases Work Hour Requirements for Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 14) |
| Feb. 20, 2018 | OR | HB 4113 | Requires School Districts to Bargain About Class Size | Bill Passed - House (33 - 25) |
| Feb. 15, 2018 | NM | HB 79 | Authorizes Sale of Goods Without Tax | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 20) |
| Feb. 15, 2018 | National | HR 620 | ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (225 - 192) |
| Feb. 15, 2018 | WI | AB 10 | Requires Photo Identification for Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (61 - 36) |
| Feb. 15, 2018 | WI | AB 1 | Increases Work Hour Requirements for Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (62 - 35) |
| Feb. 15, 2018 | VT | S 40 | Increases State Minimum Wage to $15 per Hour | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| Feb. 13, 2018 | GA | SB 17 | Authorizes Restaurants to Sell Alcohol Earlier on Sundays | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 18) |
| Feb. 13, 2018 | SD | HB 1199 | Prohibits Collective Bargaining at Public Universities | Bill Passed - House (37 - 28) |
| Feb. 10, 2018 | WA | SB 6199 | Authorizes Privatization of Home-Care Workforce | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 21) |
| Feb. 9, 2018 | VA | SB 966 | Amends Various Utilities Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
| Feb. 8, 2018 | MI | HB 5456 | Establishes Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Act | Bill Passed - House (58 - 51) |
| Feb. 7, 2018 | SC | H 3529 | Prohibits Local Regulations on Plastic Bags | Bill Passed - House (73 - 41) |
| Feb. 6, 2018 | National | HR 772 | Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (266 - 157) |
| Feb. 5, 2018 | MS | SB 2929 | Amends Definition of Guaranteed Asset Protection Waivers | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 9) |
| Feb. 2, 2018 | VT | S 289 | Requires Internet Providers Compliance with State Net Neutrality Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 5) |
| Jan. 31, 2018 | MS | HB 415 | Amends Alcoholic Beverage Regulations | (86 - 26) |
| Jan. 31, 2018 | MS | SB 2570 | Prohibits Government Bans on Storage Containers | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 15) |
| Jan. 31, 2018 | MI | SB 660 | Extends the Deadline for 100 Percent Cage-Free Eggs to 2025 | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 5) |