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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 18, 2019 | PA | SB 501 | Amends Parole, Probation, and Criminal Sentencing Guidelines | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 11) |
| Dec. 18, 2019 | PA | HB 1477 | Authorizes Professional Licenses for Ex-Convicts | Bill Passed - House (193 - 4) |
| Dec. 17, 2019 | PA | SB 501 | Amends Parole, Probation, and Criminal Sentencing Guidelines | Bill Passed - House (167 - 29) |
| Dec. 16, 2019 | NJ | A 5823 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration for Individuals Released from Prison | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
| Dec. 16, 2019 | NJ | A 5823 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration for Individuals Released from Prison | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
| Dec. 16, 2019 | NJ | A 4260 | Prohibits the Sale of Certain Toy Guns or Imitation Firearms | Bill Passed - House (54 - 19) |
| Dec. 11, 2019 | National | HR 5038 | Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (260 - 165) |
| Dec. 6, 2019 | National | HR 4 | Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (228 - 187) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | S 761 | Establishes Inmate Re-Entry Plans | Bill Passed - House (55 - 16) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | S 2905 | Prohibits Sale of Shark Fins | Bill Passed - House (54 - 19) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | S 2055 | Authorizes Student Financial Aid for Incarcerated Persons | Bill Passed - House (41 - 27) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | A 1796 | Prohibits a "Gay Panic" Legal Defense | Bill Passed - House (74 - 0) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | A 1796 | Prohibits a "Gay Panic" Legal Defense | Bill Passed - House (74 - 0) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | A 5823 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration for Individuals Released from Prison | Bill Passed - House (48 - 24) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | A 5823 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration for Individuals Released from Prison | Bill Passed - House (48 - 24) |
| Nov. 25, 2019 | NJ | A 5816 | Reduces the Penalty for Certain Parole Violations | Bill Passed - House (47 - 24) |
| Nov. 21, 2019 | PA | HB 49 | Authorizes School Police to Make Arrests | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 14) |
| Nov. 20, 2019 | PA | HB 1402 | Establishes and Defines the Crime of Sexual Extortion | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 0) |
| Nov. 20, 2019 | PA | HB 321 | Prohibits Abortions Based on a Diagnosis of Down Syndrome | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 22) |
| Nov. 19, 2019 | PA | HB 49 | Authorizes School Police to Make Arrests | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (161 - 37) |
| Nov. 19, 2019 | National | HR 5084 | Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (281 - 135) |
| Nov. 18, 2019 | PA | HB 1890 | Requires a Funeral for, or the Cremation of, Abortion Remains | Bill Passed - House (123 - 76) |
| Nov. 13, 2019 | IL | SB 667 | Limits the Cost of Insulin to $100 per 30-day Supply | Bill Passed - House (100 - 13) |
| Nov. 13, 2019 | MI | HB 4687 | Repeals Prohibition of Deer-Baiting | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| Nov. 13, 2019 | MI | HB 4687 | Repeals Prohibition of Deer-Baiting | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| Nov. 13, 2019 | OH | HB 164 | Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools | Bill Passed - House (61 - 31) |
| Nov. 12, 2019 | WI | AJR 106 | Amends the State Capital Holiday Tree Name to the Christmas Tree | Bill Passed - House (64 - 30) |
| Nov. 12, 2019 | WI | AJR 106 | Amends the State Capital Holiday Tree Name to the Christmas Tree | Bill Passed - House (64 - 30) |
| Nov. 7, 2019 | MI | SB 174 | Extends Deadline for 100 Percent Cage-Free Eggs Requirement | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 3) |
| Nov. 7, 2019 | WI | AB 304 | Authorizes Pharmacy Distribution of Certain Hormonal Contraceptives | Bill Passed - House (82 - 13) |
| Nov. 6, 2019 | MI | SB 174 | Extends Deadline for 100 Percent Cage-Free Eggs Requirement | Bill Passed - House (74 - 36) |
| Nov. 6, 2019 | OH | SB 155 | Requires Potential Abortion Reversal Drugs be made Available | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
| Nov. 6, 2019 | OH | SB 208 | Establishes Requirements for Abortions Resulting in Premature Birth | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
| Nov. 5, 2019 | MI | HB 4687 | Repeals Prohibition of Deer-Baiting | Bill Passed - House (57 - 49) |
| Nov. 5, 2019 | MI | HB 5120 | Authorizes Criminal Records Expungement for Certain Crimes | Bill Passed - House (100 - 8) |
| Nov. 5, 2019 | WI | SB 49 | Prohibits Prostitution Charges Against Minors | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14) |
| Nov. 5, 2019 | MI | HB 4687 | Repeals Prohibition of Deer-Baiting | Bill Passed - House (57 - 49) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | NC | SB 250 | Amends Voting Rolls to Correlate with Jury Selection Excusals | Conference Report Adopted - House (59 - 51) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | PA | SB 147 | Establishes Hunting Regulations on Sundays | Bill Passed - House (144 - 54) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | PA | SB 147 | Establishes Hunting Regulations on Sundays | Bill Passed - House (144 - 54) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | MI | HB 4916 | Authorizes Sports Betting | Bill Passed - House (63 - 45) |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | IL | HB 3904 | Authorizes Student Athletes to Receive Compensation for Use of Their Name, Image, or Likeness | Bill Passed - House (86 - 25) |
| Oct. 29, 2019 | IL | SB 1786 | Prohibits License Suspension for Unpaid Parking Tickets | Bill Passed - House (88 - 27) |
| Oct. 29, 2019 | IL | SB 667 | Limits the Cost of Insulin to $100 per 30-day Supply | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 7) |
| Oct. 29, 2019 | National | H Res 296 | Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide | Bill Passed - House (405 - 11) |
| Oct. 24, 2019 | MI | SB 174 | Extends Deadline for 100 Percent Cage-Free Eggs Requirement | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 17) |
| Oct. 23, 2019 | PA | HB 49 | Authorizes School Police to Make Arrests | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 20) |
| Sept. 26, 2019 | National | HR 3525 | US Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act | Bill Passed - House (230 - 184) |
| Sept. 25, 2019 | National | HR 2203 | Homeland Security Improvement Act | Bill Passed - House (230 - 194) |
| Sept. 24, 2019 | MI | HB 4231 | Appropriates $2.2 Billion for the State Corrections Budget for Fiscal Year 2020 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 16) |