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 25, 2020 | CA | ACA 11 | Establishes the "Home Protection for Seniors, Severely Disabled, Families, and Victims of Wildfire or Natural Disasters Act" | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 5) |
| June 25, 2020 | CA | SB 795 | Appropriates Funds for Affordable Housing and Homelessness Aid | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 10) |
| June 25, 2020 | CA | SB 908 | Requires the Licensing of Debt Collectors | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 4) |
| June 25, 2020 | CA | SB 1257 | Establishes Employment Safety Standards for Domestic Service Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 11) |
| June 25, 2020 | CA | SB 793 | Prohibits Flavored Tobacco Products | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 4) |
| June 24, 2020 | CA | ACA 5 | Establishes Constitutional Amendment Repealing Prohibition on Affirmative Action Policies | Amendment Adopted - Senate (30 - 10) |
| June 22, 2020 | CA | SB 1138 | Requires Land Zoned for Shelters Meet Certain Standards | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 8) |
| June 18, 2020 | CA | AB 860 | Authorizes Vote By Mail Absentee Ballots | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (68 - 5) |
| June 18, 2020 | CA | AB 1460 | Requires Ethnic Studies Course Completion in State Universities | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 5) |
| June 18, 2020 | CA | AB 3216 | Expands Medical Leave Protections for Workers during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic | Bill Passed - House (44 - 17) |
| June 15, 2020 | CA | AB 1950 | Limits Length of Probation Terms | Bill Passed - House (48 - 22) |
| June 15, 2020 | CA | AB 3300 | Establishes the California Access to Housing and Services Fund | Bill Passed - House (62 - 2) |
| June 11, 2020 | CA | AB 860 | Authorizes Vote By Mail Absentee Ballots | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| June 11, 2020 | CA | AB 2847 | Requires Microstamping Within Handguns | Bill Passed - House (52 - 20) |
| June 11, 2020 | CA | AB 1850 | Amends Worker Classification for Self Employed Individuals | Bill Passed - House (76 - 0) |
| June 11, 2020 | CA | AB 3121 | Establishes a Task Force for Reparations to African Americans | Bill Passed - House (61 - 12) |
| June 11, 2020 | CA | AB 3262 | Requires Electronic Marketplaces Be Held Liable for Defective Products | Bill Passed - House (54 - 14) |
| June 10, 2020 | CA | AB 2405 | Establishes a Right to Affordable Housing | Bill Passed - House (64 - 5) |
| June 10, 2020 | CA | ACA 5 | Establishes Constitutional Amendment Repealing Prohibition on Affirmative Action Policies | Amendment Adopted - House (60 - 14) |
| June 10, 2020 | CA | AB 2570 | Establishes the False Claims Act | Bill Passed - House (44 - 20) |
| June 10, 2020 | CA | AB 3214 | Increases Penalties for Oil Spills | Bill Passed - House (41 - 28) |
| June 10, 2020 | CA | AB 3269 | Requires the Establishment of Plans to Reduce Homelessness | Bill Passed - House (58 - 10) |
| June 8, 2020 | CA | AB 3030 | Requires Protection for 30 Percent of State's Land and Waters by 2030 | Bill Passed - House (45 - 19) |
| March 16, 2020 | CA | SB 117 | Appropriates Funds to Public Schools Amid COVID-19 Emergency Shut-Down | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 0) |
| March 16, 2020 | CA | SB 89 | Amends 2019-2020 State Budget to Appropriate Funds for the COVID-19 Emergency | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 0) |
| Jan. 30, 2020 | CA | SB 50 | Amends City Housing and Transportation Accommodations and Developments | Bill Failed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| Jan. 27, 2020 | CA | AB 1441 | Amends Oil Drilling Laws and Regulations | Bill Passed - House (41 - 18) |
| Jan. 27, 2020 | CA | AB 979 | Requires Corporations to Have Directors From Under-Represented Groups | Bill Passed - House (73 - 0) |
| Jan. 23, 2020 | CA | AB 323 | Establishes the Save Local Journalism Act | Bill Passed - House (77 - 0) |
| Sept. 14, 2019 | CA | SB 328 | Requires Later Start Times for Middle and High Schools | Bill Passed - House (44 - 20) |
| Sept. 13, 2019 | CA | AB 681 | Requires Voter Party Affiliation Notification Prior To Primary Elections | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (65 - 13) |
| Sept. 13, 2019 | CA | AB 378 | Authorizes Collective Bargaining for Childcare Workers | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (63 - 16) |
| Sept. 13, 2019 | CA | SB 1 | Rescinds Federal Freeze of Environmental Deregulations | Bill Passed - House (48 - 22) |
| Sept. 13, 2019 | CA | AB 792 | Increases Recycled Plastics Percentages Used in Plastic Beverage Bottles | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| Sept. 13, 2019 | CA | AB 68 | Amends Municipality and County Process for Reviewing and Approving Accessory Dwelling Units | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 10) |
| Sept. 13, 2019 | CA | SB 61 | Prohibits Purchasing More than One Gun per Month | Bill Passed - House (55 - 22) |
| Sept. 12, 2019 | CA | AB 1215 | Prohibits Facial Recognition in Police Body-Cams | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 21) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 1482 | Establishes Rental Increase Caps | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 26) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | SB 468 | Authorizes Evaluation of Tax Expenditures | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 10) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | SB 8 | Prohibits Smoking at Public Parks and Beaches | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 10) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | SB 310 | Authorizes Felons to Serve on Juries | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 10) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 545 | Authorizes the Review of Activities of the Bureau of Cannabis Control | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 0) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 1215 | Prohibits Facial Recognition in Police Body-Cams | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 824 | Prohibits Pharmaceutical Companies from Using "Pay for Delay" Practices | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 8) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 936 | Amends Environmental Protections Relating to Heavy Crude Oils | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 857 | Authorizes Cities and Counties to Establish Public Banks | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | AB 5 | Establishes Criteria For Determining Who Is An Employee | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 11) |
| Sept. 11, 2019 | CA | SB 172 | Amends Firearm Storage Regulations | Bill Passed - House (52 - 22) |
| Sept. 10, 2019 | CA | AB 1076 | Requires Criminal Record Expungement for Individuals Never Convicted | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 23) |
| Sept. 10, 2019 | CA | SB 210 | Establishes a Smog-Check Program for Diesel Trucks | Bill Passed - House (51 - 19) |