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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 23, 2016 | CA | AB 1887 | Prohibits State-Funded Travel to Certain States | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (56 - 21) |
| Aug. 23, 2016 | CA | SB 32 | Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions Levels | Bill Passed - House (48 - 31) |
| Aug. 22, 2016 | CA | SB 1150 | Authorizes Heirs to Receive Home Loan Information | Bill Passed - House (49 - 26) |
| Aug. 18, 2016 | CA | SB 1322 | Exempts Minors from Prostitution Charges | Bill Passed - House (42 - 29) |
| Aug. 4, 2016 | CA | SB 759 | Authorizes Early Release for Certain Prisoners in Solitary Confinement | Bill Passed - House (41 - 31) |
| June 30, 2016 | CA | AB 1695 | Prohibits Falsely Reporting the Loss or Theft of a Firearm | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 25) |
| June 30, 2016 | CA | AB 1674 | Limits the Purchase of Firearms | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (44 - 34) |
| June 30, 2016 | CA | AB 1135 | Prohibits Firearms with Bullet Button | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 30) |
| June 30, 2016 | CA | SB 1235 | Requires Background Checks to Buy Ammunition | Bill Passed - House (46 - 30) |
| June 30, 2016 | CA | SB 1446 | Prohibits the Possession of High-Capacity Gun Magazines | Bill Passed - House (44 - 31) |
| June 16, 2016 | CA | SB 839 | Prohibits Orca Captivity and Breeding | Bill Passed - House (48 - 28) |
| June 15, 2016 | CA | SB 826 | Approves Spending Plan for 2016-2017 Fiscal Year | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 27) |
| June 2, 2016 | CA | AB 1676 | Prohibits Employers from Asking Job Applicants for Salary History | Bill Passed - House (47 - 29) |
| June 2, 2016 | CA | AB 2757 | Requires Overtime Pay for Farmworkers | Bill Failed - House (38 - 35) |
| June 2, 2016 | CA | AB 2002 | Requires Coastal Commission Members to Disclose Private Meetings | Bill Passed - House (54 - 23) |
| June 1, 2016 | CA | AB 2607 | Authorizes Certain Individuals to Request a Gun Violence Restraining Order | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| May 31, 2016 | CA | SB 10 | Authorizes Undocumented Immigrants to be Eligible for Health Coverage | Bill Passed - House (55 - 20) |
| May 31, 2016 | CA | AB 2466 | Expands Voting Rights for Certain Convicted Felons | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| May 9, 2016 | CA | AB 1732 | Requires Single User Restrooms to be Gender Neutral | Bill Passed - House (55 - 19) |
| April 28, 2016 | CA | ACR 137 | Establishes May 26th as John Wayne Day | Resolution Failed - House (36 - 19) |
| March 31, 2016 | CA | SB 3 | Increases Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - House (48 - 26) |
| March 3, 2016 | CA | SB 7 | Increases Smoking Age to 21 | Bill Passed - House (49 - 25) |
| March 3, 2016 | CA | SB 5 | Amends Regulations for E-Cigarettes | Bill Passed - House (52 - 21) |
| Sept. 11, 2015 | CA | SB 350 | Establishes Renewable Energy Production Targets | Bill Passed - House (52 - 27) |
| Sept. 11, 2015 | CA | AB 329 | Requires Age Appropriate Comprehensive Sex Education | Bill Passed - House (51 - 26) |
| Sept. 10, 2015 | CA | AB 953 | Amends "Profiling" Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (43 - 30) |
| Sept. 9, 2015 | CA | AB 15 | Authorizes A Physician to Prescribe Aid-in-Dying Drugs | Bill Passed - House (44 - 35) |
| Sept. 4, 2015 | CA | AB 96 | Prohibits Sale of Ivory and Rhino Horn | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 21) |
| Sept. 1, 2015 | CA | SB 707 | Prohibits Concealed Firearms on School Grounds | Bill Passed - House (54 - 24) |
| Aug. 20, 2015 | CA | AB 1100 | Increases Ballot Initiative Fee | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 31) |
| July 16, 2015 | CA | SB 227 | Prohibits Grand Juries from Investigating Certain Cases | Bill Passed - House (41 - 33) |
| June 25, 2015 | CA | SB 277 | Amends School Immunization Requirements | Bill Passed - House (46 - 31) |
| June 19, 2015 | CA | SB 88 | Amends Water Use Regulations | Bill Passed - House (52 - 28) |
| June 2, 2015 | CA | AB 1461 | Establishes the California New Motor Voter Program | Bill Passed - House (52 - 26) |
| June 1, 2015 | CA | AB 718 | Authorizes Sleeping in Vehicles | Bill Passed - House (56 - 15) |
| May 26, 2015 | CA | AB 884 | Requires the Attorney General to Denote Ballot Initiatives That May Be Unconstitutional | Bill Passed - House (50 - 26) |
| May 26, 2015 | CA | AB 1100 | Increases Ballot Initiative Fee | Bill Passed - House (46 - 28) |
| May 26, 2015 | CA | AB 775 | Requires Pregnancy Centers to Inform Clients of State Pregnancy Services | Bill Passed - House (49 - 26) |
| May 11, 2015 | CA | AB 202 | Requires Professional Sports Teams to Classify Cheerleaders Employees | Bill Passed - House (56 - 23) |
| Aug. 30, 2014 | CA | AB 1522 | Requires Paid Sick Leave for Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 25) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | AB 1014 | Authorizes Gun Violence Restraining Orders | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 28) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | AB 1739 | Amends Groundwater Laws | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 28) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | SB 1168 | Requires Sustainability Plans for Groundwater Usage | Bill Passed - House (47 - 27) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | SB 1319 | Authorizes Groundwater Sustainability Plan for Certain Water Basins | Bill Passed - House (48 - 26) |
| Aug. 29, 2014 | CA | SB 1159 | Authorizes Undocumented Immigrants to Receive Professional Licenses | Bill Passed - House (55 - 22) |
| Aug. 28, 2014 | CA | SB 270 | Prohibits Retailers from Using Single-Use Carryout Bags | Bill Passed - House (45 - 31) |
| Aug. 26, 2014 | CA | SB 199 | Requires Certain Replica Guns to be Sold in Fluorescent Colors | Bill Passed - House (43 - 34) |
| Aug. 25, 2014 | CA | SB 270 | Prohibits Retailers from Using Single-Use Carryout Bags | Bill Failed - House (38 - 33) |
| Aug. 25, 2014 | CA | SB 1174 | Repeals Prohibition on Bilingual Education | Bill Passed - House (53 - 26) |
| Aug. 21, 2014 | CA | AB 420 | Prohibits Student Suspensions for Certain Actions and Misconduct | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 16) |