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. 24, 2022 | CA | AB 2658 | Prohibits Excessive Electronic Monitoring of Minors in Home Detention | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 10) |
| Aug. 22, 2022 | CA | SB 951 | Amends the Unemployment Insurance Code for New Benefits and Paid Family Leave | Bill Passed - House (61 - 9) |
| June 30, 2022 | CA | AB 2571 | Prohibits Marketing of Firearms to Minors; Authorizes Lawsuits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (57 - 15) |
| June 29, 2022 | CA | AB 2571 | Prohibits Marketing of Firearms to Minors; Authorizes Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 7) |
| May 26, 2022 | CA | AB 2273 | Establishes New Data Privacy Protections for Children | Bill Passed - House (72 - 0) |
| May 26, 2022 | CA | SB 1273 | Provides Protection to Pupils Enrolled in the School from Existing Law | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| May 23, 2022 | CA | AB 2408 | Authorizes Lawsuits Against Addictive Social Media Platforms | Bill Passed - House (51 - 0) |
| Sept. 2, 2021 | CA | AB 1084 | Requires Retailers and Department Stores to Have a Gender Neutral Section | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 16) |
| Sept. 2, 2021 | CA | AB 570 | Requires Health Insurance Plans to Make Coverage Available to their Members' Dependent Parents | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 15) |
| Sept. 1, 2021 | CA | AB 570 | Requires Health Insurance Plans to Make Coverage Available to their Members' Dependent Parents | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 9) |
| Sept. 1, 2021 | CA | AB 1084 | Requires Retailers and Department Stores to Have a Gender Neutral Section | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 9) |
| Jan. 21, 2021 | CA | SB 93 | Transfers Emergency COVID-19 Relief Funds for Childcare | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 2) |
| Jan. 15, 2021 | CA | AB 82 | Appropriates $400 million to Aid Day-Care Providers | Bill Passed - House (48 - 13) |
| Aug. 31, 2020 | CA | SB 823 | Establishes the Office of Youth and Community Restoration | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
| Aug. 31, 2020 | CA | SB 823 | Establishes the Office of Youth and Community Restoration | Bill Passed - House (54 - 16) |
| Aug. 31, 2020 | CA | SB 1383 | Expands Protections for Paid Family Leave | Bill Passed - House (46 - 16) |
| Aug. 24, 2020 | CA | AB 901 | Limits a School District's Ability to Refer Students to Probation Officers | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 7) |
| July 2, 2020 | CA | SB 1383 | Expands Protections for Paid Family Leave | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| June 26, 2020 | CA | SB 1111 | Requires Certain Juvenile Offenders to Remain in Juvenile Hall Until Age 21 | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 8) |
| 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) |
| Sept. 4, 2019 | CA | AB 175 | Amends Foster Care Bill of Rights | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 8) |
| May 23, 2019 | CA | SB 360 | Requires Religious Officials Report Minor Sex Abuse Evidence to Law Enforcement | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 4) |
| May 22, 2019 | CA | AB 175 | Amends Foster Care Bill of Rights | Bill Passed - House (59 - 8) |
| May 22, 2019 | CA | AB 163 | Requires State Oversight of Unaccompanied Undocumented Minors | Bill Passed - House (60 - 5) |
| April 11, 2019 | CA | SB 92 | Amends Tax Policies | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 9) |
| Aug. 21, 2018 | CA | SB 1192 | Requires Beverages Included in Kids' Meals to be Milk or Water | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 9) |
| Aug. 16, 2018 | CA | SB 1192 | Requires Beverages Included in Kids' Meals to be Milk or Water | Bill Passed - House (46 - 26) |
| May 7, 2018 | CA | AB 2741 | Limits Amount of Opioids that can be Prescribed to Minors | Bill Passed - House (58 - 0) |
| April 9, 2018 | CA | AB 1976 | Amends Lactation Accommodation Requirements | Bill Passed - House (57 - 1) |
| Sept. 5, 2017 | CA | AB 841 | Restricts Marketing of Unhealthy Foods in Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 13) |
| May 30, 2017 | CA | SB 328 | Amends School Start Time | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
| Aug. 18, 2016 | CA | SB 1322 | Exempts Minors from Prostitution Charges | Bill Passed - House (42 - 29) |
| June 29, 2015 | CA | SB 277 | Amends School Immunization Requirements | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 14) |
| June 25, 2015 | CA | SB 277 | Amends School Immunization Requirements | Bill Passed - House (46 - 31) |
| June 3, 2015 | CA | SB 548 | Authorizes Child Care Workers to Form Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12) |
| June 2, 2015 | CA | SB 124 | Limits the Use of Solitary Confinement for Juveniles | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
| May 14, 2015 | CA | SB 277 | Amends School Immunization Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 11) |
| Aug. 26, 2014 | CA | SB 1174 | Repeals Prohibition on Bilingual Education | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 10) |
| 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) |
| Aug. 19, 2014 | CA | AB 420 | Prohibits Student Suspensions for Certain Actions and Misconduct | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 8) |
| May 29, 2014 | CA | SB 837 | Establishes the California Prekindergarten Program | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 10) |
| May 27, 2014 | CA | SB 1174 | Repeals Prohibition on Bilingual Education | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 8) |
| May 15, 2014 | CA | AB 2127 | Limits Full-Contact Practices for Certain Sports | Bill Passed - House (50 - 22) |
| May 5, 2014 | CA | SB 1038 | Amends Juvenile Court Records Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
| May 2, 2013 | CA | SB 501 | Requires Social Networking Sites to Remove Personal Identifying Information | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
| Aug. 30, 2012 | CA | SB 1172 | Prohibits Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
| Aug. 29, 2012 | CA | SB 1476 | Authorizes Courts to Designate More than 2 Individuals as Parents of a Child | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
| Aug. 28, 2012 | CA | SB 1172 | Prohibits Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy | Bill Passed - House (52 - 22) |
| Aug. 27, 2012 | CA | AB 2109 | Requires Parents to Obtain a Waiver for Unvaccinated Children | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (51 - 29) |