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 3, 2010 | CA | SB 1113 | Income Tax Appeal Modifications | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 20) |
| June 2, 2010 | CA | SB 399 | Authorizing Youth Offenders to Appeal Life Without Parole Sentences | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
| June 1, 2010 | CA | SB 1168 | Grand Juries for Misdemeanors in the County of Los Angeles | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
| Sept. 11, 2009 | CA | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| Sept. 10, 2009 | CA | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 26) |
| Sept. 9, 2009 | CA | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Sept. 8, 2009 | CA | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| Sept. 4, 2009 | CA | AB 793 | Clarifying Statute of Limitations for Wage Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| Sept. 3, 2009 | CA | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Bill Passed - House (47 - 29) |
| Aug. 31, 2009 | CA | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| Aug. 12, 2008 | CA | AB 1946 | Expanding Enforcement of Water Pollution Laws | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 29) |
| Aug. 12, 2008 | CA | SB 1589 | Uncorroborated Jailhouse Informant Testimony Ban | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| Aug. 7, 2008 | CA | AB 1946 | Expanding Enforcement of Water Pollution Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| Aug. 7, 2008 | CA | AB 2654 | Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
| Aug. 5, 2008 | CA | AB 2001 | Whistleblower Hotline | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 8) |
| May 27, 2008 | CA | AB 2654 | Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws | Bill Passed - House (48 - 30) |
| May 15, 2008 | CA | SB 1589 | Uncorroborated Jailhouse Informant Testimony Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 14) |
| June 4, 2007 | CA | SB 1019 | Access to Police Misconduct Investigations | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/03 | SB 1113 | Income Tax Appeal Modifications | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 20) |
| 6/02 | SB 399 | Authorizing Youth Offenders to Appeal Life Without Parole Sentences | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
| 6/01 | SB 1168 | Grand Juries for Misdemeanors in the County of Los Angeles | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
| 9/11 | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| 9/10 | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 26) |
| 9/09 | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 9/08 | AB 2 | Health Care Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
| 9/04 | AB 793 | Clarifying Statute of Limitations for Wage Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| 9/03 | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Bill Passed - House (47 - 29) |
| 8/31 | SBx3 18 | Correctional Law Amendments | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| 8/12 | AB 1946 | Expanding Enforcement of Water Pollution Laws | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 29) |
| 8/12 | SB 1589 | Uncorroborated Jailhouse Informant Testimony Ban | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| 8/07 | AB 1946 | Expanding Enforcement of Water Pollution Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| 8/07 | AB 2654 | Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
| 8/05 | AB 2001 | Whistleblower Hotline | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 8) |
| 5/27 | AB 2654 | Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws | Bill Passed - House (48 - 30) |
| 5/15 | SB 1589 | Uncorroborated Jailhouse Informant Testimony Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 14) |
| 6/04 | SB 1019 | Access to Police Misconduct Investigations | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |