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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23, 2022 | IA | HF 2355 | Reduces the Maximum Amount of Time an Individual Can Receive Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 20) |
| March 2, 2022 | IA | HF 2416 | Requires Student Athletes to Join Teams Based on Sex Assigned at Birth | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 17) |
| Oct. 28, 2021 | IA | SF 621 | Establishes Congressional and Legislative Districts | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 1) |
| Feb. 23, 2021 | IA | SF 389 | Increases Eligibility Requirements for Public Assistance Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 18) |
| Feb. 17, 2021 | IA | SF 252 | Prohibits Cities from Mandating Participation in the Section 8 Federal Housing Program | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 18) |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | IA | SF 2272 | Establishes Computer Verification System for Public Assistance Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| April 27, 2019 | IA | SF 638 | Amends Judicial Commission Selection | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 16) |
| April 27, 2019 | IA | SF 638 | Amends Judicial Commission Selection | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 16) |
| April 26, 2019 | IA | HF 766 | Establishes a Health and Human Services Budget for FY 2019-2020 | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 19) |
| April 2, 2019 | IA | SF 516 | Requires Employers to Verify Employee Immigration Status | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
| March 27, 2019 | IA | SF 513 | Authorizes Women to Buy Birth Control Without Prescriptions | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 6) |
| March 12, 2019 | IA | SF 237 | Amends Judicial Commission Selection | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
| April 4, 2018 | IA | SF 481 | Requires Law Enforcement for Comply with ICE Detainer Requests | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 18) |
| April 12, 2017 | IA | SF 481 | Requires Law Enforcement for Comply with ICE Detainer Requests | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
| March 27, 2017 | IA | HF 518 | Requires Certain Restrictions Regarding Worker's Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| March 27, 2017 | IA | HF 295 | Prohibits Localities from Increasing Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| Feb. 16, 2017 | IA | HF 291 | Limits Collective Bargaining for Public Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| March 8, 2016 | IA | SF 2284 | Amends Definition of Hate Crime to Include Gender Identity or Expression | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| March 2, 2016 | IA | SF 2252 | Requires Accommodations for Employees During Pregnancy | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| Feb. 29, 2016 | IA | SF 2222 | Authorizes Pharmacists to Dispense Over-the-Counter Birth Control | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 22) |
| March 17, 2015 | IA | SF 334 | Prohibits Sexual-Orientation Conversion Therapy for Minors | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| Feb. 24, 2015 | IA | SF 269 | Increases Minimum Wage | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 22) |
| March 18, 2014 | IA | SF 2318 | Amends School Harassment and Bullying Policies | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 19) |
| April 17, 2013 | IA | SF 447 | 2013-2014 Justice Department Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| April 16, 2013 | IA | SF 439 | Establishes a Tax Credit for Farmers Who Donate to Food Banks | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 15) |