Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
Aug. 17, 2008 CA AB 1781 2008-2009 Budget Conference Report Rejected - House (45 - 30)
Sept. 16, 2008 CA AB 1781 2008-2009 Budget Conference Report Adopted - House (61 - 11)
July 28, 2005 National HR 3045 CAFTA Implementation Bill Bill Passed - House (217 - 215)
June 15, 2005 National H Amdt 270 Bans Use of Funds to Enforce Cuba Regulations Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (210 - 216)
Aug. 12, 2008 CA AB 1946 Expanding Enforcement of Water Pollution Laws Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 29)
June 9, 1994 National H Amdt 611 Lifting Arms Embargo on Bosnia Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (244 - 178)
Aug. 19, 2008 CA SB 1440 Capping Administrative Spending for Health Insurers Bill Passed - House (46 - 31)
Nov. 29, 1994 National HR 5110 Uruguay Round Agreements Act Bill Passed - House (288 - 146)
July 8, 2004 National HR 4754 Commerce Department FY2005 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - House (397 - 18)
March 18, 2004 National HR 1375 Financial Services Regulatory Relief Act of 2004 Bill Passed - House (392 - 25)
Aug. 29, 2008 CA AB 2386 Agricultural Union Election Law Amendments Concurrence Vote Passed - House (45 - 31)
March 10, 2004 National HR 339 Food Industry Obesity Lawsuits (Cheeseburger Bill) Bill Passed - House (276 - 139)
May 27, 2008 CA AB 3025 Polystyrene Packaging Regulations Bill Passed - House (42 - 32)
July 24, 2003 National HR 2738 U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act Bill Passed - House (270 - 156)
July 24, 2003 National HR 2739 U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act Bill Passed - House (272 - 155)
June 22, 1993 National HR 1876 GATT Uruguay Round Bill Bill Passed - House (295 - 126)
Aug. 27, 2008 CA SB 1313 Perfluorochemical (PFC) Ban Bill Passed - House (43 - 30)
Aug. 18, 2008 CA SB 1313 Perfluorochemical (PFC) Ban Bill Failed - House (37 - 34)
June 21, 2000 National H J Res 90 WTO Withdrawal resolution Joint Resolution Failed - House (56 - 363)
March 9, 2000 National HR 3081 Small Business Tax Fairness Act of 2000 Bill Passed - House (257 - 169)
Feb. 16, 2000 National HR 2366 Small Business Liability Reform bill Bill Passed - House (221 - 193)
Aug. 31, 2008 CA AB 2321 Metro Sales Tax Increase Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 25)
Aug. 28, 2008 CA AB 2765 Aerial Spraying Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 14)
Aug. 17, 2008 NM HB 5 Electronic Medical Records Bill Passed - House (35 - 29)
Aug. 31, 2008 CA AB 1945 Health Insurance Cancellation Restrictions Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 17)
Aug. 27, 2008 CA SB 1420 Nutritional Information Disclosure in Chain Restaurants Bill Passed - House (46 - 28)
Nov. 7, 1997 National HR 2647 PLA Monitoring bill Bill Passed - House (408 - 10)
Nov. 4, 1997 National HR 2644 United States-Caribbean Trade Partnership Act Bill Failed - House (182 - 234)
Aug. 29, 2008 CA AB 1107 Drought-Related Unemployment Benefits Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 18)
Aug. 19, 2008 CA AB 1894 Health Insurance Coverage of HIV Testing Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 29)
June 24, 1997 National H J Res 79 China Most-Favored-Nation Resolution Joint Resolution Failed - House (173 - 259)
Aug. 31, 2008 CA AB 1860 Prohibiting Resale of Recalled Products Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 30)
Sept. 19, 2008 CA SBx1 28 Tax Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (43 - 30)
Sept. 18, 2008 National HR 6604 Commodity Markets Speculation Bill Bill Passed - House (283 - 133)
Sept. 23, 2008 National HR 5244 Credit Card Regulations Bill Passed - House (312 - 112)
Sept. 23, 2008 National HR 5244 Credit Card Regulations Bill Passed - House (312 - 112)
Sept. 29, 2008 National HR 3997 Financial Asset Purchase Authority Concurrence Vote Failed - House (205 - 228)
Sept. 16, 2008 CA AB 1452 Suspending Carryback and Net Operating Loss Deductions Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 21)
Oct. 3, 2008 National HR 1424 Financial Asset Purchase Authority and Tax Law Amendments Concurrence Vote Passed - House (263 - 171)
Sept. 18, 2008 MI SB 213 Renewable Electricity Standards Conference Report Adopted - House (83 - 24)
July 11, 1996 National H Amdt 1273 Drug Price Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (180 - 242)
May 23, 1996 National H Amdt 1085 Fair Labor Standards Act Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (239 - 188)
May 23, 1996 National H Amdt 1085 Fair Labor Standards Act Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (196 - 229)
March 7, 1996 National H Amdt 947 Lobby Disclosure Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (211 - 209)
Oct. 27, 2008 NJ A 2550 Renewable Energy Facilities Within Industrial Districts Bill Passed - House (60 - 15)
May 1, 2008 HI SB 2423 Turtle Bay Acquisition Conference Report Adopted - House (37 - 10)
April 7, 2008 MD SB 268 Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Program Bill Passed - House (113 - 25)
April 7, 2008 MD HB 374 Energy Efficiency Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - House (101 - 33)
April 7, 2008 MD HB 375 Increasing Renewable Energy Standards Concurrence Vote Passed - House (103 - 24)
March 31, 2006 MD SB 154 Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Additional Emission Caps Bill Passed - House (107 - 27)
April 14, 2008 MN SF 2822 "Good Faith" Requirement for Insurance Companies Conference Report Adopted - House (93 - 39)
Nov. 17, 2008 NJ A 3294 Capital Investment and Employment Grants Bill Passed - House (56 - 22)
Dec. 4, 2008 MI HB 6644 Prohibiting Retail Delivery of Alcohol Bill Passed - House (97 - 9)
Dec. 18, 2008 CA ABx1 12 Extending Tax Withholding Requirements to Payments to Independent Contractors Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 28)
Jan. 14, 2009 MS HB 364 Cigarette Tax Increase Bill Passed - House (81 - 39)
Jan. 13, 2009 ND HB 1036 Workforce Safety and Insurance Premium Rate Regulation Bill Passed - House (62 - 32)
Jan. 21, 2009 National HR 384 Oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program Bill Passed - House (260 - 166)
Jan. 22, 2009 National H J Res 3 Releasing Funds for Economic Stabilization Act Joint Resolution Passed - House (270 - 155)
Jan. 14, 2009 CT HB 5095 2008-2009 Budget Amendments Bill Passed - House (111 - 35)
Jan. 19, 2009 WY HB 67 Taxing Moist Snuff Tobacco Based on Weight Bill Passed - House (37 - 23)
Jan. 27, 2009 WI AB 1 Wisconsin-Based Products and Services Purchasing Goals Bill Passed - House (77 - 22)
Jan. 27, 2009 WI AB 1 Wisconsin-Based Products and Services Purchasing Goals Bill Passed - House (77 - 22)
Jan. 27, 2009 WI AB 2 Mandatory State Contracting with Domestic Companies Bill Passed - House (69 - 30)
Jan. 27, 2009 WI AB 2 Mandatory State Contracting with Domestic Companies Bill Passed - House (69 - 30)
Feb. 2, 2009 ND HB 1539 Sales Tax Exemption for Purchase of "Big-Three" Cars Bill Failed - House (29 - 64)
Feb. 3, 2009 WY HB 31 Statewide Indoor Smoking Ban Bill Passed - House (31 - 29)
Jan. 30, 2009 WY Amdt 2001 to HB 31 Exempting 21+ Establishments from Smoking Ban Amendment Adopted - House (34 - 25)
Jan. 30, 2009 WY Amdt 2002 to HB 31 Allowing Counties and Municipalities to Opt Out of Smoking Ban Amendment Adopted - House (41 - 18)
Feb. 5, 2009 AR HB 1204 Tobacco Tax Increase Bill Passed - House (75 - 24)
Feb. 26, 2009 GA SB 31 Energy Rate Increases to Finance Nuclear Power Plant Construction Bill Passed - House (107 - 66)
Feb. 11, 2009 KY HB 144 Alcohol and Tobacco Sales Tax Increase Bill Passed - House (66 - 34)
Feb. 12, 2009 SC H 3301 Payday Lending Regulations Motion Agreed - House (93 - 16)
Feb. 2, 2009 NY A 860 Increasing Income and Rent Threshold to Qualify for Rent Deregulation Bill Passed - House (86 - 58)
Feb. 2, 2009 NY A 2005 Expanding Rent Control Coverage Bill Passed - House (91 - 52)
Feb. 12, 2009 ND HB 1453 Wheelchair Accessibility in Businesses Bill Failed - House (19 - 72)
Feb. 19, 2009 VA SB 1105 Prohibiting Smoking in Restaurants Conference Report Adopted - House (60 - 39)
Feb. 13, 2009 ND HB 1440 Changes in Pharmacy Operation Requirements Bill Failed - House (35 - 57)
Feb. 13, 2009 MT HB 400 Revised Alcohol Content of Beer Bill Passed - House (80 - 20)
Feb. 18, 2009 NH HB 103 Laid Off Employees Payment Time-Frame Bill Passed - House (194 - 164)
Feb. 17, 2009 OK HB 1410 State Purchasing Authority Amendments Bill Passed - House (61 - 37)
Feb. 18, 2009 OK HB 1602 Attorney Fee Limits Bill Passed - House (54 - 46)
Feb. 19, 2009 ND HB 1213 Prohibiting Smoking in Bars and Hotels Bill Failed - House (33 - 59)
Feb. 18, 2009 IA HF 311 Health Insurance Coverage for Prosthetics Bill Passed - House (64 - 33)
Feb. 24, 2009 CO HB 1260 Designated Beneficiary Agreements Between Unmarried Adults Bill Passed - House (41 - 24)
Feb. 17, 2009 ND HB 1255 Corporate Tax Rate Reduction Bill Passed - House (57 - 36)
Feb. 17, 2009 ND HB 1268 Sales Tax Exemption on Clothing Purchases Bill Passed - House (66 - 26)
Feb. 25, 2009 CO HB 1001 Tax Credit for Job Creation Bill Passed - House (52 - 13)
Feb. 24, 2009 SC Amdt 5 Prohibiting Employment Termination Due to Abortion Waiting Period Amendment Rejected - House (54 - 60)
March 9, 2009 SD HB 1240 Smoking Ban Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 23)
Feb. 23, 2009 SD HB 1240 Smoking Ban Bill Passed - House (43 - 27)
Feb. 19, 2009 IA HF 333 Wage Standards for Public Project Workers Bill Failed - House (49 - 49)
Feb. 25, 2009 MT HB 418 Amendments Regarding Horse Slaughterhouses Bill Passed - House (66 - 33)
Feb. 23, 2009 MT HB 394 Prohibits the Use of Individual Prescription Information for Marketing Motion Rejected - House (50 - 50)
March 5, 2009 National HR 1106 Mortgage Restructuring In Bankruptcy Bill Passed - House (234 - 191)
Feb. 24, 2009 VA SB 1035 Allowing Guns in Alcohol-Serving Establishments Bill Passed - House (66 - 33)
April 13, 2009 MD SB 278 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan Bill Passed - House (107 - 30)
Feb. 25, 2009 IN HB 1207 Required Nutritional Information on Restaurant Menus Bill Passed - House (51 - 46)
Feb. 17, 2009 IN HB 1213 Statewide Indoor Smoking Ban Bill Passed - House (70 - 26)
May 4, 2009 CO HB 1057 Mandatory Unpaid Parental Work Leave for Education Activities Conference Report Adopted - House (39 - 26)
Feb. 9, 2009 CO HB 1057 Mandatory Unpaid Parental Work Leave for Education Activities Bill Passed - House (35 - 30)
Date No. Title Outcome
8/17 AB 1781 2008-2009 Budget Conference Report Rejected - House (45 - 30)
9/16 AB 1781 2008-2009 Budget Conference Report Adopted - House (61 - 11)
7/28 HR 3045 CAFTA Implementation Bill Bill Passed - House (217 - 215)
6/15 H Amdt 270 Bans Use of Funds to Enforce Cuba Regulations Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (210 - 216)
8/12 AB 1946 Expanding Enforcement of Water Pollution Laws Concurrence Vote Passed - House (48 - 29)
6/09 H Amdt 611 Lifting Arms Embargo on Bosnia Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (244 - 178)
8/19 SB 1440 Capping Administrative Spending for Health Insurers Bill Passed - House (46 - 31)
11/29 HR 5110 Uruguay Round Agreements Act Bill Passed - House (288 - 146)
7/08 HR 4754 Commerce Department FY2005 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - House (397 - 18)
3/18 HR 1375 Financial Services Regulatory Relief Act of 2004 Bill Passed - House (392 - 25)
8/29 AB 2386 Agricultural Union Election Law Amendments Concurrence Vote Passed - House (45 - 31)
3/10 HR 339 Food Industry Obesity Lawsuits (Cheeseburger Bill) Bill Passed - House (276 - 139)
5/27 AB 3025 Polystyrene Packaging Regulations Bill Passed - House (42 - 32)
7/24 HR 2738 U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act Bill Passed - House (270 - 156)
7/24 HR 2739 U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act Bill Passed - House (272 - 155)
6/22 HR 1876 GATT Uruguay Round Bill Bill Passed - House (295 - 126)
8/27 SB 1313 Perfluorochemical (PFC) Ban Bill Passed - House (43 - 30)
8/18 SB 1313 Perfluorochemical (PFC) Ban Bill Failed - House (37 - 34)
6/21 H J Res 90 WTO Withdrawal resolution Joint Resolution Failed - House (56 - 363)
3/09 HR 3081 Small Business Tax Fairness Act of 2000 Bill Passed - House (257 - 169)
2/16 HR 2366 Small Business Liability Reform bill Bill Passed - House (221 - 193)
8/31 AB 2321 Metro Sales Tax Increase Concurrence Vote Passed - House (49 - 25)
8/28 AB 2765 Aerial Spraying Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 14)
8/17 HB 5 Electronic Medical Records Bill Passed - House (35 - 29)
8/31 AB 1945 Health Insurance Cancellation Restrictions Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 17)
8/27 SB 1420 Nutritional Information Disclosure in Chain Restaurants Bill Passed - House (46 - 28)
11/07 HR 2647 PLA Monitoring bill Bill Passed - House (408 - 10)
11/04 HR 2644 United States-Caribbean Trade Partnership Act Bill Failed - House (182 - 234)
8/29 AB 1107 Drought-Related Unemployment Benefits Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 18)
8/19 AB 1894 Health Insurance Coverage of HIV Testing Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 29)
6/24 H J Res 79 China Most-Favored-Nation Resolution Joint Resolution Failed - House (173 - 259)
8/31 AB 1860 Prohibiting Resale of Recalled Products Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 30)
9/19 SBx1 28 Tax Law Amendments Bill Passed - House (43 - 30)
9/18 HR 6604 Commodity Markets Speculation Bill Bill Passed - House (283 - 133)
9/23 HR 5244 Credit Card Regulations Bill Passed - House (312 - 112)
9/23 HR 5244 Credit Card Regulations Bill Passed - House (312 - 112)
9/29 HR 3997 Financial Asset Purchase Authority Concurrence Vote Failed - House (205 - 228)
9/16 AB 1452 Suspending Carryback and Net Operating Loss Deductions Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 21)
10/03 HR 1424 Financial Asset Purchase Authority and Tax Law Amendments Concurrence Vote Passed - House (263 - 171)
9/18 SB 213 Renewable Electricity Standards Conference Report Adopted - House (83 - 24)
7/11 H Amdt 1273 Drug Price Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (180 - 242)
5/23 H Amdt 1085 Fair Labor Standards Act Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (239 - 188)
5/23 H Amdt 1085 Fair Labor Standards Act Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (196 - 229)
3/07 H Amdt 947 Lobby Disclosure Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (211 - 209)
10/27 A 2550 Renewable Energy Facilities Within Industrial Districts Bill Passed - House (60 - 15)
5/01 SB 2423 Turtle Bay Acquisition Conference Report Adopted - House (37 - 10)
4/07 SB 268 Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Program Bill Passed - House (113 - 25)
4/07 HB 374 Energy Efficiency Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - House (101 - 33)
4/07 HB 375 Increasing Renewable Energy Standards Concurrence Vote Passed - House (103 - 24)
3/31 SB 154 Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Additional Emission Caps Bill Passed - House (107 - 27)
4/14 SF 2822 "Good Faith" Requirement for Insurance Companies Conference Report Adopted - House (93 - 39)
11/17 A 3294 Capital Investment and Employment Grants Bill Passed - House (56 - 22)
12/04 HB 6644 Prohibiting Retail Delivery of Alcohol Bill Passed - House (97 - 9)
12/18 ABx1 12 Extending Tax Withholding Requirements to Payments to Independent Contractors Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 28)
1/14 HB 364 Cigarette Tax Increase Bill Passed - House (81 - 39)
1/13 HB 1036 Workforce Safety and Insurance Premium Rate Regulation Bill Passed - House (62 - 32)
1/21 HR 384 Oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program Bill Passed - House (260 - 166)
1/22 H J Res 3 Releasing Funds for Economic Stabilization Act Joint Resolution Passed - House (270 - 155)
1/14 HB 5095 2008-2009 Budget Amendments Bill Passed - House (111 - 35)
1/19 HB 67 Taxing Moist Snuff Tobacco Based on Weight Bill Passed - House (37 - 23)
1/27 AB 1 Wisconsin-Based Products and Services Purchasing Goals Bill Passed - House (77 - 22)
1/27 AB 1 Wisconsin-Based Products and Services Purchasing Goals Bill Passed - House (77 - 22)
1/27 AB 2 Mandatory State Contracting with Domestic Companies Bill Passed - House (69 - 30)
1/27 AB 2 Mandatory State Contracting with Domestic Companies Bill Passed - House (69 - 30)
2/02 HB 1539 Sales Tax Exemption for Purchase of "Big-Three" Cars Bill Failed - House (29 - 64)
2/03 HB 31 Statewide Indoor Smoking Ban Bill Passed - House (31 - 29)
1/30 Amdt 2001 to HB 31 Exempting 21+ Establishments from Smoking Ban Amendment Adopted - House (34 - 25)
1/30 Amdt 2002 to HB 31 Allowing Counties and Municipalities to Opt Out of Smoking Ban Amendment Adopted - House (41 - 18)
2/05 HB 1204 Tobacco Tax Increase Bill Passed - House (75 - 24)
2/26 SB 31 Energy Rate Increases to Finance Nuclear Power Plant Construction Bill Passed - House (107 - 66)
2/11 HB 144 Alcohol and Tobacco Sales Tax Increase Bill Passed - House (66 - 34)
2/12 H 3301 Payday Lending Regulations Motion Agreed - House (93 - 16)
2/02 A 860 Increasing Income and Rent Threshold to Qualify for Rent Deregulation Bill Passed - House (86 - 58)
2/02 A 2005 Expanding Rent Control Coverage Bill Passed - House (91 - 52)
2/12 HB 1453 Wheelchair Accessibility in Businesses Bill Failed - House (19 - 72)
2/19 SB 1105 Prohibiting Smoking in Restaurants Conference Report Adopted - House (60 - 39)
2/13 HB 1440 Changes in Pharmacy Operation Requirements Bill Failed - House (35 - 57)
2/13 HB 400 Revised Alcohol Content of Beer Bill Passed - House (80 - 20)
2/18 HB 103 Laid Off Employees Payment Time-Frame Bill Passed - House (194 - 164)
2/17 HB 1410 State Purchasing Authority Amendments Bill Passed - House (61 - 37)
2/18 HB 1602 Attorney Fee Limits Bill Passed - House (54 - 46)
2/19 HB 1213 Prohibiting Smoking in Bars and Hotels Bill Failed - House (33 - 59)
2/18 HF 311 Health Insurance Coverage for Prosthetics Bill Passed - House (64 - 33)
2/24 HB 1260 Designated Beneficiary Agreements Between Unmarried Adults Bill Passed - House (41 - 24)
2/17 HB 1255 Corporate Tax Rate Reduction Bill Passed - House (57 - 36)
2/17 HB 1268 Sales Tax Exemption on Clothing Purchases Bill Passed - House (66 - 26)
2/25 HB 1001 Tax Credit for Job Creation Bill Passed - House (52 - 13)
2/24 Amdt 5 Prohibiting Employment Termination Due to Abortion Waiting Period Amendment Rejected - House (54 - 60)
3/09 HB 1240 Smoking Ban Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 23)
2/23 HB 1240 Smoking Ban Bill Passed - House (43 - 27)
2/19 HF 333 Wage Standards for Public Project Workers Bill Failed - House (49 - 49)
2/25 HB 418 Amendments Regarding Horse Slaughterhouses Bill Passed - House (66 - 33)
2/23 HB 394 Prohibits the Use of Individual Prescription Information for Marketing Motion Rejected - House (50 - 50)
3/05 HR 1106 Mortgage Restructuring In Bankruptcy Bill Passed - House (234 - 191)
2/24 SB 1035 Allowing Guns in Alcohol-Serving Establishments Bill Passed - House (66 - 33)
4/13 SB 278 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan Bill Passed - House (107 - 30)
2/25 HB 1207 Required Nutritional Information on Restaurant Menus Bill Passed - House (51 - 46)
2/17 HB 1213 Statewide Indoor Smoking Ban Bill Passed - House (70 - 26)
5/04 HB 1057 Mandatory Unpaid Parental Work Leave for Education Activities Conference Report Adopted - House (39 - 26)
2/09 HB 1057 Mandatory Unpaid Parental Work Leave for Education Activities Bill Passed - House (35 - 30)

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