Key Votes

Chamber

Keyword Search

Search string must be longer than 3 characters.

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, 2006 CA AB 2555 Wage Discrimination Penalties Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13)
July 25, 2006 National S Amdt 4689 Teen Pregnancy Education Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 51)
May 23, 2006 LA SB 347 Sexual Orientation Discrimination in State Government Bill Failed - Senate (10 - 24)
April 20, 2006 CO SB 81 Employment Nondiscrimination Expansion Bill Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14)
April 11, 2006 AZ HB 2142 Human Eggs; Sale; Prohibition Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 11)
April 4, 2006 AZ HB 2254 Requiring Doctors to Inform Women of Fetal Pain Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13)
March 31, 2006 CO HB 1212 Allows Pharmacists to Prescribe Emergency Contraception Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14)
March 2, 2006 AZ SB 1325 Public Funds; Abortion; Prohibition Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12)
March 1, 2006 IL SB 1991 Minority and Female Investors in Casinos Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 23)
Feb. 22, 2006 SD S Amdt 1215ca Exceptions to Abortion Ban in Cases of Rape or Incest Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (14 - 21)
Feb. 22, 2006 SD S Amdt 1215cb Exception to Abortion Ban in Cases Where the Health of the Woman is Seriously Threatened Amendment Rejected - Senate (13 - 22)
Feb. 22, 2006 SD HB 1215 Abortion Ban Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12)
Jan. 27, 2006 WA Sub HB 2661 Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Human Rights Commission Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 23)
Date No. Title Outcome
8/17 AB 2555 Wage Discrimination Penalties Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13)
7/25 S Amdt 4689 Teen Pregnancy Education Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (48 - 51)
5/23 SB 347 Sexual Orientation Discrimination in State Government Bill Failed - Senate (10 - 24)
4/20 SB 81 Employment Nondiscrimination Expansion Bill Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14)
4/11 HB 2142 Human Eggs; Sale; Prohibition Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 11)
4/04 HB 2254 Requiring Doctors to Inform Women of Fetal Pain Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13)
3/31 HB 1212 Allows Pharmacists to Prescribe Emergency Contraception Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14)
3/02 SB 1325 Public Funds; Abortion; Prohibition Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12)
3/01 SB 1991 Minority and Female Investors in Casinos Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 23)
2/22 S Amdt 1215ca Exceptions to Abortion Ban in Cases of Rape or Incest Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (14 - 21)
2/22 S Amdt 1215cb Exception to Abortion Ban in Cases Where the Health of the Woman is Seriously Threatened Amendment Rejected - Senate (13 - 22)
2/22 HB 1215 Abortion Ban Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12)
1/27 Sub HB 2661 Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Human Rights Commission Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 23)

arrow_upward