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.


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Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
July 24, 2008 National HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis Concurrence Vote Passed - House (303 - 115)
July 16, 2008 National HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis Bill Passed - Senate (80 - 16)
June 18, 2008 AZ SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - House (19 - 7)
June 18, 2008 AZ SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - House (19 - 7)
June 16, 2008 AZ SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - Senate (18 - 6)
June 16, 2008 AZ SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - Senate (18 - 6)
June 11, 2008 LA SB 144 Castration of Sex Offenders Bill Passed - House (69 - 15)
May 27, 2008 MI Byrnes Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For Rape And Incest Amendment Rejected - House (41 - 66)
May 27, 2008 MI Bauer Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For A Woman's Health Amendment Rejected - House (40 - 67)
May 27, 2008 MI Meadows Amdt: Access to Contraceptives Amendment Rejected - House (41 - 66)
May 27, 2008 MI Byrnes Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For Rape And Incest Amendment Rejected - House (41 - 66)
May 27, 2008 MI Bauer Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For A Woman's Health Amendment Rejected - House (40 - 67)
May 27, 2008 MI SB 776 Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Bill Passed - House (74 - 32)
May 27, 2008 MI HB 6048 Emergency Contraception for Victims of Sexual Assault Bill Passed - House (57 - 51)
May 27, 2008 MI SB 776 Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Bill Passed - House (74 - 32)
May 13, 2008 MN SF 2965 Surrogate Mother Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (41 - 22)
May 12, 2008 MN SF 2965 Surrogate Mother Regulations Bill Passed - House (86 - 46)
April 30, 2008 KS SB 389 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Law Amendments Veto Override Failed - Senate (25 - 14)
April 30, 2008 KS SB 389 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Law Amendments Veto Override Failed - Senate (25 - 14)
April 30, 2008 FL SB 2400 Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement Bill Failed - Senate (20 - 20)
April 30, 2008 FL SB 2400 Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement Bill Failed - Senate (20 - 20)
April 22, 2008 AZ SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Bill Passed - House (31 - 24)
April 22, 2008 AZ SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Bill Passed - House (31 - 24)
April 21, 2008 MO HB 1831 Prohibiting Coerced Abortion Bill Passed - House (113 - 33)
April 21, 2008 MO HB 1831 Prohibiting Coerced Abortion Bill Passed - House (113 - 33)
Date No. Title Outcome
7/24 HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis Concurrence Vote Passed - House (303 - 115)
7/16 HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis Bill Passed - Senate (80 - 16)
6/18 SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - House (19 - 7)
6/18 SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - House (19 - 7)
6/16 SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - Senate (18 - 6)
6/16 SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Conference Report Adopted - Senate (18 - 6)
6/11 SB 144 Castration of Sex Offenders Bill Passed - House (69 - 15)
5/27 Byrnes Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For Rape And Incest Amendment Rejected - House (41 - 66)
5/27 Bauer Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For A Woman's Health Amendment Rejected - House (40 - 67)
5/27 Meadows Amdt: Access to Contraceptives Amendment Rejected - House (41 - 66)
5/27 Byrnes Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For Rape And Incest Amendment Rejected - House (41 - 66)
5/27 Bauer Amdt: Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Exception For A Woman's Health Amendment Rejected - House (40 - 67)
5/27 SB 776 Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Bill Passed - House (74 - 32)
5/27 HB 6048 Emergency Contraception for Victims of Sexual Assault Bill Passed - House (57 - 51)
5/27 SB 776 Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Bill Passed - House (74 - 32)
5/13 SF 2965 Surrogate Mother Regulations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (41 - 22)
5/12 SF 2965 Surrogate Mother Regulations Bill Passed - House (86 - 46)
4/30 SB 389 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Law Amendments Veto Override Failed - Senate (25 - 14)
4/30 SB 389 Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Law Amendments Veto Override Failed - Senate (25 - 14)
4/30 SB 2400 Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement Bill Failed - Senate (20 - 20)
4/30 SB 2400 Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement Bill Failed - Senate (20 - 20)
4/22 SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Bill Passed - House (31 - 24)
4/22 SB 1048 Prohibiting Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Bill Passed - House (31 - 24)
4/21 HB 1831 Prohibiting Coerced Abortion Bill Passed - House (113 - 33)
4/21 HB 1831 Prohibiting Coerced Abortion Bill Passed - House (113 - 33)

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