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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aug. 29, 2012 | CA | SB 1476 | Authorizes Courts to Designate More than 2 Individuals as Parents of a Child | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
Aug. 27, 2012 | CA | AB 2346 | Authorizes Farm Workers to Sue Employers for Health or Safety Violations | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
Aug. 22, 2012 | CA | AB 472 | Authorizes Immunity for Reporting Drug Overdoses | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
Aug. 20, 2012 | CA | SB 9 | Sentence Reconsideration for Juvenile Offenders | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 17) |
July 5, 2012 | CA | AB 1081 | Prohibits Excessive Detention of Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
June 25, 2012 | NJ | A 763 | Increases Fees to Fund the E-Court Information System | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 11) |
June 13, 2012 | RI | H 7909 | Requires State Health Laws to Comply with the Affordable Care Act | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 8) |
May 31, 2012 | NJ | S 1599 | Amends Surrogacy Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 11) |
May 31, 2012 | CA | SB 1506 | Reduces Charges for Possession of Controlled Substances | Bill Failed - Senate (11 - 24) |
May 30, 2012 | CA | SB 1476 | Authorizes Courts to Designate More than 2 Individuals as Parents of a Child | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 13) |
May 2, 2012 | MS | HB 211 | Authorizes Certian Officials to Hire Their Own Lawyers | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (34 - 18) |
April 26, 2012 | CO | SB 2 | Authorizes Civil Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
April 26, 2012 | National | S 1925 | Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31) |
April 23, 2012 | TN | SJR 710 | Amends Judicial Appointment Process | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (22 - 9) |
April 19, 2012 | CT | SB 245 | Authorizes People to Record Police Officers | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 11) |
April 5, 2012 | CO | HB 1271 | Repeals Direct Filing of Juveniles by Prosecutors | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
April 3, 2012 | AZ | HB 2199 | Authorizes Confidential Environmental Audits by Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 9) |
April 3, 2012 | AL | SB 396 | Compensation to Bridget Lee for Wrongful Incarceration | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
March 28, 2012 | ID | H 695 | Establishes a Legislative Legal Defense Fund | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
March 15, 2012 | KY | SB 18 | Amends Redistricting Requirements | Amendment Adopted - Senate (27 - 11) |
March 15, 2012 | ID | S 1358 | Amends Bullying Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
March 8, 2012 | MO | HB 1219 | Workplace Discrimination Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 8) |
March 7, 2012 | FL | HB 971 | Amends Process of Judiciary Appointment | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 14) |
March 6, 2012 | AZ | SB 1359 | Prohibits Wrongful Birth Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 9) |
March 5, 2012 | IA | SF 2304 | Requires DNA Samples from all Individuals Convicted of Certain Misdemeanors | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 16) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | AZ | SB 1336 | Limiting Manufacturer Eligibility for Punitive Damages | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
Feb. 23, 2012 | KS | SB 83 | Amends Judicial Appointment Process | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (17 - 22) |
Feb. 16, 2012 | MO | SB 572 | Amends Worker's Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 8) |
Feb. 14, 2012 | CO | SB 20 | Authorizes Legal Immunity to Drug Overdose Reporters | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 10) |
Feb. 8, 2012 | MO | SB 592 | Limits Punitive Damages for Workplace Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |