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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 3, 2012 | NJ | S 2157 | Establishes Residential Foreclosure | Bill Passed - House (43 - 32) |
Oct. 25, 2012 | NJ | S 2202 | Requires the HMFA to Expand Participation in the New Jersey HomeKeeper Program | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 9) |
Oct. 25, 2012 | NJ | S 2157 | Establishes Residential Foreclosure | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
Sept. 20, 2012 | National | H J Res 118 | Congressional Disapproval of Department of Health and Human Services Rule to Waive Certain Requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) | Joint Resolution Passed - House (250 - 164) |
Aug. 31, 2012 | CA | SB 1234 | Establishes Retirement Program for Private Sector Employees | Bill Passed - House (48 - 29) |
July 26, 2012 | National | HR 4078 | Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act | Bill Passed - House (245 - 172) |
June 30, 2012 | PA | HB 1261 | Repeals the General Assistance Cash Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (102 - 91) |
June 29, 2012 | PA | HB 1261 | Repeals the General Assistance Cash Program | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 18) |
June 28, 2012 | NJ | S 1566 | Authorizes the Conversion of Foreclosed Homes into Affordable Housing | Bill Passed - House (44 - 33) |
June 25, 2012 | NJ | S 1566 | Authorizes the Conversion of Foreclosed Homes into Affordable Housing | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18) |
June 19, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2174 | Limits Eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 56) |
June 19, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2172 | Rescinds Bonuses to States for Administering Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (41 - 58) |
June 15, 2012 | CA | AB 1464 | 2012-2013 Budget | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (50 - 28) |
June 15, 2012 | CA | AB 1464 | 2012-2013 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16) |
June 13, 2012 | National | S Amdt 2392 | Reduces Funding for Food Stamps | Amendment Tabled - Senate (65 - 33) |
June 12, 2012 | RI | S 2052 | Homeless Bill of Rights | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 2) |
June 12, 2012 | RI | S 2052 | Homeless Bill of Rights | Bill Passed - House (59 - 6) |
June 7, 2012 | MI | HB 5223 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (71 - 37) |
June 6, 2012 | PA | SB 1310 | Authorizes Repayment of Unemployment Debt to the Federal Government | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (129 - 67) |
June 5, 2012 | PA | SB 1310 | Authorizes Repayment of Unemployment Debt to the Federal Government | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 19) |
May 15, 2012 | LA | HB 380 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (65 - 26) |
May 1, 2012 | CT | SB 79 | Prohibits Discrimination Against Unemployed Job Applicants | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 5) |
April 25, 2012 | MA | H Amdt 804.1 | Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards | Amendment Adopted - House (123 - 33) |
April 25, 2012 | TN | SB 2580 | Requires Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
April 11, 2012 | NE | LB 599 | Prenatal Care for Children of Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 15) |
April 10, 2012 | AL | HB 433 | 2012-2013 Budget | Bill Passed - House (56 - 47) |
April 9, 2012 | AK | SB 203 | Establishes an Energy Assistance Program | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 4) |
March 29, 2012 | GA | HB 347 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits | Conference Report Adopted - House (98 - 60) |
March 29, 2012 | GA | HB 347 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (37 - 17) |
March 29, 2012 | GA | HB 861 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (110 - 56) |
March 28, 2012 | AZ | HB 2519 | Expands the Requirements for Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
March 28, 2012 | NH | HB 1658 | Establishes a Verification System to Detect Welfare Fraud | Bill Passed - House (245 - 84) |
March 27, 2012 | GA | HB 861 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 15) |
March 12, 2012 | AZ | SB 1388 | Job Training for Unemployed Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 9) |
March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 312 | Require Development Activities for Certain Public Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 14) |
March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 292 | Requires Drug Tests for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 18) |
March 7, 2012 | GA | HB 861 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (114 - 59) |
March 5, 2012 | WY | HB 82 | Requires Drug Testing of Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 17) |
March 5, 2012 | AZ | SB 1495 | Requires Drug Test for Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 10) |
March 1, 2012 | AZ | HB 2519 | Expands the Requirements for Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - House (39 - 17) |
March 1, 2012 | UT | HB 155 | Requires Drug Testing of Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (62 - 10) |
Feb. 29, 2012 | SD | HB 1206 | Repeals the South Dakota Sales Tax on Food Refund Program | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 6) |
Feb. 27, 2012 | SD | HB 1206 | Repeals the South Dakota Sales Tax on Food Refund Program | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
Feb. 27, 2012 | WY | HB 82 | Requires Drug Testing of Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - House (37 - 23) |
Feb. 24, 2012 | GA | SB 447 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 13) |
Feb. 23, 2012 | KS | HB 2638 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits and Unemployment Insurance Contributions | Bill Passed - House (85 - 39) |
Feb. 21, 2012 | MI | HB 5033 | Requires Asset Tests to Determine Eligibility for State Assistance Programs | Bill Passed - House (67 - 39) |
Feb. 17, 2012 | National | HR 3630 | Extends Payroll Tax Cut | Conference Report Adopted - House (293 - 132) |
Feb. 17, 2012 | National | HR 3630 | Extends Payroll Tax Cut | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (60 - 36) |
Feb. 14, 2012 | VA | SB 6 | Requires Drug Tests for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 20) |
Jan. 31, 2012 | IN | HB 1007 | Requires Drug Testing for TANF Applicants | Bill Passed - House (73 - 23) |