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. 27, 2012 | CA | AB 1640 | Expands Cash Assistance Programs for Pregnant Teenagers | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 26) |
Aug. 22, 2012 | CA | AB 1640 | Expands Cash Assistance Programs for Pregnant Teenagers | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12) |
Aug. 27, 2012 | CA | AB 2348 | Authorizes Registered Nurses to Dispense Contraceptives | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (46 - 28) |
Aug. 22, 2012 | CA | AB 2348 | Authorizes Registered Nurses to Dispense Contraceptives | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 15) |
May 7, 2012 | MO | Amdt 1 | Rescinds Funding for the Sue Shear Institute | Amendment Adopted - House (93 - 59) |
June 26, 2012 | SC | H 4497 | Authorizes Information On and Access to the HPV Vaccine | Veto Override Failed - House (54 - 47) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | SD | H Amdt 141 | Defining Domestic Abuse as Abuse Witihin an Opposite-Sex Relationship | Amendment Adopted - House (35 - 33) |
Jan. 27, 2012 | VA | HB 1112 | Repeals HPV Vaccine Requirement | Bill Passed - House (62 - 34) |
March 19, 2012 | CO | HB 1130 | Penalties for Violent Offenses Against Fetuses | Bill Passed - House (33 - 32) |
March 29, 2012 | MO | HB 1541 | Provides Exemptions on Participating in Certain Medical Procedures. | Bill Passed - House (113 - 41) |
March 7, 2012 | NH | HB 1546 | Authorizes Employers to Not Provide Contraception Coverage in Health Insurance Plans | Bill Passed - House (196 - 150) |
April 25, 2012 | AZ | HB 2625 | Authorizes Employers to Refuse to Provide Coverage for Contraception | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (19 - 9) |
April 19, 2012 | AZ | HB 2625 | Authorizes Employers to Refuse to Provide Coverage for Contraception | Conference Report Adopted - House (36 - 21) |
April 12, 2012 | AZ | HB 2625 | Authorizes Employers to Refuse to Provide Coverage for Contraception | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
March 28, 2012 | AZ | HB 2625 | Authorizes Employers to Refuse to Provide Coverage for Contraception | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 17) |
March 1, 2012 | AZ | HB 2625 | Authorizes Employers to Refuse to Provide Coverage for Contraception | Bill Passed - House (39 - 18) |
March 6, 2012 | UT | HB 363 | Requires Abstinence-Only Sexual Education in Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |
Feb. 22, 2012 | UT | HB 363 | Requires Abstinence-Only Sexual Education in Public Schools | Bill Passed - House (45 - 28) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | WY | HJR 7 | Requests the President to Repeal the Rule Requiring Coverage of Contraception | Joint Resolution Passed - House (40 - 17) |
Feb. 22, 2012 | NH | HR 29 | Urges Repeal of Rule Requiring Health Insurance Coverage of Contraceptives | Resolution Passed - House (227 - 121) |
May 16, 2012 | National | HR 4970 | Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012 | Bill Passed - House (222 - 205) |
April 11, 2012 | NE | LB 599 | Prenatal Care for Children of Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 15) |
June 21, 2012 | NJ | S 1599 | Amends Surrogacy Laws | Bill Passed - House (41 - 33) |
May 31, 2012 | NJ | S 1599 | Amends Surrogacy Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 11) |
April 26, 2012 | National | S 1925 | Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act | Bill Passed - Senate (68 - 31) |
June 5, 2012 | National | S 3220 | Paycheck Fairness Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47) |
Feb. 8, 2012 | KY | SB 102 | Specifies Conditions for Informed Consent | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 5) |
Feb. 14, 2012 | KY | SB 103 | Requires an Ultrasound Prior to an Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 4) |
March 6, 2012 | AZ | SB 1359 | Prohibits Wrongful Birth Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 9) |
March 1, 2012 | SD | SB 141 | Amends the Definition of Domestic Abuse | Motion Agreed - House (39 - 25) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | SD | SB 141 | Amends the Definition of Domestic Abuse | Bill Passed - House (46 - 22) |
Feb. 15, 2012 | OK | SB 1433 | Defines life as beginning at conception | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 8) |
March 13, 2012 | WI | SB 237 | Amending Sexual Education Guidelines | Bill Passed - House (60 - 34) |
Feb. 6, 2012 | UT | SB 32 | Breast Cancer Screening | Bill Passed - House (66 - 6) |
Jan. 31, 2012 | UT | SB 32 | Breast Cancer Screening | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 5) |
April 27, 2012 | TN | SB 3310 | Requires Abstinence-Centered Sex Education in Schools | Bill Passed - House (68 - 23) |
March 7, 2012 | GA | SB 460 | Exempts Religious Employers from Insurance Requirements for Coverage of Contraception | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 15) |
Feb. 22, 2012 | VA | SB 484 | Requires an Ultrasound Prior to an Abortion | Bill Passed - House (65 - 32) |
Feb. 1, 2012 | VA | SB 484 | Requires an Ultrasound Prior to an Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18) |
March 29, 2012 | KS | SB 62 | Authorizes Medical Professionals and Facilities to Not Provide Referrals for Abortions or Sterilizations | Bill Passed - House (95 - 29) |
March 29, 2012 | MO | SB 749 | Authorizes Employers to Exempt Contraception from Healthcare Coverage | (26 - 5) |
March 23, 2012 | ID | SJM 104 | Urging Congress to Repeal Insurance Coverage of Contraception | Joint Resolution Passed - House (51 - 16) |
April 27, 2012 | CO | SM 3 | Urges Congress to Authorize Religious Exemptions to Providing Birth Control | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 20) |