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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
May 16, 2012 | AL | HB 658 | Amends Immigration Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 7) |
May 2, 2012 | AL | SB 513 | Authorizes Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
April 3, 2012 | AZ | HB 2199 | Authorizes Confidential Environmental Audits by Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 9) |
May 3, 2012 | AZ | HB 2815 | Establishes Tax Credits for Certain Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 9) |
March 8, 2012 | AZ | SB 1338 | Requires Online Retailers to Pay Sales Taxes | Bill Failed - Senate (8 - 20) |
Feb. 16, 2012 | AZ | SB 1484 | Prohibits Certain Deductions from Public Employee Paychecks | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
March 12, 2012 | AZ | SB 1388 | Job Training for Unemployed Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 9) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | AZ | SB 1365 | Authorizes religious objections by professionals | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 9) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | AZ | SB 1486 | Prohibits Public Employers from Providing Compensation for Union Activities | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 11) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | AZ | SB 1336 | Limiting Manufacturer Eligibility for Punitive Damages | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
Aug. 31, 2012 | CA | SB 1234 | Establishes Retirement Program for Private Sector Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 13) |
Aug. 29, 2012 | CA | AB 889 | Establishes Work Condition Requirements for Domestic Work Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
Aug. 20, 2012 | CA | AB 1313 | Requires Overtime Wages for Agricultural Workers | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
Aug. 28, 2012 | CA | AB 2132 | Encourages State Universities to Include Public Service in Tenure Policy | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 14) |
Aug. 22, 2012 | CA | AB 2327 | Increases Penalties for the Misuse of Funds by Charitable Organizations | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
Aug. 27, 2012 | CA | AB 2346 | Authorizes Farm Workers to Sue Employers for Health or Safety Violations | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
June 14, 2012 | CA | AB 2127 | Authorizes Work Release for Certain Offenders | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
Aug. 21, 2012 | CA | HB 2676 | Increases Penalties For Agriculture Health And Safety Violations | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 12) |
May 30, 2012 | CA | SB 1234 | Establishes Retirement Program for Private Sector Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
May 30, 2012 | CA | SB 1054 | Requires Notifying Property Owners Prior to Hydraulic Fracturing | Bill Failed - Senate (17 - 18) |
May 31, 2012 | CA | SB 956 | Regulates Buy-Here-Pay-Here Car Loans and Lenders | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 12) |
Feb. 21, 2012 | CO | SB 3 | Limits Employers' Use Of Credit Histories | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
May 8, 2012 | CT | HB 5556 | Requires Corporations to Identify Top Donors for Campaign Contributions | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
May 1, 2012 | CT | HB 5021 | Authorizes the Sale of Alcohol on Sundays and Certain Holidays | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 6) |
May 1, 2012 | CT | SB 79 | Prohibits Discrimination Against Unemployed Job Applicants | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 5) |