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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 9, 2012 | NJ | S 3172 | Authorizes Direct Shipping By Local and Out-of-State Wineries | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
Jan. 23, 2012 | IN | SB 269 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Employees to Join or Pay Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
Jan. 23, 2012 | IN | SB 269 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Employees to Join or Pay Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
March 9, 2012 | IN | HB 1149 | Prohibits Smoking in Public Places | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (28 - 22) |
Feb. 29, 2012 | IN | HB 1149 | Prohibits Smoking in Public Places | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
March 8, 2012 | MO | HB 1219 | Workplace Discrimination Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 8) |
Feb. 8, 2012 | MO | SB 592 | Limits Punitive Damages for Workplace Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
Feb. 27, 2012 | SD | HB 1234 | Eliminates Teacher Tenure | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
Feb. 13, 2012 | NM | SB 9 | Changes Corporate Income Tax Rates and Filing Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 13) |
Jan. 23, 2012 | IN | SB 170 | Nepotism and Conflicts of Interest in Local Government | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 11) |
Jan. 23, 2012 | IN | SB 170 | Nepotism and Conflicts of Interest in Local Government | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 11) |
Feb. 14, 2012 | VA | SB 438 | Amends Teacher Contracts | Bill Failed - Senate (18 - 20) |
Feb. 16, 2012 | AZ | SB 1484 | Prohibits Certain Deductions from Public Employee Paychecks | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
Feb. 27, 2012 | MN | HF 1870 | Authorizes School Districts to Dismiss Teachers Based on Performance | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 26) |
Feb. 17, 2012 | GA | SB 362 | Authorizes the Recovery and Sale of Deadhead Logs | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 12) |
Feb. 21, 2012 | CO | SB 3 | Limits Employers' Use Of Credit Histories | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
Feb. 23, 2012 | KS | HCR 5007 | Authorizes Kansas to Determine Its Health Care Policies | Bill Failed - Senate (26 - 14) |
Feb. 23, 2012 | KY | SB 151 | Authorizes Casinos | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 21) |
Feb. 28, 2012 | AZ | SB 1336 | Limiting Manufacturer Eligibility for Punitive Damages | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
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 1365 | Authorizes religious objections by professionals | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 9) |
March 9, 2012 | FL | HB 1205 | Authorizes Random Drug Tests of State Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 14) |
Aug. 29, 2012 | CA | AB 889 | Establishes Work Condition Requirements for Domestic Work Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
March 30, 2012 | KY | SB 3 | Limits Over-the-Counter Purchases of Cold Medicine | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 8) |
March 8, 2012 | AZ | SB 1338 | Requires Online Retailers to Pay Sales Taxes | Bill Failed - Senate (8 - 20) |