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. 10, 2014 | MI | HB 4118 | Requires Drug Testing For Certain Welfare Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 10) |
Feb. 17, 2014 | IN | HJR 3 | Defines Marriage as Between 1 Man and 1 Woman | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (32 - 17) |
Jan. 28, 2014 | IN | SB 229 | Amends Firearm Buy-Back Program Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
March 13, 2014 | IN | HB 1351 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Conference Report Rejected - Senate (24 - 24) |
March 4, 2014 | IN | HB 1351 | Requires Drug Testing for Certain Welfare Recipients | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 14) |
Feb. 13, 2014 | TN | SB 1496 | Authorizes Certain Individuals to Carry a Handgun in Public Parks | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 7) |
Feb. 12, 2014 | MI | SB 319 | Amends the Sentencing Procedure for Certain Juvenile Offenders | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 10) |
Feb. 5, 2014 | TN | SJR 123 | Requires Election of Attorney General Position | Amendment Rejected - Senate (15 - 14) |
Feb. 4, 2014 | IN | SB 404 | Establishes Regulations for High-Fence Hunting Preserves | Bill Failed - Senate (25 - 23) |
Feb. 4, 2014 | NE | LB 399 | Authorizes Crime Prevention Vehicles to Use Amber Lights | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (32 - 12) |
Feb. 13, 2014 | KS | HB 2389 | Establishes Time Limits on Death Penalty Appeals Process | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 13) |
Feb. 13, 2014 | KS | HB 2389 | Establishes Time Limits on Death Penalty Appeals Process | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 13) |
Feb. 5, 2014 | KY | SB 8 | Requires an Ultrasound Prior to an Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 5) |
Feb. 19, 2014 | AZ | SB 1062 | Authorizes Individuals to use Potential Infringements of Religious Freedom as a Claim or Defense | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
Feb. 19, 2014 | AZ | SB 1062 | Authorizes Individuals to use Potential Infringements of Religious Freedom as a Claim or Defense | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
Feb. 18, 2014 | ID | S 1254 | Authorizes the Concealed Carry of Firearms on College or University Campuses | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 10) |
Feb. 14, 2014 | ID | S 1337 | Prohibits Recording of Agricultural Operations | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
Feb. 20, 2014 | MO | SB 613 | Prohibits the Enforcement of Federal Firearms Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
Feb. 20, 2014 | MO | SB 613 | Prohibits the Enforcement of Federal Firearms Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
Feb. 20, 2014 | KS | HB 2387 | Requires 50 Year Minimum Sentence for Certain Murder Convictions | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 3) |
Feb. 19, 2014 | KY | SB 119 | Establishes Medical Malpractice Claims Review Panel | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
Feb. 6, 2014 | MD | SB 263 | Amends Baltimore's Needle and Syringe Exchange Program | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 6) |
Feb. 18, 2014 | VA | HB 1237 | Authorizes Hunting on Sundays | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
Jan. 30, 2014 | CA | SB 383 | Authorizes Businesses to Collect Certain Cardholder Information in Online Transactions | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 13) |
March 6, 2014 | OR | HB 4143 | Amends Payout Procedures In Class Action Lawsuits | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 15) |