Key Votes
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About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes
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:
- The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
- The vote should be clear for any person to understand
- The vote has received media attention
- The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
- Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 9, 2015 | IL | HB 1 | Expands Heroin Abuse Treatment Programs | Veto Override Passed - Senate (44 - 11) |
| July 6, 2015 | OR | HB 2828 | Appropriates Funds for Healthcare Financing Study | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| July 3, 2015 | OR | HB 2828 | Appropriates Funds for Healthcare Financing Study | Bill Failed - Senate (12 - 17) |
| June 2, 2015 | CA | SB 4 | Expands Health Care Coverage to Certain Undocumented Immigrants | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| May 6, 2015 | TX | SB 575 | Prohibits Health Plan Coverage for Abortions | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 10) |
| May 5, 2015 | HI | SB 1028 | Appropriates Funds for the Hawaii Health Connector | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 2) |
| April 21, 2015 | AL | SJR 34 | Specifies the Intent to Not Expand Medicaid Services | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (22 - 8) |
| April 18, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 30, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 24, 2015 | MD | SB 416 | Requires Health Insurers to Cover In Vitro Fertilization for Same-Sex Couples | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 10) |
| Feb. 25, 2015 | UT | SB 164 | Establishes Medicaid Expansion Pilot Program | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 11) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | AZ | SB 1092 | Requires Waivers for Certain Health Insurance | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| Feb. 23, 2015 | PA | SB 293 | Requires Health Care Exchange Navigator Certification | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| Feb. 19, 2015 | OR | SB 1 | Repeals Oregon Health Insurance Exchange Corporation | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| Feb. 19, 2015 | AZ | SB 1318 | Limits Health Insurance Coverage for Abortions | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| Feb. 6, 2015 | WY | SF 129 | Expands Medicaid Eligibility | Bill Failed - Senate (11 - 19) |
| Jan. 27, 2015 | CO | SB 52 | Expands Legislative Oversight of the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 11) |