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 4, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Veto Override Passed - Senate (25 - 9) |
Sept. 16, 2015 | MO | HB 150 | Limits Duration of Unemployment Benefits | Veto Override Passed - Senate (24 - 8) |
Oct. 29, 2015 | National | HR 1314 | Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (64 - 35) |
Dec. 18, 2015 | National | HR 2029 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (65 - 33) |
Sept. 9, 2015 | IL | HB 1 | Expands Heroin Abuse Treatment Programs | Veto Override Passed - Senate (44 - 11) |
May 5, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 48) |
April 24, 2015 | MT | HB 2 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (34 - 15) |
June 11, 2015 | AK | HB 2001 | 2015-2016 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (16 - 3) |
April 13, 2015 | MD | HB 70 | 2015-2016 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (33 - 13) |
Oct. 7, 2015 | National | HR 1735 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (70 - 27) |
May 5, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 48) |
March 6, 2015 | WY | SF 145 | Appropriates Funds for Uncompensated Charity Care | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 7) |
May 5, 2015 | HI | SB 1028 | Appropriates Funds for the Hawaii Health Connector | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 2) |
June 25, 2015 | OH | HB 64 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 9) |
April 14, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (25 - 9) |
April 29, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (40 - 9) |
Sept. 30, 2015 | National | HR 719 | Continuing Appropriations Act, 2016 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (78 - 20) |
April 18, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
April 16, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 14) |
Feb. 17, 2015 | SD | HJR 1001 | Requests a Constitutional Convention | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
Dec. 3, 2015 | National | HR 3762 | Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 47) |
July 30, 2015 | National | HR 22 | Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act | Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 34) |
April 15, 2015 | MO | HB 150 | Limits Duration of Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 8) |
June 1, 2015 | AK | HB 2001 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (15 - 4) |
April 27, 2015 | MN | HF 4 | 2015-2017 Biennium Transportation Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 27) |
Dec. 3, 2015 | National | HR 3762 | Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 47) |
June 4, 2015 | NH | HB 1 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 10) |
June 4, 2015 | AL | HB 135 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 13) |
May 26, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Amends Requirements to Receive Certain Assistance Funds | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
Sept. 16, 2015 | AL | HB 1 | 2015-2016 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 9) |
April 2, 2015 | KS | HB 2258 | Amends Social Service Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 10) |
April 11, 2015 | MT | HB 2 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 17) |
March 25, 2015 | KS | HB 2135 | Appropriates Funds to Public and Private Universities | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
March 12, 2015 | AR | HB 1489 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 7) |
March 26, 2015 | IL | HB 318 | 2015-2016 Budget Reconciliation | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 26) |
June 23, 2015 | RI | H 5900 | Establishes Budget for FY 2015-2016 | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 3) |
June 3, 2015 | CT | HB 7061 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 17) |
June 30, 2015 | PA | HB 1192 | Establishes State Budget for FY 2015-2016 | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
March 26, 2015 | IL | HB 317 | 2015-2016 Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 26) |
May 29, 2015 | IL | HB 4151 | 2015-2016 Education Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 24) |
June 16, 2015 | OR | HB 2960 | Establishes Oregon Retirement Savings Board | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
July 7, 2015 | WI | SB 21 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
Feb. 9, 2015 | CO | SB 65 | Prohibits Withdrawing Public Assistance Funds at Certain Places | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
Feb. 10, 2015 | IA | SF 171 | Amends Growth Percentage for Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
Feb. 11, 2015 | WY | SF 145 | Appropriates Funds for Uncompensated Charity Care | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 11) |
Feb. 11, 2015 | MS | SB 2389 | Authorizes Joining Interstate Compact for a Balanced Federal Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
Feb. 16, 2015 | NV | SB 119 | Exempts Schools from Paying Prevailing Wages | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 9) |
Feb. 23, 2015 | MO | SB 24 | Reduces the Lifetime Limit for Certain Government Benefits | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8) |
Feb. 23, 2015 | AZ | SB 1092 | Requires Waivers for Certain Health Insurance | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
Feb. 24, 2015 | SD | SB 189 | Establishes Tax Credit Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
Feb. 25, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 14) |
Feb. 25, 2015 | UT | SB 164 | Establishes Medicaid Expansion Pilot Program | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 11) |
March 16, 2015 | NJ | S 2791 | Environmental Protection Budget Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
March 27, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 46) |
March 27, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 46) |
March 30, 2015 | MT | SB 405 | Expands Health Care Coverage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
March 31, 2015 | NY | S 2006B | Establishes Annual Teacher Evaluation Program | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 26) |
April 13, 2015 | MD | SB 183 | Amends Funding for the Geographic Cost of Education Index | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
June 3, 2015 | CA | SB 185 | Requires Public Retirement Systems to Divest from Coal Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 14) |
June 25, 2015 | NJ | S 3100 | Requires State to Pay Pension Contributions on Quarterly Basis | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 15) |
Feb. 4, 2015 | NC | SB 14 | Transfers Funds to Rules Review Commission for Litigation Expenses | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 11) |
Sept. 9, 2015 | IL | SB 2046 | Appropriates Funds for the Department of Public Health | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 19) |
Oct. 21, 2015 | OH | SB 214 | Amends Healthcare Funds Distribution | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
Nov. 3, 2015 | AK | SB 3001 | Appropriates Funds for Liquid Natural Gas (AKLNG) Pipeline | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 3) |
July 3, 2015 | OR | SB 567 | Appropriates Excess Revenue to the Education Stability Fund | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (11 - 18) |
June 17, 2015 | ME | LD 319 | Authorizes Medicaid Coverage for Reproductive Care | "Ought Not to Pass" Report Rejected - Senate (16 - 19) |
Nov. 5, 2015 | National | HR 2685 | Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 44) |
Oct. 1, 2015 | National | HR 2029 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 44) |
Sept. 24, 2015 | National | S Amdt 2669 | Rescinds Funds from Planned Parenthood | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (47 - 52) |
Feb. 25, 2015 | ND | SB 2254 | Amends School District Funding Calculations to Include Early Childhood Education Programs | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 31) |