Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. 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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
April 25, 2009 IA SF 376 Bonds Issuance for Infrastructure Projects and the Creation of an Iowa Jobs Program, Board, and Fund. Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (30 - 18)
April 25, 2009 IA SF 477 Appropriation Bonds Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 18)
March 19, 2009 IA SF 389 Health Insurance Expansion Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 18)
Feb. 24, 2009 IA SF 218 Growth Percentage for State School Foundation Program Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 18)
Feb. 16, 2009 IA SF 137 Wage Discrimination Policy and Penalties Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 18)
Jan. 27, 2009 IA SF 44 Expediting Local-Option Tax Approval in Disaster Areas Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 18)
Date No. Title Outcome
4/25 SF 376 Bonds Issuance for Infrastructure Projects and the Creation of an Iowa Jobs Program, Board, and Fund. Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (30 - 18)
4/25 SF 477 Appropriation Bonds Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 18)
3/19 SF 389 Health Insurance Expansion Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 18)
2/24 SF 218 Growth Percentage for State School Foundation Program Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 18)
2/16 SF 137 Wage Discrimination Policy and Penalties Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 18)
1/27 SF 44 Expediting Local-Option Tax Approval in Disaster Areas Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 18)

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