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
May 11, 2009 TX HB 1736 Increasing Wrongful Conviction Compensation Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 4)
April 15, 2009 TX SB 1049 Increasing Age Restriction on Tobacco Purchases Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 5)
April 14, 2009 TX SB 855 Authorizing County Taxes and Fees to Fund Transportation Projects Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 9)
April 1, 2009 TX SB 1 2009-2011 Biennium Budget Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 5)
March 31, 2009 TX SB 298 Authorizing Sobriety Checkpoints Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 11)
March 25, 2009 TX SB 175 Capping Automatic College Admissions Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 7)
March 19, 2009 TX SB 188 Authorizes Needle Exchange Programs Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 6)
March 11, 2009 TX SB 362 Requiring Proof of Identification to Vote Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12)
Jan. 14, 2009 TX SR 14 Majority Vote Requirement for Voter ID Bill Consideration Resolution Passed - Senate (18 - 13)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/11 HB 1736 Increasing Wrongful Conviction Compensation Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 4)
4/15 SB 1049 Increasing Age Restriction on Tobacco Purchases Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 5)
4/14 SB 855 Authorizing County Taxes and Fees to Fund Transportation Projects Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 9)
4/01 SB 1 2009-2011 Biennium Budget Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 5)
3/31 SB 298 Authorizing Sobriety Checkpoints Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 11)
3/25 SB 175 Capping Automatic College Admissions Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 7)
3/19 SB 188 Authorizes Needle Exchange Programs Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 6)
3/11 SB 362 Requiring Proof of Identification to Vote Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12)
1/14 SR 14 Majority Vote Requirement for Voter ID Bill Consideration Resolution Passed - Senate (18 - 13)

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