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 31, 2012 IL SB 1566 Increases License Plate Fees Bill Passed - House (61 - 56)
May 31, 2012 IL SB 2621 Amends the Department of Corrections' Early Release Program Bill Passed - House (68 - 50)
May 31, 2012 CA SB 956 Regulates Buy-Here-Pay-Here Car Loans and Lenders Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 12)
May 31, 2012 CA SB 1525 Establishes a Student Athlete Bill of Rights Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14)
May 30, 2012 CA SB 1172 Prohibits Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13)
May 30, 2012 CA SB 1054 Requires Notifying Property Owners Prior to Hydraulic Fracturing Bill Failed - Senate (17 - 18)
May 29, 2012 IL SB 2194 Increases Cigarette Tax Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 27)
May 29, 2012 CA AB 1534 Requires Buy-Here-Pay-Here Dealers to Label Used Vehicles Bill Passed - House (42 - 32)
May 29, 2012 CA AB 1447 Requires Buy-Here-Pay-Here Car Sellers to Provide a Limited Warranty Bill Passed - House (49 - 25)
May 25, 2012 IL SB 2194 Increases Cigarette Tax Bill Passed - House (60 - 52)
May 24, 2012 IL SB 2840 Limits Medicaid Funding Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (44 - 13)
May 24, 2012 NJ S 1322 Requires Participation In the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Bill Passed - House (45 - 33)
May 24, 2012 IL SB 2840 Limits Medicaid Funding Bill Passed - House (94 - 22)
May 24, 2012 National S Amdt 2107 Authorizes Import of FDA-Approved Drugs from Canada Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 54)
May 24, 2012 National S Amdt 2111 Prohibits Pharmaceutical Companies from Delaying the Release of Generic Drugs Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 67)
May 23, 2012 IL SB 1849 Expands Gambling Bill Passed - House (69 - 47)
May 22, 2012 OH HB 322 Repeals Limits on Credit Card Interest Rates for Certain Banks Concurrence Vote Passed - House (68 - 30)
May 18, 2012 National HR 4310 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 Bill Passed - House (299 - 120)
May 18, 2012 National H Amdt 1127 Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions Amendment Rejected - House (182 - 238)
May 18, 2012 National H Amdt 1140 Prohibits Reductions to Strategic Nuclear Arms Required by New START Amendment Adopted - House (238 - 162)
May 17, 2012 National H Amdt 1103 Limits Funding for War in Afghanistan to the Withdrawal of U.S. Forces Amendment Rejected - House (113 - 303)
May 16, 2012 OH HB 322 Repeals Limits on Credit Card Interest Rates for Certain Banks Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14)
May 15, 2012 OH HB 99 Prohibits Texting While Driving Concurrence Vote Passed - House (84 - 12)
May 15, 2012 MO SB 576 Authorizes the Expansion of Charter Schools Bill Passed - House (99 - 54)
May 15, 2012 National HR 2072 Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 20)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/31 SB 1566 Increases License Plate Fees Bill Passed - House (61 - 56)
5/31 SB 2621 Amends the Department of Corrections' Early Release Program Bill Passed - House (68 - 50)
5/31 SB 956 Regulates Buy-Here-Pay-Here Car Loans and Lenders Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 12)
5/31 SB 1525 Establishes a Student Athlete Bill of Rights Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14)
5/30 SB 1172 Prohibits Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13)
5/30 SB 1054 Requires Notifying Property Owners Prior to Hydraulic Fracturing Bill Failed - Senate (17 - 18)
5/29 SB 2194 Increases Cigarette Tax Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 27)
5/29 AB 1534 Requires Buy-Here-Pay-Here Dealers to Label Used Vehicles Bill Passed - House (42 - 32)
5/29 AB 1447 Requires Buy-Here-Pay-Here Car Sellers to Provide a Limited Warranty Bill Passed - House (49 - 25)
5/25 SB 2194 Increases Cigarette Tax Bill Passed - House (60 - 52)
5/24 SB 2840 Limits Medicaid Funding Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (44 - 13)
5/24 S 1322 Requires Participation In the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Bill Passed - House (45 - 33)
5/24 SB 2840 Limits Medicaid Funding Bill Passed - House (94 - 22)
5/24 S Amdt 2107 Authorizes Import of FDA-Approved Drugs from Canada Amendment Rejected - Senate (43 - 54)
5/24 S Amdt 2111 Prohibits Pharmaceutical Companies from Delaying the Release of Generic Drugs Amendment Rejected - Senate (28 - 67)
5/23 SB 1849 Expands Gambling Bill Passed - House (69 - 47)
5/22 HB 322 Repeals Limits on Credit Card Interest Rates for Certain Banks Concurrence Vote Passed - House (68 - 30)
5/18 HR 4310 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 Bill Passed - House (299 - 120)
5/18 H Amdt 1127 Repeals Indefinite Military Detention Provisions Amendment Rejected - House (182 - 238)
5/18 H Amdt 1140 Prohibits Reductions to Strategic Nuclear Arms Required by New START Amendment Adopted - House (238 - 162)
5/17 H Amdt 1103 Limits Funding for War in Afghanistan to the Withdrawal of U.S. Forces Amendment Rejected - House (113 - 303)
5/16 HB 322 Repeals Limits on Credit Card Interest Rates for Certain Banks Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14)
5/15 HB 99 Prohibits Texting While Driving Concurrence Vote Passed - House (84 - 12)
5/15 SB 576 Authorizes the Expansion of Charter Schools Bill Passed - House (99 - 54)
5/15 HR 2072 Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 Bill Passed - Senate (78 - 20)

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