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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 14, 2013 | IL | SB 622 | Increases Physician License Fees | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
| May 31, 2012 | IL | SB 3442 | Requires Recycling of Plastic Bags | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 15) |
| May 31, 2012 | IL | SB 1566 | Increases License Plate Fees | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (33 - 21) |
| May 31, 2012 | IL | HB 1447 | Pension Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 24) |
| May 29, 2012 | IL | SB 2194 | Increases Cigarette Tax | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 27) |
| May 24, 2012 | IL | SB 2840 | Limits Medicaid Funding | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (44 - 13) |
| May 10, 2012 | IL | SB 1313 | Limits Health Care Coverage for Retired State Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 20) |
| May 31, 2011 | IL | SB 145 | Nursing Home Infection Control | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 24) |
| May 26, 2011 | IL | HB 1600 | Limits Artificial Trans Fats | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 40) |
| March 18, 2010 | IL | SB 615 | Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 16) |
| Aug. 19, 2008 | IL | HB 5285 | Extending Parental Health Insurance to Unmarried Dependents | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 17) |
| April 17, 2008 | IL | SB 2858 | Public School Trans Fat Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 19) |
| April 16, 2008 | IL | SB 2052 | Taxes for Levee Repair | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 15) |
| Aug. 9, 2007 | IL | HB 556 | Cigarette Tax Increase | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 24) |
| March 29, 2007 | IL | SB 500 | Smoke Free Illinois Act | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 23) |
| Feb. 23, 2007 | IL | SB 4 | Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 23) |
| Feb. 23, 2007 | IL | SB 9 | Illinois Climate Change Act | Bill Passed - Senate (44 - 13) |
| March 30, 2006 | IL | HB 5284 | Carbon Monoxide Detector Act | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 22) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/14 | SB 622 | Increases Physician License Fees | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
| 5/31 | SB 3442 | Requires Recycling of Plastic Bags | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 15) |
| 5/31 | SB 1566 | Increases License Plate Fees | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (33 - 21) |
| 5/31 | HB 1447 | Pension Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 24) |
| 5/29 | SB 2194 | Increases Cigarette Tax | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 27) |
| 5/24 | SB 2840 | Limits Medicaid Funding | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (44 - 13) |
| 5/10 | SB 1313 | Limits Health Care Coverage for Retired State Employees | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 20) |
| 5/31 | SB 145 | Nursing Home Infection Control | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 24) |
| 5/26 | HB 1600 | Limits Artificial Trans Fats | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 40) |
| 3/18 | SB 615 | Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 16) |
| 8/19 | HB 5285 | Extending Parental Health Insurance to Unmarried Dependents | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 17) |
| 4/17 | SB 2858 | Public School Trans Fat Ban | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 19) |
| 4/16 | SB 2052 | Taxes for Levee Repair | Bill Passed - Senate (41 - 15) |
| 8/09 | HB 556 | Cigarette Tax Increase | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 24) |
| 3/29 | SB 500 | Smoke Free Illinois Act | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 23) |
| 2/23 | SB 4 | Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 23) |
| 2/23 | SB 9 | Illinois Climate Change Act | Bill Passed - Senate (44 - 13) |
| 3/30 | HB 5284 | Carbon Monoxide Detector Act | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 22) |