Key Votes
State
Issue
Year
Chamber
Keyword Search
About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes
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:
- The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
- The vote should be clear for any person to understand
- The vote has received media attention
- The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 26, 2025 | TX | HB 23 | Establishes Property Tax Exemptions for Nonprofit Organizations | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 1) |
| Aug. 18, 2025 | TX | SB 5 (2nd Special Session) | Appropriates Supplemental Funds for Disaster Relief and Preparedness | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 0) |
| Aug. 12, 2025 | TX | SB 3 (Special Session) | Appropriates $200 Million to Cover the Projected 25% Non-Federal Matching Funds for FEMA Reimbursement | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 0) |
| Aug. 12, 2025 | TX | SB 16 (Special Session) | Appropriates Funding for the State Judicial Omnibus Package | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 0) |
| Aug. 12, 2025 | TX | SB 1 (Special Session) | Requires Youth Camps Located in 100-Year Floodplains to Develop and Carry Out Flood Evacuation Plans During Flood Warnings | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 0) |
| Aug. 6, 2025 | TX | SB 9 (Special Session) | Reduces State Property Taxes | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 3) |
| July 30, 2025 | TX | SB 12 (Special Session) | Prohibit Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 11) |
| May 29, 2025 | TX | SB 40 | Amends Bail Bonds and Prohibits the Use of Public Tax Funds to Pay Bail Bonds | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 3) |
| April 16, 2025 | TX | SB 33 | Prohibits Any State Funding From Going Toward Helping Women Get Out-of-State Abortions | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 9) |
| March 19, 2025 | TX | SB 19 | Prohibits Texas Public Tax Funds from Being Used in Lobbying or Other Activities | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 11) |
| March 6, 2025 | TX | SB 72 | Establishes New Regulations for Rental Cars | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 0) |
| March 6, 2025 | TX | SB 72 | Establishes New Regulations for Rental Cars | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 0) |
| Feb. 19, 2025 | TX | SB 40 | Amends Bail Bonds and Prohibits the Use of Public Tax Funds to Pay Bail Bonds | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 3) |
| Feb. 13, 2025 | TX | SB 4 | Increases State Homestead Exemption on School District Taxes | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 0) |
| May 10, 2023 | TX | HB 591 | Authorizes Tax Exemptions for Companies that Use Otherwise Wasted Gas | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 4) |
| April 17, 2023 | TX | HB 1 | Appropriates Funds for the Fiscal Year 2023-2025 State Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
| Aug. 11, 2021 | TX | SB 15 | Appropriates Funds for Virtual Learning Until September 2023 | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |
| May 24, 2021 | TX | HB 1900 | Establishes Penalties for Municipalities that Reduce Police Funding | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 3) |
| April 2, 2019 | TX | SB 22 | Prohibits Taxpayer Dollars for Abortion Clinics | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 11) |
| July 25, 2017 | TX | SB 2 | Appropriates Funds for Private School Scholarships | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
| July 25, 2017 | TX | SB 2 | Appropriates Funds for Private School Scholarships | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
| March 30, 2017 | TX | SB 2 | Appropriates Funds for Private School Scholarships | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 13) |
| March 30, 2017 | TX | SB 2 | Appropriates Funds for Private School Scholarships | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 13) |
| May 25, 2013 | TX | SB 1 | 2013-2015 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (27 - 4) |
| April 10, 2013 | TX | SB 1467 | Requires Facilitation of Expansion of Firearms Manufacturers | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 7) |
| June 3, 2011 | TX | SB 1 | 2011-2013 Biennium Education Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
| May 28, 2011 | TX | HB 1 | 2011-2013 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 11) |
| May 4, 2011 | TX | HB 1 | 2011-2013 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
| Feb. 23, 2011 | TX | SJR 1 | Urging Congress to Propose a Balanced Budget Amendment | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (24 - 7) |
| 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) |
| April 12, 2007 | TX | CSHB 1 | 2008-2009 Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 5) |
| May 12, 2006 | TX | CSHB 5 | Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Increase | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 13) |
| May 10, 2006 | TX | F 3 | Cigarette Tax Revenue Allocation Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (12 - 18) |
| May 10, 2006 | TX | F 4 | Cigarette Tax Revenue Allocation Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (10 - 20) |
| May 9, 2006 | TX | CSHB 2 | Property Tax Reduction | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| May 2, 2006 | TX | SCS HCS HB 4 | Motor Vehicle Taxes | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 10) |
| May 2, 2006 | TX | HB 3 | Business Tax Revisions | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |