Key Votes

2013 All Executive Branch Key Votes

State
Issue
Year
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About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes
Date No. Title Outcome
4/16 MN SF 1589 State Government Appropriations and Increase in Governor and Legislators Pay Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 32) 3/27 KS HB 2234 Specifies Contract Powers of the Kansas Turnpike Authority Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 14) 3/19 AR HB 1819 Prohibits Governor from Regulating Firearms in an Emergency Bill Passed - House (78 - 9) 3/19 TX SJR 13 Constitutional Amendment to Establish Term Limits Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (27 - 4) 3/13 KS HB 2019 Authorizes Governor to Appoint Judges to Kansas Court of Appeals Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 12) 3/11 KS HB 2234 Specifies Contract Powers of the Kansas Turnpike Authority Bill Passed - House (81 - 41) 3/07 NA PN 48 Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 34) 3/06 WI SB 2 Limits the Secretary of State's Role in Legislation Bill Passed - House (59 - 37) 3/04 AK HB 77 Authorizes Natural Resources Commissioner to Issue General Permits Bill Passed - House (31 - 6) 3/01 KS HB 2019 Authorizes Governor to Appoint Judges to Kansas Court of Appeals Bill Passed - House (73 - 50) 2/26 NA PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 41) 2/26 NA PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Invoked - Senate (71 - 27) 2/22 KY SB 40 Requires Health Care Exchanges to Be Approved by The Legislature Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) 2/22 KY SB 39 Requires Medicaid Expansion to be Approved by the Legislature Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) 2/15 NA HR 273 Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees Bill Passed - House (261 - 154) 2/14 NA PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (58 - 40) 2/14 NJ AR 91 Extends the Term of a Special Committee Investigating the Finances of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Resolution Passed - House (46 - 29) 1/30 KS SCR 1601 Authorizes the Governor to Nominate Judges Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 12) 1/30 SD HB 1113 Requires Certain State Electronic Exchanges to Be Made Public Bill Failed - House (34 - 35) 1/29 WI SB 2 Limits the Secretary of State's Role in Legislation Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 14) 1/28 NJ A 3614 Requires Legislative Approval For State Lottery Changes Bill Passed - House (45 - 29) 1/25 WY SF 104 Establishes the Director Position in the Department of Education Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 9) 1/25 WY SF 104 Establishes the Director Position in the Department of Education Bill Passed - House (39 - 20) 1/16 WY HB 23 Requires Juvenile Offenders to Be Eligible for Parole While Serving a Life Sentence Bill Passed - House (42 - 17) 1/15 NA H Amdt 4 Offsets Cost of Disaster Relief Appropriations Through Discretionary Budget Cuts Amendment Rejected - House (162 - 258) 1/01 NA HR 6726 Congressional Pay Freeze and Fiscal Responsibility Act Bill Passed - House (287 - 129)

About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes

Project Vote Smart provides easy access to Congressional and State voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Key votes typically include the initial passage of legislation and final conference report vote versions (the compromised versions of bills passed in separate House and Senate versions). 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

Descriptions of the votes are written by Vote Smart staff and based on information included in the Congressional Record, State House Journals, or Senate Journals, with additional background information from newspapers, magazines, etc. Vote Smart provides summaries for each selected key vote. The summary does not necessarily reflect the final version of the bill.

The Key Votes Program follows Project Vote Smart's strict policies, procedures and structure that guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. In order to ensure that all Key Votes are non-partisan in their selection and language, each is approved by a group of over 160 political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.