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Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature

Can I find out what bills my Senator and my Representative sponsored and how my Senator or Representative voted in a previous session?

Bills sponsored

The journal for each session has an index of bills by author. This is compiled at the end of the biennium so if you're looking for more timely information, you can search for House bills or search for Senate bills by author. Also, you can click on the Legislators Past and Present page for your Senator or Representative to find the recent bills they have authored.

Voting Records

There are no official compilations of voting records. To find all votes by a particular Senator or Representative, you must look up the final vote on each individual bill.

The votes that Senators and Representatives cast are a matter of public record and are recorded in the official journals of each body. You can find the votes on the Legislature's website for the years 1994 to present in the House Journal and 1995 to present in the Senate Journal.

Since 2001, the House has recorded all House floor votes cast in a database. From the bill status page for any House bill, click on Recorded Roll Call Floor Votes to get voting details. You can find the bill status pages by searching the Bill Search and Status system. Or go to the Recorded Roll Call Floor Votes page to find a vote by date or by bill number.

The Senate does not provide a similar service. To track how Senators voted from 1995 to the present, and how Representatives voted from 1995 to 2001, go to the Bill Search and Status page to locate the bill you are looking for. On the bill status page, you'll see a table of actions, which will include the final vote, when applicable. Next to the final vote should be a link to the journal page recording the vote. You can use the journal page to look up your Representative or Senator to see how they voted.

For years prior to 1995, you will need to use the print volumes of the House and Senate Journals. Minnesota House and Senate Journals are available at the Legislative Reference Library, Minnesota Law Library, Minnesota History Center, and various other libraries. The Legislative Reference Library digitized Journals from 1973-1996.

Some Senators and Representatives have their staff keep track of votes. In addition, interest groups following certain legislation compile such information. Be aware, however, that these compilations can be partisan in nature. A selection of Legislator Voting Records and Ratings can be found in a guide from the Legislative Reference Library.