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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 17, 2009 | MA | S 2205 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - House (73 - 20) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 223 | University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Geographic Composition Requirements | Bill Passed - House (59 - 34) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - House (47 - 46) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | AB 458 | Sex Education Curriculum Requirements | Bill Passed - House (48 - 43) |
| Nov. 5, 2009 | WI | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 14) |
| Nov. 3, 2009 | CA | SBx5 1 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| Oct. 8, 2009 | MI | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 13) |
| Oct. 8, 2009 | MI | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (66 - 42) |
| Sept. 22, 2009 | WI | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| Sept. 17, 2009 | National | HR 3221 | Prohibiting Federal Assistance to ACORN | Bill Passed - House (253 - 171) |
| Sept. 16, 2009 | WI | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - House (53 - 44) |
| Sept. 11, 2009 | CA | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| Sept. 11, 2009 | CA | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Bill Passed - House (53 - 20) |
| Sept. 8, 2009 | CA | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Sept. 3, 2009 | CA | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Bill Passed - House (46 - 28) |
| Aug. 18, 2009 | AZ | SB 1025 | Tax Law Amendments (Budget Reconciliation) | Bill Passed - House (32 - 15) |
| Aug. 6, 2009 | NY | A 8903-A | Extending City Board Jurisdiction Over New York City Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (47 - 8) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 2 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Education Revisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 18) |
| July 24, 2009 | CA | ABX4 2 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Education Revisions | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 6) |
| July 13, 2009 | OH | HB 1 | 2009-2011 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (17 - 15) |
| July 13, 2009 | OH | HB 1 | 2009-2011 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (54 - 44) |
| June 30, 2009 | CA | SB 74 | Deferring Education Funding (2009-2010 Budget Financing) | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (25 - 14) |
| June 30, 2009 | CA | SB 64 | Education Spending Reductions (2009-2010 Budget Financing) | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (25 - 14) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/17 | S 2205 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 11) |
| 11/05 | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - House (73 - 20) |
| 11/05 | SB 371 | Higher Education Student Data System | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 7) |
| 11/05 | SB 223 | University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Geographic Composition Requirements | Bill Passed - House (59 - 34) |
| 11/05 | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - House (47 - 46) |
| 11/05 | AB 458 | Sex Education Curriculum Requirements | Bill Passed - House (48 - 43) |
| 11/05 | SB 372 | Teacher Evaluation Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 14) |
| 11/03 | SBx5 1 | Education Law Amendments | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| 10/08 | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 13) |
| 10/08 | HB 4447 | 2009-2010 Education Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (66 - 42) |
| 9/22 | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 15) |
| 9/17 | HR 3221 | Prohibiting Federal Assistance to ACORN | Bill Passed - House (253 - 171) |
| 9/16 | AB 119 | Requiring Kindergarten for First Grade Enrollment | Bill Passed - House (53 - 44) |
| 9/11 | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 7) |
| 9/11 | SB 19 | Eliminating Prohibition on Utilizing CALTIDES Data to Evaluate Teachers | Bill Passed - House (53 - 20) |
| 9/08 | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 9/03 | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Bill Passed - House (46 - 28) |
| 8/18 | SB 1025 | Tax Law Amendments (Budget Reconciliation) | Bill Passed - House (32 - 15) |
| 8/06 | A 8903-A | Extending City Board Jurisdiction Over New York City Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (47 - 8) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 2 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Education Revisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 18) |
| 7/24 | ABX4 2 | Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Revisions: Education Revisions | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 6) |
| 7/13 | HB 1 | 2009-2011 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (17 - 15) |
| 7/13 | HB 1 | 2009-2011 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - House (54 - 44) |
| 6/30 | SB 74 | Deferring Education Funding (2009-2010 Budget Financing) | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (25 - 14) |
| 6/30 | SB 64 | Education Spending Reductions (2009-2010 Budget Financing) | Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (25 - 14) |