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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23, 2016 | KS | SB 469 | Amends Labor Union Procedures | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 18) |
| March 22, 2016 | AL | SB 205 | Prohibits Abortion Clinics from being Located Near Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 6) |
| March 22, 2016 | MI | SB 710 | Amends the Detroit Public School System | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 16) |
| March 16, 2016 | KY | SB 253 | Establishes Public Charter School Pilot Project | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 9) |
| March 16, 2016 | MD | SB 706 | Establishes Education Credit | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 19) |
| March 11, 2016 | VA | HB 8 | Establishes Virtual Public School | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (23 - 17) |
| March 11, 2016 | GA | HB 859 | Authorizes Concealed Carry of Firearms at Institutions of Higher Education | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 17) |
| March 10, 2016 | IN | HB 1005 | Establishes Regulations Regarding Education | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (33 - 17) |
| March 10, 2016 | WA | SB 6194 | Authorizes Public Charter Schools | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| March 9, 2016 | FL | HB 7029 | Amends Charter School Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 12) |
| March 7, 2016 | VA | HB 389 | Establishes School Choice Program for Children with Disabilities | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 19) |
| March 2, 2016 | IL | SB 2043 | Appropriates Funds for Higher Education | Veto Override Passed - Senate (37 - 17) |
| March 1, 2016 | VA | HB 516 | Requires Parental Review of Explicit School Books | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
| Feb. 29, 2016 | AK | SB 89 | Prohibits Schools from Contracting with Abortion Services Providers | Bill Passed - Senate (12 - 7) |
| Feb. 24, 2016 | SD | SB 159 | Authorizes Education Tax Credit for Insurance Companies | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 11) |
| Feb. 23, 2016 | IN | HB 1395 | Repeals ISTEP Test | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 10) |
| Feb. 22, 2016 | AZ | SB 1402 | Amends Tax Rate for Property Belonging to Institutions of Higher Education | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 14) |
| Feb. 22, 2016 | ID | S 1248 | Repeals the Requirement that Charter Schools Use State Contracts | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 13) |
| Feb. 17, 2016 | KY | SB 1 | Amends Public Education Standard Review Processes | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 12) |
| Feb. 16, 2016 | SD | HB 1008 | Prohibits Students from Using School Restrooms Designated for the Opposite Biological Sex | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
| Feb. 16, 2016 | WA | SB 6195 | Amends Education Funding System | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| Feb. 15, 2016 | VA | SJ 6 | Authorizes the Board of Education to Establish Charter Schools | Bill Failed - Senate (19 - 21) |
| Feb. 10, 2016 | WA | SB 6443 | Repeals Rule Authorizing Use of Bathrooms Consistent with Gender Identity | Bill Failed - Senate (24 - 25) |
| Jan. 20, 2016 | NE | LB 18 | Requires a Meningitis Immunization Before Entering Seventh Grade | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (29 - 14) |
| Jan. 20, 2016 | WA | SB 6194 | Authorizes Commission Oversight for Public Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |
| Sept. 10, 2015 | CA | AB 329 | Requires Age Appropriate Comprehensive Sex Education | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 14) |
| July 9, 2015 | WA | HB 2266 | Establishes a Delay on Class Size Restrictions | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 11) |
| July 7, 2015 | WI | SB 21 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| July 7, 2015 | WI | SB 21 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15) |
| July 3, 2015 | OR | SB 932 | Authorizes Financial Aid for Undocumented Students | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| June 30, 2015 | WA | HB 2266 | Establishes a Delay on Class Size Restrictions | Bill Failed - Senate (27 - 17) |
| June 30, 2015 | OR | SB 895 | Requires Schools to Report Immunization Rates | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 10) |
| June 25, 2015 | OR | SB 932 | Authorizes Financial Aid for Undocumented Students | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 11) |
| June 17, 2015 | DE | HB 50 | Authorizes Parents to Opt Children Out of Standardized Tests | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 7) |
| June 9, 2015 | WI | SB 70 | Authorizes Certain Officers to Carry Firearms in Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 11) |
| June 3, 2015 | AL | SB 71 | Increases Cumulative Cap on Tax Credits Available for Scholarship Donations | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (18 - 14) |
| June 1, 2015 | CA | SB 707 | Prohibits Concealed Firearms on School Grounds | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| June 1, 2015 | CA | SB 707 | Prohibits Concealed Firearms on School Grounds | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| June 1, 2015 | CA | SB 172 | Repeals Requirement for High School Seniors to Pass Exit Exam | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 14) |
| May 29, 2015 | CT | HB 6844 | Amends Eligibility Requirements for In-State Tuition | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
| May 29, 2015 | IL | HB 4151 | 2015-2016 Education Budget | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 24) |
| May 26, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Amends Requirements to Receive Certain Assistance Funds | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12) |
| April 29, 2015 | IN | HB 1001 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (40 - 9) |
| April 29, 2015 | LA | SB 48 | Amends the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 9) |
| April 23, 2015 | IL | SB 100 | Establishes Educational Disciplinary Guidelines | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 16) |
| April 16, 2015 | ND | SB 2151 | Appropriates Funds for Early Childhood Education Grants | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 14) |
| April 16, 2015 | OK | SB 782 | Authorizes Charter Schools in All Districts | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 7) |
| April 16, 2015 | TN | SB 612 | Authorizes Certain Students to be Charged In-State Tuition | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 12) |
| April 13, 2015 | MD | HB 70 | 2015-2016 Budget | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (33 - 13) |
| April 13, 2015 | MD | SB 183 | Amends Funding for the Geographic Cost of Education Index | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
| April 8, 2015 | MO | HB 63 | Prohibits Superintendents from Serving on Certain School Boards | Veto Override Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
| April 7, 2015 | NV | AB 165 | Establishes the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 9) |
| April 6, 2015 | WA | SB 6088 | Amends Class Size-Related Funding Calculation | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 22) |
| March 31, 2015 | AL | SB 71 | Increases Cumulative Cap on Tax Credits Available for Scholarship Donations | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 14) |
| March 31, 2015 | MT | SB 410 | Authorizes Tax Credits for Donations to Certain Educational Programs and Student Scholarship Organizations | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 23) |
| March 31, 2015 | TX | SB 6 | Establishes Rating System for Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 10) |
| March 31, 2015 | NY | S 2006B | Establishes Annual Teacher Evaluation Program | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 26) |
| March 30, 2015 | TN | SB 999 | Establishes The Tennessee Choice and Opportunity Scholarship Program | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 9) |
| March 26, 2015 | OK | HB 1749 | Prohibits Payroll Deductions for Public Employee Organizations | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 16) |
| March 25, 2015 | IA | SF 227 | Amends the School Year Start Date | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| March 25, 2015 | KS | HB 2326 | Amends Teacher Contracts | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 27) |
| March 25, 2015 | CO | SB 45 | Establishes Tax Credits for Private School Tuition | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
| March 20, 2015 | ND | HB 1195 | Authorizes Concealed Firearms in Schools | Bill Failed - Senate (17 - 28) |
| March 19, 2015 | AL | SB 191 | Establishes the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Community College System | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 5) |
| March 19, 2015 | TX | SB 11 | Authorizes Concealed Carry of Firearms on College Campuses | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 11) |
| March 19, 2015 | KS | SB 175 | Prohibits Universities from Denying Benefits to Religious Student Organizations | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 8) |
| March 19, 2015 | AL | SB 191 | Establishes the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Community College System | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 5) |
| March 18, 2015 | AL | SB 45 | Authorizes Public Charter Schools | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (24 - 11) |
| March 16, 2015 | ID | S 1096 | Establishes Parental Rights in Education | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| March 14, 2015 | WV | HB 2934 | Requires a Review of State Education Standards | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 14) |
| March 12, 2015 | MO | HB 63 | Prohibits Superintendents from Serving on Certain School Boards | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 3) |
| March 12, 2015 | AR | SB 366 | Authorizes Additional Compensations to Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 8) |
| March 11, 2015 | WA | SB 5748 | Requires the Use of Test Scores in Teacher Evaluations | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 23) |
| March 11, 2015 | GA | SR 80 | Revises Advanced Placement Test in U.S. History | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 17) |
| March 10, 2015 | AL | SB 45 | Authorizes Public Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |