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 13, 2012 | IA | HF 2385 | Authorizes Professionals to Teach Certain High School Courses | Bill Passed - House (61 - 36) |
| March 7, 2012 | MI | HB 4929 | Prohibits Union Dues Deductions from School Employee Paychecks | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (56 - 54) |
| March 7, 2012 | MO | SB 572 | Amends Worker's Compensation | Bill Passed - House (87 - 68) |
| March 6, 2012 | AZ | HCR 2056 | Matches State Minimum Wage to Federal Minimum | Resolution Passed - House (39 - 18) |
| March 5, 2012 | ID | HCR 40 | 2 Percent Pay Raise for State Employees | Resolution Passed - House (54 - 14) |
| March 2, 2012 | FL | HB 1205 | Authorizes Random Drug Tests of State Employees | Bill Passed - House (79 - 37) |
| Feb. 29, 2012 | SD | HB 1234 | Eliminates Teacher Tenure | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (36 - 33) |
| Feb. 29, 2012 | WA | SB 5895 | Authorizes the Use of Student Test Scores in Teacher Evaluations | Bill Passed - House (82 - 16) |
| Feb. 29, 2012 | FL | HB 609 | Prohibits Unpaid Wage Collection Ordinances | Bill Passed - House (77 - 38) |
| Feb. 28, 2012 | CO | HB 1115 | Authorizes Businesses to Comment on Fiscal Impact of Proposed Legislation | Bill Passed - House (41 - 22) |
| Feb. 27, 2012 | OR | SB 1548 | Prohibits Employers from Limiting Job Vacancies to Employed Applicants | Bill Passed - House (56 - 4) |
| Feb. 23, 2012 | KS | HB 2638 | Reduces Unemployment Benefits and Unemployment Insurance Contributions | Bill Passed - House (85 - 39) |
| Feb. 21, 2012 | WI | SB 202 | Repeals Punitive Damages for Workplace Discrimination | Bill Passed - House (60 - 35) |
| Feb. 16, 2012 | MN | HF 1870 | Authorizes School Districts to Dismiss Teachers Based on Performance | Bill Passed - House (68 - 61) |
| Feb. 15, 2012 | MI | HB 5085 | Prohibits public employers from deducting political contributions from employee paychecks | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 43) |
| Feb. 15, 2012 | NH | HB 1666 | Limits State Contribution to Public Employee Benefits | Bill Passed - House (232 - 119) |
| Feb. 14, 2012 | VA | HB 1129 | Reduces State Employee Retirement Benefits | Bill Passed - House (74 - 26) |
| Feb. 13, 2012 | SD | HB 1234 | Eliminates Teacher Tenure | Bill Passed - House (41 - 28) |
| Feb. 13, 2012 | VA | HB 576 | Amends Teacher Contract and Evaluation Policies | Bill Passed - House (55 - 43) |
| Feb. 9, 2012 | MO | HB 1219 | Workplace Discrimination Amendments | Bill Passed - House (89 - 68) |
| Feb. 3, 2012 | National | HR 658 | Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - House (248 - 169) |
| Jan. 25, 2012 | IN | HB 1001 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Employees to Join a Labor Organization | Bill Passed - House (54 - 44) |
| Jan. 5, 2012 | NC | SB 727 | No Dues Checkoff for School Employees | Veto Override Passed - House (69 - 45) |
| Jan. 5, 2012 | NH | HB 383 | Prohibits State Employees From Being Requied to Pay Association Fees | Bill Passed - House (212 - 128) |
| Jan. 5, 2012 | NH | HB 383 | Prohibits State Employees From Being Requied to Pay Association Fees | Bill Passed - House (212 - 128) |