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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 5, 2019 | NH | SB 263 | Prohibits Discrimination in Public Schools | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - House (211 - 141) |
| May 31, 2019 | AL | HB 77 | Expands Retirement Benefits for Public School Teachers | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 4) |
| May 30, 2019 | IL | HB 3606 | Authorizes Parental Privacy Rights for Student Data Collection | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (93 - 22) |
| May 30, 2019 | ME | LD 1050 | Requires Education About African American History and the History of Genocide | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - House (87 - 54) |
| May 29, 2019 | IL | HB 254 | Reduces Class Sizes | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (86 - 32) |
| May 29, 2019 | IL | HB 2078 | Increases Teacher Salary to $40,000 | Bill Passed - Senate (45 - 13) |
| May 29, 2019 | ME | LD 307 | Limits the Number of Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
| May 28, 2019 | CA | AB 493 | Specifies Biennial LGBTQ Teacher Training be Encouraged | Bill Passed - House (61 - 0) |
| May 28, 2019 | ME | LD 307 | Limits the Number of Charter Schools | Bill Passed - House (81 - 59) |
| May 27, 2019 | AZ | HB 2749 | Appropriates Funds for K-12 Education for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| May 25, 2019 | AZ | HB 2749 | Appropriates Funds for K-12 Education for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 | Bill Passed - House (31 - 28) |
| May 23, 2019 | IL | HB 3606 | Authorizes Parental Privacy Rights for Student Data Collection | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 17) |
| May 23, 2019 | IL | HB 2265 | Requires Civics Education | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 14) |
| May 23, 2019 | OR | HB 2023 | Requires Inclusive Education on Certain Classifications of Individuals | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 5) |
| May 23, 2019 | ME | LD 798 | Prohibits Non-Medical Exemptions for Vaccinations | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 16) |
| May 22, 2019 | OR | HB 2191 | Expands Reasons for School Absences to Include Mental and Behavioral Health | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 6) |
| May 21, 2019 | ME | LD 513 | Limits Enrollment at Virtual Public Charter Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 15) |
| May 17, 2019 | MO | HB 604 | Authorizes Funding to Under-performing Schools | Bill Passed - House (116 - 25) |
| May 14, 2019 | ME | LD 513 | Limits Enrollment at Virtual Public Charter Schools | Bill Passed - House (87 - 53) |
| May 8, 2019 | TX | HB 1387 | Authorizes Law Enforcement Officers to Carry on School Property | Bill Passed - House (97 - 46) |
| May 7, 2019 | ME | LD 502 | Establishes the "Summer Success" Pilot Program Fund | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - House (87 - 53) |
| May 7, 2019 | PA | HB 800 | Increases Amount of Tax Credits Available for Students to Attend the School of Their Choice | Bill Passed - House (111 - 85) |
| May 6, 2019 | OR | HB 3063 | Prohibits All Religious and Philosophical Vaccination Exemptions | Bill Passed - House (35 - 25) |
| May 3, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1032 | Amends Sex Education Standards | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 14) |
| May 1, 2019 | TN | HB 939 | Authorizes Education Savings Account Vouchers | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (19 - 14) |
| May 1, 2019 | TN | HB 939 | Authorizes Education Savings Account Vouchers | Conference Report Adopted - House (51 - 46) |
| May 1, 2019 | MI | HB 4206 | Authorizes Four Built-In Snow Days for Public Schools | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (56 - 53) |
| May 1, 2019 | MN | HF 2400 | Appropriates Funds for Education Finance | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 30) |
| May 1, 2019 | FL | SB 7030 | Authorizes Firearms on School Campuses | Bill Passed - House (65 - 47) |
| May 1, 2019 | OH | HB 154 | Repeals Use of Academic Distress Commissions | Bill Passed - House (83 - 12) |
| April 27, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1312 | Requires Waivers from Parents Wanting to Exempt their Children from Vaccinations | Bill Passed - House (39 - 20) |
| April 23, 2019 | TN | HB 939 | Authorizes Education Savings Account Vouchers | Bill Passed - House (50 - 48) |
| April 23, 2019 | ME | LD 798 | Prohibits Non-Medical Exemptions for Vaccinations | Bill Passed - House (78 - 59) |
| April 23, 2019 | FL | SB 7030 | Authorizes Firearms on School Campuses | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
| April 23, 2019 | MN | HF 2400 | Appropriates Funds for Education Finance | Bill Passed - House (78 - 55) |
| April 16, 2019 | IN | HB 1253 | Authorizes Firearm Training for Teachers and School Staff | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 14) |
| April 16, 2019 | TX | HB 455 | Establishes Standards for Public School Recess | Bill Passed - House (95 - 48) |
| April 12, 2019 | IL | HB 2263 | Requires "Work Ethic" Curriculum | Bill Passed - House (69 - 39) |
| April 11, 2019 | IL | HB 1873 | Increases Fines for Drivers Who Pass School Buses | Bill Passed - House (74 - 16) |
| April 11, 2019 | IL | SB 2075 | Requires 5-Year-Olds to Attend Kindergarten | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 16) |
| April 10, 2019 | IL | SB 1970 | Authorizes Student Absences for Voting | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 10) |
| April 9, 2019 | IL | HB 2078 | Increases Teacher Salary to $40,000 | Bill Passed - House (79 - 31) |
| April 4, 2019 | KS | SB 16 | Appropriates Additional $90 Million for Public Education | Conference Report Adopted - House (76 - 47) |
| April 2, 2019 | ND | HB 1332 | Authorizes Schools to Develop a Plan for an Armed First Responder | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (75 - 15) |
| April 2, 2019 | GA | SB 15 | Requires Schools to Perform Certain Threat Assessments | Bill Passed - House (110 - 56) |
| March 29, 2019 | MD | SB 128 | Authorizes Regulation of School Calendars | Veto Override Passed - House (93 - 43) |
| March 29, 2019 | ND | HB 1346 | Amends State K-12 School Year Calendar | Bill Passed - Senate (46 - 0) |
| March 29, 2019 | ND | HB 1332 | Authorizes Schools to Develop a Plan for an Armed First Responder | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 14) |
| March 28, 2019 | MD | SB 128 | Authorizes Regulation of School Calendars | Veto Override Passed - Senate (32 - 15) |
| March 28, 2019 | IL | HB 2265 | Requires Civics Education | Bill Passed - House (73 - 31) |