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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 9, 2016 | VA | HB 518 | Authorizes Students to Transfer from Certain Schools | Bill Passed - House (57 - 42) |
| Feb. 9, 2016 | SD | HB 1112 | Repeals Transgender Policies Adopted by High School Sports Associations | Bill Passed - House (45 - 23) |
| Feb. 3, 2016 | IN | HB 1004 | Authorizes Higher Wages for Hard-to-Fill Teaching Positions | Bill Passed - House (57 - 42) |
| Jan. 27, 2016 | RI | H 7051 | Requires City Council Approval to Establish or Expand a Charter School | Bill Passed - House (60 - 11) |
| Jan. 27, 2016 | SD | HB 1008 | Prohibits Students from Using School Restrooms Designated for the Opposite Biological Sex | Bill Passed - House (58 - 10) |
| Jan. 25, 2016 | WA | HB 2366 | Amends Education Funding System | Bill Passed - House (64 - 34) |
| Oct. 21, 2015 | National | HR 10 | Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Reauthorization Act | Bill Passed - House (240 - 191) |
| Sept. 30, 2015 | OH | HB 2 | Amends Charter School Regulations | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (34 - 58) |
| Sept. 11, 2015 | CA | AB 329 | Requires Age Appropriate Comprehensive Sex Education | Bill Passed - House (51 - 26) |
| Sept. 1, 2015 | CA | SB 707 | Prohibits Concealed Firearms on School Grounds | Bill Passed - House (54 - 24) |
| July 8, 2015 | WI | SB 21 | 2015-2017 Biennium Budget | Bill Passed - House (52 - 46) |
| July 8, 2015 | National | HR 5 | Student Success Act | Bill Passed - House (218 - 213) |
| July 2, 2015 | OR | SB 895 | Requires Schools to Report Immunization Rates | Bill Passed - House (39 - 21) |
| June 23, 2015 | PA | HB 805 | Requires Schools to Use Teacher Performance Evaluations | Bill Passed - House (100 - 91) |
| June 15, 2015 | OR | HB 2655 | Authorizes Parents to Excuse Children from Statewide Assessments | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (32 - 28) |
| June 2, 2015 | MI | HB 4041 | Amends Requirements to Receive Certain Assistance Funds | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 34) |
| May 29, 2015 | NV | SB 302 | Establishes Education Savings Account | Bill Passed - House (25 - 17) |
| May 28, 2015 | AL | SB 71 | Increases Cumulative Cap on Tax Credits Available for Scholarship Donations | Bill Passed - House (68 - 26) |
| May 27, 2015 | IL | HB 4151 | 2015-2016 Education Budget | Bill Passed - House (66 - 47) |
| May 22, 2015 | NV | AB 448 | Authorizes Conversion of a Public School to a Charter School | Bill Passed - House (25 - 17) |
| May 21, 2015 | OR | SB 553 | Limits School Disciplinary Policies | Bill Passed - House (40 - 19) |
| May 20, 2015 | IL | SB 100 | Establishes Educational Disciplinary Guidelines | Bill Passed - House (73 - 41) |
| May 17, 2015 | MN | HF 844 | Prohibits Students from Using Facilities Designated for the Opposite Sex | Conference Report Adopted - House (71 - 59) |
| May 13, 2015 | MI | SB 139 | Limits Fund-Raising Activities | Bill Passed - House (66 - 43) |
| May 7, 2015 | AL | HB 236 | Authorizes Home-Schooled Students to Participate in Public School Sports | Bill Passed - House (52 - 43) |