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. 17, 2011 | ND | HB 1385 | Senior Citizens Attending Institutions of Higher Education | Bill Passed - House (65 - 29) |
| Feb. 17, 2011 | IA | HF 260 | House Rule School Governance | Bill Passed - House (65 - 30) |
| Feb. 17, 2011 | IN | SB 575 | Collective Bargaining for School Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| Feb. 16, 2011 | AR | HB 1049 | Prohibit Cell Phone Use in School Zones | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 9) |
| Feb. 16, 2011 | WY | SF 106 | School Finances | Bill Failed - House (20 - 35) |
| Feb. 16, 2011 | IA | SF 166 | Funding for Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| Feb. 16, 2011 | UT | HB 75 | Guns On School Premises | Bill Passed - House (58 - 15) |
| Feb. 16, 2011 | UT | HB 75 | Guns On School Premises | Bill Passed - House (58 - 15) |
| Feb. 16, 2011 | OH | HB 30 | Reduce Required School Funding | Bill Passed - House (59 - 36) |
| Feb. 11, 2011 | ND | HB 1470 | Higher Education Tuition | Bill Failed - House (41 - 51) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | WY | SF 140 | Kindergarten Attendance | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 15) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | WY | HB 204 | Patriotism in the Classroom | Bill Passed - House (52 - 5) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | IN | HB 1002 | Charter School Amendments | Bill Passed - House (59 - 37) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | VA | HB 1465 | Excludes Undocumented Immigrants from Public Universities | Bill Passed - House (75 - 24) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | VA | HB 2314 | Education Improvement Scholarships | Bill Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | WY | SF 52 | Repealing Teacher Tenure | Bill Failed - Senate (12 - 18) |
| Feb. 7, 2011 | ID | HJM 1 | Parental Rights Amendment | Joint Resolution Passed - House (49 - 20) |
| Feb. 3, 2011 | MN | SF 40 | Amends Licensing and Codes for Education | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 23) |
| Feb. 3, 2011 | VA | SB 831 | Amending the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| Feb. 2, 2011 | WY | SF 106 | School Finances | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
| Feb. 1, 2011 | VA | HJ 593 | Free Exercise of Religion | Amendment Adopted - House (61 - 33) |
| Feb. 1, 2011 | AR | HB 1049 | Prohibit Cell Phone Use in School Zones | Bill Passed - House (53 - 41) |
| Jan. 31, 2011 | NY | S 2707 | Funding State Mandated Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 20) |
| Jan. 31, 2011 | AR | HB 1049 | Prohibit Cell Phone Use in School Zones | Bill Failed - House (46 - 47) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/17 | HB 1385 | Senior Citizens Attending Institutions of Higher Education | Bill Passed - House (65 - 29) |
| 2/17 | HF 260 | House Rule School Governance | Bill Passed - House (65 - 30) |
| 2/17 | SB 575 | Collective Bargaining for School Employees | Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 19) |
| 2/16 | HB 1049 | Prohibit Cell Phone Use in School Zones | Bill Failed - Senate (13 - 9) |
| 2/16 | SF 106 | School Finances | Bill Failed - House (20 - 35) |
| 2/16 | SF 166 | Funding for Public Schools | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| 2/16 | HB 75 | Guns On School Premises | Bill Passed - House (58 - 15) |
| 2/16 | HB 75 | Guns On School Premises | Bill Passed - House (58 - 15) |
| 2/16 | HB 30 | Reduce Required School Funding | Bill Passed - House (59 - 36) |
| 2/11 | HB 1470 | Higher Education Tuition | Bill Failed - House (41 - 51) |
| 2/08 | SF 140 | Kindergarten Attendance | Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 15) |
| 2/08 | HB 204 | Patriotism in the Classroom | Bill Passed - House (52 - 5) |
| 2/08 | HB 1002 | Charter School Amendments | Bill Passed - House (59 - 37) |
| 2/08 | HB 1465 | Excludes Undocumented Immigrants from Public Universities | Bill Passed - House (75 - 24) |
| 2/08 | HB 2314 | Education Improvement Scholarships | Bill Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| 2/08 | SF 52 | Repealing Teacher Tenure | Bill Failed - Senate (12 - 18) |
| 2/07 | HJM 1 | Parental Rights Amendment | Joint Resolution Passed - House (49 - 20) |
| 2/03 | SF 40 | Amends Licensing and Codes for Education | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 23) |
| 2/03 | SB 831 | Amending the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| 2/02 | SF 106 | School Finances | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
| 2/01 | HJ 593 | Free Exercise of Religion | Amendment Adopted - House (61 - 33) |
| 2/01 | HB 1049 | Prohibit Cell Phone Use in School Zones | Bill Passed - House (53 - 41) |
| 1/31 | S 2707 | Funding State Mandated Programs | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 20) |
| 1/31 | HB 1049 | Prohibit Cell Phone Use in School Zones | Bill Failed - House (46 - 47) |